Objectives
The Environmental Crime and ASB enforcement policy addresses low-level environmental crime and ASB offences that can be dealt with by officers across all designated service areas within the Authority.
To provide a cost-effective and timely enforcement service that reduces the burden on the courts and reduces the time between the offence and the penalty.
Section 218A of the Housing Act 1996, as introduced by Part 2 (s)12 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 requires social housing providers to prepare a policy and procedure on ASB and publish a summary of them.
In addition to this, the housing regulator outlines specific requirements relating to ASB and hate incidents in the Neighbourhood and Community Standard:
‘Registered providers must work in partnership with appropriate local authority departments, the police and other relevant organisations to deter and tackle ASB and hate incidents in the neighbourhoods where they provide social housing’.
Registered providers must:
- Have a policy on how they work with relevant organisations to deter and tackle ASB in the neighbourhoods where they provide social housing
- Clearly set out their approach for how they deter and tackle hate incidents in neighbourhoods where they provide social housing
- Enable ASB and hate incidents to be reported easily and keep tenants informed about the progress of their case
- Support tenants who are affected by ASB and hate incidents, including by signposting them to agencies who can give them appropriate support and assistance.
4.1 North Tyneside Council tenancy agreement states:
You, or anyone living with you or visiting your home, must not do anything that causes or is likely to cause a nuisance, annoyance or disturbance to anyone living, visiting or working in the area. ASB includes among other things:
- Playing loud music or making other loud noises
- Shouting or persistent arguing
- Drug and alcohol abuse
- Being drunk or disorderly in public
- Offensive behaviour
- Hate crime
- Not keeping pets under control
- Allowing your dog to bark excessively
- Dumping rubbish, fly tipping or lighting fires
- Allowing rubbish to build up in or around your home