Environmental Crime and Antisocial Behaviour Policy

Our commitment

12.1 Prevent and deter  

 We will:  

  • Support the development and delivery of pre-tenancy training ensuring that new tenants are aware of their responsibilities in terms of crime and antisocial behaviour (social housing only). 
  • Maximise partnership opportunities to provide diversionary activities aimed at preventing crime and ASB and encouraging responsible citizenship, particularly for young people.   
  • Promote mutual respect, an awareness of the needs of others, and a sense of civic pride. 
  • Build on our success with partners to reduce the opportunities for crime and ASB including the use of CCTV, hot spot analysis and response and identification of emerging trends. 
  • Promote positive outcomes and make sure individuals and communities are reassured by our actions.   
  • Increase public confidence in our services through effective communication messages and campaigns that use effective methods of communication. 
  • Strengthen our communications plan to increase confidence in our service, improve the perception of ASB in our communities and reduce stigma through effective communication messages. We will also ensure that it includes hard-to-reach communities. 
  • Increase the opportunities for joined up partnership community safety communications messages. 
  • Explore how we can work with the Probation Service and prisons to reduce re-offending in our communities.  

12.2 Intervene swiftly   

We recognise that crime and ASB undermines the quality of life for individuals, families and communities and we are committed to the provision of a victim centred approach to ASB ensuring victims are at the heart of our service and are able to access high quality advice, victim care and support.  

We will not hesitate to take enforcement action when necessary and we will continue to ensure that our response is robust and effective using all the tools and powers available to us, targeted to serious and persistent incidents of ASB and criminality that can blight our communities if left unchallenged.  

We will:  

  • Deliver a victim centred approach to case management which focuses on the harm and impact an incident of crime or ASB has on victim(s). We carry out Equality Impact Assessments as part of the pre court protocols. 
  • Provide high quality victim care and support, making sure that victims have confidence in our service and are kept regularly informed about the progress and outcome of their case.  All victims who report ASB will be provided with a named officer who will be responsible for investigating their reports.  We will create a shared action plan for both the investigating officer and the victim on the case. We will regularly review the case with victims to ensure they are kept up to date with progress, amending action plans throughout the process if needed. 
  • Provide additional support to victims who are vulnerable or repeat victims of ASB or hate crime. 
  • Ensure our response to tackling noise nuisance is robust and victim focused and that the appropriate tools and guidance is available to effectively tackle neighbour noise nuisance with confidence. 
  • Drive high levels of customer satisfaction and listen to feedback about us and our services. 
  • Make swift and effective use of ASB tools and powers by working in partnership with Community Protection to deliver enforcement interventions, make sure that the services provided by Community Protection meet the needs of our residents and communities. 
  • Ensure our workforce has the skills and knowledge required to deliver an effective victim centred ASB service. 
  • Work closely with our colleagues in Risk Management to ensure any health and safety risks are mitigated and that robust procedures are followed for reporting and dealing with violent incidents that affect our employees. 
  • Offer support through our volunteer victim support officers and dedicated victim support officer. 
  • Drive confidence in our service by reviewing and publicising the minimum standards people can expect if they become a victim of ASB.  

12.3 Positive partnerships   

  • Work with Community Protection and Police to take swift and effective enforcement action utilising the tools and powers available across the partnership. 
  • Work in partnership with the Fire and Rescue Service to prevent and remove opportunities for arson to occur, educate residents on home safety and provide interventions to remove or prevent the development of fire setting behaviour. 
  • The Community Protection Team and the Environmental Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour Policy contribute to the Safer North Tyneside Partnership and Strategy, in terms of influencing and shaping borough wide priorities, in collaboration with agencies.  
  • Use a multi-agency problem solving approach, based on people, places and premises to develop local solutions to ASB, crime and community safety issues. 
  • Continue to work with our colleagues within Adult and Children’s services to support families with complex and multiple needs. 
  • Participate in partnership ASB Case Reviews where victims have activated the ASB Case Review where they feel their reports of ASB have not received an appropriate response. 
  • Continue to strengthen our links to probation services to provide better support to ex-offenders and to prevent the cycle of re-offending. 
  • Strengthen our links with the voluntary sector organisations that contribute to the community safety agenda, from victim and witness support to supporting perpetrators of ASB to change their behaviour.      

12.4 Make a stand   

We are committed to making a stand against serious and violent crime, drugs, domestic abuse and hate crime within our communities in partnership with the Police.   

We remain committed to challenging and tackling the effects that drug use, drug dealing, gang culture, youth violence and serious and organised crime can have on our communities. We will continue to take the toughest possible stance against drug offences and violent crime, including knife crime on our estates.  

We will:  

  • Work in partnership with Northumbria Police, to take the toughest enforcement action against perpetrators of drug, violence and knife crime related tenancy breaches. 
  • Take robust tenancy enforcement action against cannabis cultivation in our homes and communities. 
  • Work with Police to tackle and respond to knife crime and serious violent crime in our communities. 
  • Support residents to report concerns about drug use and dealing to the Police in order to support the Police to build intelligence to take action to disrupt the supply and use of illegal drugs. 
  • Work with partners to strengthen our approach to protect vulnerable adults, tackle modern-day slavery, FGM, victims of scams and cybercrime, adults with mental health issues, homelessness and victims of serious violence. 
  • Work with partners to protect vulnerable children, victims of criminal exploitation, gangs, County Lines, crimes involving weapons, child sexual exploitation and those with mental health issues. 
  • Strengthen our relationship with the Police Burglary Reduction Team to make sure our properties are safe and secure, and victims of burglary supported.  

12.5 Hate Crime   

Whilst the Authority have a stand-alone policy for this matter, we will continue to ensure that we:  

  • Offer an enhanced level of support to victims of hate crime and working with partners, take the toughest action against perpetrators of hate crime, including tenants of the Authority, whereby we would seek to take action under the Tenancy Agreement.
  • Raise awareness and increase reporting of hate crime and make clear that hate crime, mate crime, harassment and bullying in all forms, including cyber bullying is not acceptable and encourage responsible use of social media. 
  • Develop innovative approaches to prevention of hate crime incidents and raise confidence in the services provided.