What is Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week?

Resolve launched Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week last year to bring awareness to the types of anti-social behaviour and how those dealing with it can find support. To find out more about what anti-social behaviour is and what this awareness week is all about, we spoke with our neighbourhood team leader, Kerry Lee, for insight.

1. What is Anti-Social Behaviour?
2. What isn’t Anti-Social Behaviour?
3. What is Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week?
4. How Linc Supports Those Going Through Anti-Social Behaviour

1. What is Anti-Social Behaviour?

Firstly, it’s important to find out what anti-social behaviour is. The term anti-social behaviour can mean different things to different people. Linc considers anti-social behaviour to be:

“A wide range of unacceptable behaviour that has a negative impact on people and communities.”

There are, however, numerous legal definitions of anti-social behaviour which are subject to legal tests before action can be taken.

But what does this mean, in real terms? Is the behaviour truly anti-social or does the other neighbour not see their point of view or understand their lifestyle?

Below are behaviours and actions that we consider to be anti-social behaviour:

• Excessive noise, such as persistent dog barking or loud music at untimely hours
• Verbal/physical abuse and threatening behaviour
• Littering, fly-tipping, and misuse of communal areas
• Hate crimes and criminal behaviour/acts

2. What isn’t Anti-Social Behaviour?

Now that we know what is generally considered anti-social behaviour, we can move on to actions that aren’t considered to be anti-social. These include:

• One-off parties
• Sounds of everyday life, such as the washing machine, the TV, or talking
• Children playing or crying
• Clashes in lifestyle
• DIY at an acceptable time of day

These are behaviours that typically wouldn’t be considered anti-social behaviour as they are simply the sounds and activities of everyday life. However, some of these actions, such as one-off parties and DIY-ing could eventually turn into anti-social behaviour if they continue and persist at untimely hours and disrupt your life. But these situations may avoid escalation by being neighbourly and having respectful with one another. Simply telling your neighbour,

“Hope you enjoyed your party last night; do you mind telling me next time so I can put the kids to bed earlier.”

Or say,

“If you’re doing DIY, could you start at 9am instead of 7am, on a Saturday we like to have a lie in.”

These friendly interactions ensure that you and your neighbour understand each other and will prevent the escalation of anti-social behaviour. Kerry explains, “It's that thought, "this may affect my neighbour," and having that self-awareness. If you do that, then the next time your neighbour plans to do something, they'll think, “they told us they were doing that last time,” and they'll reciprocate it.

But if you do something and it riles them up, then that may cause an on-going neighbour dispute that will boil and escalate. It generally starts with the most minor thing that could probably be resolved very early on. And that's what we want to focus on during Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week, something minor doesn’t have to escalate, tenants can resolve issues by being respectful, mindful neighbours.”

3. What is Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week?

Now that we know the differences between what is and isn’t anti-social behaviour, we can discuss the importance of Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week.

Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week was launched in 2021 by the charity Resolve;  and is back for its second year. Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week is the week of 18^th – 24^th July, and as Kerry explains, “it's about raising awareness; so that could be through housing associations, the police, local authority departments, victim support and other support services, anyone that deals with anti-social behaviour, to let people know what they can do if they experience issues.”

Anti-Social Behaviour Week aims to raise awareness tenants what anti-social behaviour is and how they can deal with it. This year for Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week, we want our tenants to know the processes and steps they can take to prevent anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhoods.

4. How Linc Supports Those Going Through Anti-Social Behaviour

Here at Linc, like to put a lot of emphasis on being good neighbours first and foremost; so, actions such as the ones previously mentioned, like talking to your neighbour and being understanding of different lifestyles and routines should always be the first point of call.

However, we can appreciate that not all neighbours get along, Kerry discusses how “when we move into a new home, we never know for certain we will have a great relationship with our neighbour.

People have different lifestyles, and for Anti-Social Awareness Week, we’re trying to explain that it's okay that people live different lifestyles, but it's also about recognising that if issues do pop up, then you need to be in a place where you can discuss that with your neighbour.”

But if situations ever get out of control or you feel as though you can’t talk to your neighbour, we are always here to help. We always assess the risk of the individual and the unique situation when we receive a report of anti-social behaviour. After this, there are a few different courses of action that can be taken depending on the level of anti-social behaviour. Kerry recalled the time she led a mediation; “A few years ago, I had these two neighbours, and they wouldn't even look at each other, they just couldn't stand each other!

And I managed to arrange a mediation in their local Hall, and they came and they spoke about what was causing them issues. Once they were able to get through that they left together chatting away and they were friendly.

Mediation is a powerful tool to empower residents to deal with their own neighbour issues and find the best, long lasting solution. However, this can sometimes be difficult as people don’t like exposing themselves like that. We get that, but we also know from experience how transformative these sessions can be. An hour of stress and worry can turn into years of settled peace. You live there, you know what will work and what won’t!”

As Kerry says, mediation is a great way to resolve disputes that have gotten out of hand; it can be daunting or stressful initially, but we have seen great results of neighbours leaving mediation feeling heard and understood.

Of course, anti-social behaviour can turn violent and abusive, whether that is towards neighbours or between tenants in the same household, this is something no one should have to endure. Kerry has first-hand experience with dealing with serious situations, she manages Linc’s anti-social behaviour team as well as Strive, our tenancy support team. This role includes managing the team that deals with more serious cases of anti-social behaviour that might need legal intervention. Kerry explains that in some cases “if appropriate, we may have to apply for a Civil injunction which is a court order to stop somebody doing something. Eviction is always a very last resort after we have exhausted all other avenues. Unfortunately, the process to regain possession of a property is a very long process, which we know and understand can be distressing for those affected by the anti-social behaviour.”

We will always suggest that tenants experiencing anti-social behaviour should gain as much evidence as possible to help with the process. This could be anything from diary sheets, logs, Noise App, and photos (if appropriate). This type of evidence will help us and our tenants as we need to understand the extent of the problem to take the most appropriate action. We get that this can be tedious, and some residents feel they put in the effort of submitting evidence but it won’t amount to anything. However, for Linc, when the anti-social behaviour is persistent and negatively impacts on tenants’ lives, this evidence is like gold; especially if legal action is required. Tenants are our eyes and ears, and we need their help in taking the right action to address the anti-social behaviour.

For us here at Linc, we always want our tenants to feel safe in their homes and communities. And this Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week, we want tenants to feel empowered and know that they can deal with anti-social behaviour, or pre-signs of anti-social behaviour themselves through being a good neighbour and utilising great communication. But of course, we will always be there if situations get out of hand. We welcome you to join us in celebrating Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week, whether you’re one of our partners, our tenants, or colleagues, let’s all do something neighbourly and raise awareness to prevent anti-social behaviour.

For more information on Linc and our tenant services, get in touch today for a chat.