What is anti-social behaviour?
Anti-social behaviour affects different people in different ways. For some people it means living next door to noisy neighbours, for other people it is about graffiti, litter or abandoned cars on the street.
Anti-social behaviour can hold back the regeneration of the country’s most disadvantaged areas. It damages the quality of life for too many people - one in three people say it is a problem in their area.
What is the Government doing?
The Government is determined to take action to tackle the problem and to create a society where the rights we enjoy are based on respect and responsibility to other people and to the community around us.
- The Anti-Social Behaviour Unit was set up by the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary in December 2002 to work across Government, with the police and local authorities, and with the victims of anti-social behaviour. An additional £75 million over three years has been set aside; ASBU published in October 2003 an Action Plan to introduce a wide range of specific initiatives and funding to tackle anti-behaviour and provide support for victims and witnesses.
- The White Paper ‘Respect and Responsibility - Taking A Stand Against Anti-Social Behaviour’, published in March 2003, outlines the steps the Government’s is taking.
- The Anti-Social Behaviour Bill was introduced on 27 March 2002. Key measures include:
- Widening the use of Fixed Penalty Notices e.g. noise nuisance, truancy, graffiti and applying them to 16-17 year olds
- New action to close down ‘crack houses’
- Restricting the use of air weapons and replica guns. Banning air cartridge weapons that are easily converted to firearms.
- A new offence to sell spray paints to under 18s and stronger powers for local authorities to tackle fly-tipping, graffiti and fly-posting.
- Widening powers to shut down establishments that create noise nuisance.
- Courts to consider the impact of anti-social behaviour on the wider community in all housing possession cases.Improving the operation of Anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs)
- Big angels - little devils
Watch a film on a new initiative to cut crime and anti-social behaviour in Gateshead in our films section
 
The Taking A Stand Awards
The Taking A Stand Awards have been launched to recognise those who have tackled anti-social behaviour in their area and made a real difference to their community.
Any individual, local group or project that has tackled problems can apply for the awards. It could be a project that has set up a youth club to make sure young people have somewhere to go and something to do; a group of residents that have established a litter or graffiti clean-up scheme; a neighbourhood initiative focused on reducing noise problems or an individual who has given evidence in court.
The Awards are a partnership between the Anti-Social Behaviour Unit the Co-op, Crime Concern and the National Neighbourhood Watch Association. There are up to 30 awards of £1,000, plus the top award of £5,000 to be won and spent for the benefit of local communities across England and Wales.
Visit www.takingastand.org or more information.
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