Wiltshire Police 'proud' to support national anti-social behaviour campaign
The force are joining councils, housing associations, charities, sports clubs and community groups in a series of awareness driving events
Last updated 20th Jun 2024
Wiltshire Police say they're 'proud' to support this year's national campaign to tackle anti-social behaviour.
The force are joining councils, housing associations, charities, sports clubs and community groups this week - in a series of awareness driving events.
Organised by Resolve, the UK’s leading ASB and community safety organisation, the week will feature a series of events and awareness driving campaigns all across the UK.
The force here in Wiltshire have called this week a 'great opportunity' to bolster their approach to what can be a pre-cursor to more serious crimes.
They add they are 'committed' to tackling anti-social behaviour, especially as the impact of ASB can be devastating, and last for a long time on our communities.
Oftentimes, people even consider moving house to escape antisocial behaviour.
Official stats show ASB accounted for 28% of total police recorded crime in year ending September 2021, with around 1.7 million incidents recorded.
Wiltshire Police Superintendent Liz Coles said: “We are urging members of the public not to suffer in silence if they experience antisocial behaviour. We are committed to keeping Wiltshire safe and giving it the priority it deserves so that people feel safe in their homes and when out and about.
“People may consider loud noises from their neighbours, groups of youths or even comments made on social media as antisocial behaviour but in reality, the law defines it as ‘conduct that is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, or cause nuisance or annoyance’. It includes behaviour such as graffiti, drug taking or dealing, drunken behaviour, or being abusive or aggressive.
“Incidents can be reported to the anti-social behaviour team at our local Council, or directly to us if people feel that they are at immediate risk or in danger.
“But support doesn’t end there, if you’ve been a victim of persistent ASB but you don’t feel the response hasn’t been satisfactory, you can have it reviewed using the ASB Case Review tool, also known the Community Trigger."
Cllr Nick Holder, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “Anti-social behaviour can ruin people’s lives. We our working with our partners to try to prevent these issues from happening by getting to the root causes and also supporting people as much as we can to ensure they know that help is available should they need it.
“We want Wiltshire to be a place where we are safe, and it is in the main, but unfortunately anti-social behaviour is still taking place so we must all work together, take responsibility, and try and change things for the better.”
You can find out more about ASB, how to report it, and when you can have a case reviewed, here.
There is also a place to submit your questions about ASB, which Wiltshire Police have shared. You can access it here.
You can find out more about the national Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week here.