Blueline Jobs

There continue to be "partnership issues" in the handling of anti-social behaviour, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) said in a speech last week.

Denis O’Connor explained that people turn to the police as a last resort, while half of repeat victims don't know that agencies other than the police could help – in fact, have a statutory duty to do so.

HMIC believes that while police forces have been improving their handling of ASB, there is still a long way to go. The police do not attend 23% of ASB incidents, with almost all victims of such cases saying they were dissatisfied with the explanation given.

The Chief Inspector said the public struggle to see the difference between ASB and crime. "That’s not surprising – the boundaries between the two are blurred, even for police forces," he suggested. O’Connor highlighted how repeated ASB can blight people’s lives, particularly where a solution looks unachievable. "We believe this has repercussions beyond the individual and that ASB does significant harm to confidence in communities and fear of crime," he added.

Outdated systems

He then described the police database of information about incidents of ASB as inadequate and called for it to be improved as a matter of urgency.

As part of its assessments, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) carried out reality testing on police systems and looked at two issues: police systems for dealing with repeat victims and the impact on these people.

Police systems vary in their ability to identify repeat victims and vulnerable victims, O'Connor added. "Over half cannot identify repeat victims via automatic IT systems and rely on manual trawls. Almost all forces are unable to automatically identify victims who have previously been deemed vulnerable."

There is currently no agreed operating framework on anti-social behaviour that draws together the best that is known about how police systems, the impact of anti-social behaviour on individuals and public confidence interact.

Did you know?

• Some 3.6 million reports of anti-social behaviour were made in 2008/09. By comparison there were 4.6 million crimes reported in the same period.
• HMIC research suggests that repeat victims are less likely to be confident in the police and in the system in general. This results in fewer reports of ASB, which could mean police forces have less understanding of the issues in their area and lack the data to target key problems.
• One in five cases of repeat ASB, the victims classed themselves as disabled.
• Evidence shows that ASB matters as much, if not more, to young people as it does to older people.

Closer working

Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) lead on anti-social behaviour, Assistant Chief Constable Simon Edens, said, "Chief officers recognise that what people want most for the community in which they live, is to feel safe in the homes they live in, and on the streets they walk.

"We know that anti-social behaviour matters to the public and that the police service is the only 24-hour, 365 day per year resource that the public can turn to."

"As HMIC recognises, modern policing has to meet the challenges of a hugely complex modern environment, which means tackling anti-social behaviour must be balanced with every other aspect of policing including protecting the public from serious crime, terrorism and violence. All have an effect on people feeling safe and secure.

"As policing prepares for straitened financial times, difficult decisions on priorities lie ahead and it is vital that others, including councils, housing providers and parents, continue to work closely with us if we are to improve our response to the public in this crucial area." 

Better information-sharing

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling responded to Mr O’Connor’s speech saying, "Anti-social behaviour is undoubtedly the biggest law and order problem facing most communities across our country. This report is absolutely right in saying that it is not getting the attention it needs but that won’t change unless we get rid of Labour’s culture of bureaucracy of policing and get police officers back to policing our streets instead of filling in endless forms."

In a speech last week, Home Secretary Alan Johnson set out Labour’s plans to tackle anti-social behaviour, including the launch of the Safe and Confident Neighbourhood Strategy.

The Association of Police Authorities (APA) said it supported the measures. Deputy Chair, Councillor Mark Burns-Williamson, asked the Home Secretary about government plans to ensure better information sharing between the agencies responsible for tackling anti-social behaviour at a local level.  

Cllr Burns-Williamson said: "The Home Secretary set out very clearly in his speech what the police service and its partners are doing to improve the way that anti-social behaviour is dealt with, and the range of enforcement measures that are now available. A key role for police authorities will be to monitor levels of anti-social behaviour across force areas and ensure there is a joined-up response in dealing with such issues.

"There is no doubt, however, that there is still much we can do to improve the service people receive when they report anti-social behaviour. For example, sharing information about anti-social behaviour more effectively between local agencies has the potential to make a real difference to the levels of service the public can expect."