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Community safety

Antisocial behaviour

• A robust, nationally recognised multi-agency antisocial behaviour panel, which has been in existence since 2001.
• An early intervention panel, which was formed in recognition of a need to co-ordinate the increasing amount of work on prevention, and has seen some success in preventing young people from becoming subject to antisocial behaviour orders.
• The formation of an antisocial behaviour team, including the appointment of a dedicated antisocial behaviour co-ordinator, antisocial behaviour community safety officer, co-located police officer, specialist solicitor and a full time anti social behaviour caseworker.

What is antisocial behaviour?

Although people see antisocial behaviour as meaning very different things, the actual definition from the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and used by the Panel is:

“behaviour that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household”.

AntiSocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs)

• ASBOs are civil orders that exist to protect members of the public from behaviour that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
• An Order contains specific conditions prohibiting the offender from specific antisocial acts or entering defined areas.
• Orders vary in length from case to case but are a minimum is two years.
• An Order can be made against anyone aged 10 years or over.
• The Local Authority, Police, British Transport Police and Registered Social Landlords have the power to apply for an ASBO.
• Breach of an ASBO is a criminal offence and the maximum penalty for breach for an adult is 5 years imprisonment, in the case of juveniles it is a 24 month Detention and Training Order.

Acceptable Behaviour Agreements / Contracts (ABA/Cs)

• This is a tool used primarily with young people to attempt to get individuals to agree to amend their behaviour.
• The agreement is voluntarily signed with the understanding that a breach may lead to further action being taken against the individual.
• The agreement is signed by the individual and a Police officer. If the individual is a young person a Youth Offending Team officer will also sign the agreement and a parent or guardian will also sign.
• Pennine Housing 2000 and other Registered Social Landlords use Acceptable Behaviour Contracts ( ABCs) in the same way and details are shared with the Panel.

Antisocial Behaviour Strategy 2005 - 2008 [PDF file 191KB]|

To find out more about the steps being taken in Calderdale see Antisocial behaviour and nuisance .

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