Merseyside Police and partners committed to tackling and preventing ASB, says Police Commissioner

Merseyside’s Police Commissioner is using the launch of ASB Awareness Week to encourage victims to report incidents and to know their rights.

Emily Spurrell is supporting the national week of action, running from 3rd-9th July, which aims to encourage communities to take a stand against ASB to make their areas safer.

This year, the campaign has a particular focus on the ASB Case Review - a powerful tool for victims of ASB. Previously known as the ‘Community Trigger’, the ASB Case Review enables victims who have reported persistent anti-social behaviour, but are unhappy with the response they’ve received, to request to have the case reviewed. 

Anti-social behaviour is any action that causes distress or affects another person's quality of life. Common forms of ASB are vandalism or graffiti, noisy neighbours, drunk or rowdy behaviour and people gathering and causing annoyance.

Local authorities, social housing landlords and the police all have powers to deal with anti-social behaviour and victims are encouraged to keep a record of incidents to help with any investigation and ensure action can be taken.

Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “Tackling anti-social behaviour is something that matters to people all year round, that’s why I have made it a top priority in my Police and Crime Plan.

“ASB can ruin lives and devastate communities, so reporting it early is so important to prevent things from escalating. It’s also vital that victims, who believe their complaint has not been adequately responded to can request action, and that is why I am encouraging them to consider the ASB Case Review. 

“A recent survey showed only 6% of people know about the ASB Case Review and 50% of ASB victims and witnesses said they did not report the issue because they ‘didn’t think anything would be done’.

“These statistics show work still needs to be done and I want to reassure the public that Merseyside Police and partner agencies across the five local authorities are fully committed to tackling and preventing ASB. I regularly join officers and local councillors on walkabouts to meet residents in some of those hot spot areas to better understand what they are facing and discuss local solutions.

“I’m also investing in initiatives which are focused on preventing ASB from taking place in the first place. Through my Youth Diversion Fund, I am determined to provide better opportunities for young people across our region, while my new Neighbourhood Resilience Fund is designed to empower our local community groups to be able to tackle some of the issues they are seeing in their areas. 

“Everyone deserves to feel safe where they live. I hope this week can highlight some of the positive work which is going on across the region, day in day out, to improve the safety in our communities, helping people to feel happier in their neighbourhoods.”

Through the ASB Case Review, victims of repeated ASB who have reported the issue (usually on three occasions) can request action via their relevant local authority. Agencies including councils, the police, local health teams and registered providers of social housing are duty bound to come together to hold a multi-agency meeting to decide whether the threshold for the case review has been met.

If the threshold is met, a case review will be undertaken by the partner agencies. Agencies will share information related to the case, review what action has previously been taken and decide whether additional actions are required. The review encourages a problem-solving approach aimed at dealing with some of the most persistent, complex cases of anti-social behaviour.

When a request for a case review does not meet the threshold, a victim’s vulnerability will be considered to establish whether a review should proceed.

You can find out more about the ASB Case Review, the threshold and escalation procedure as well as contact details for using the Case Review process depending on which local authority you live in here.

Merseyside Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Jon Roy said: “We are encouraging people to report instances of ASB, because although reports of this type are 9.6% lower for the first six months of the year in comparison to 2022, we know that some people don’t report ASB when they see it or experience it. We are better able to tackle these problems when people report what is happening in their community, so please tell us.

“During this awareness week, we will also be highlighting the provisions of the ASB Case Review (formerly known as the community trigger), which gives victims of persistent anti-social behaviour the right to request a multi-agency case review. We don’t underestimate the impact that ASB can have on individuals and communities, particularly when victims are experiencing it repeatedly. All local authorities have a link on their website that you can use to request a case review.

“Some of the policing activities planned for the week include focusing on specific concerns raised by local communities, increased patrols in parks and town centres, and other hotspots that will see targeted days of action. There will be plenty of partnership work too, with joint patrols and walkabouts, plus school talks on ASB and water safety.”

Now in its third year, ASB Awareness Week is a national campaign organised by ASB and community safety specialists RESOLVE, and backed nationally by the Home Office, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Local Government Association (LGA), National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the National Fire Chiefs’ Council (NFCC).

Rebecca Bryant OBE, Chief Executive of Resolve added: “ASB is not low-level. It can have a devastating and long-lasting impact on the lives of victims and communities and can be a precursor to more serious crime.

“It is important that the challenge of ASB continues to be given the priority it needs so that people everywhere feel safe in their homes and communities. 

“We are delighted that the Police Commissioner, Merseyside Police and local partners are supporting this hugely important campaign. It is vital to develop partnership approaches across communities to deal with the growing challenges around ASB.”

How to report
If you are experiencing anti-social behaviour or are a victim of a crime, you are encouraged to report this to Merseyside Police via the force website here: www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report

You can also report via social media direct messaging to the force’s account @MerPolCC on Facebook and Twitter. Alternatively, you can call 101.

You can also anonymously report areas where you feel unsafe because of anti-social behaviour via ‘StreetSafe’: www.merseyside.police.uk/notices/street-safe/street-safe

The information you submit will help to identify the areas that need improvements to make our streets safer. Please note, 'StreetSafe' is not for reporting crime or incidents.