What is ASB?

The Community Safety Partnership (CSP) considers ASB to cover a broad range of actions that can cause significant harm to the well-being and quality of life of those people who experience it. These can include drug use, drug dealing, verbal abuse, noise nuisance, vandalism, harassment and the dumping of rubbish. Cases of ASB are often complex, with underlying factors and vulnerabilities impacting on both the victim’s threshold to deal with the behaviour and the perpetrator’s ability to understand why their behaviour is unacceptable. ASB tends to be persistent and unreasonable. 

What is unwelcome behaviour? 

Sometimes, the way people act can be annoying or frustrating to those living nearby - it may seem inconsiderate and the CSP would regard this as unwelcome rather than anti-social behaviour. Examples include children playing, one off parties, pet nuisance, parking problems and people gossiping. 

Where should people go to report ASB/unwelcome behaviour? 

Tenants of Registered Social Landlords (RSLs)/Housing Associations

RSL tenants should report cases of ASB which relate to criminal activity to the police via their online reporting form Report a crime | Thames Valley Police or 101 (always 999 in an emergency). RSL tenants should report other forms of ASB and/or unwelcome behaviour to their landlord as they will be best placed to manage the initial response and provide relevant support, including engaging with other relevant agencies if needed. 

Any incidents of noise nuisance should be reported to the environmental protection teams Noise complaints | Milton Keynes City Council (milton-keynes.gov.uk) and the landlord

Residents wishing to report incidents of ASB/unwelcome behaviour which relate to littering, fly-tipping or dog fouling should contact the environmental crime team Fly tipping and illegal dumping of waste | Milton Keynes City Council (milton-keynes.gov.uk) and the landlord

Crimes can also be reported anonymously to the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111 or by completing the online form. They will then pass this information on to the relevant authority or police force. More information can be found here Independent UK charity taking crime information anonymously | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org)

Private rental tenants/owner occupiers

Residents should report any incidents of criminal related ASB to the police via their online reporting form Report a crime | Thames Valley Police  or 101 (always 999 in an emergency). 

Any incidents of noise nuisance should be reported to the environmental protection team  Noise complaints | Milton Keynes City Council (milton-keynes.gov.uk)

Residents wishing to report incidents of ASB/unwelcome behaviour which relate to littering, fly-tipping or dog fouling should contact the environmental crime team Fly tipping and illegal dumping of waste | Milton Keynes City Council (milton-keynes.gov.uk)

Residents living in privately rented accommodation should also let their landlord know in case they can provide additional support or assist the police in their investigations. 

If residents know that any incidents, they are reporting of ASB/unwelcome behaviour relate to properties owned by an RSL, they should also try and contact the RSL to report the issues.

If any resident is unsure about where to report an incident of ASB/unwelcome behaviour, they can contact the community safety team on safermk@milton-keynes.gov.uk The team can then signpost the resident to the relevant reporting agency. They may also be able to offer suitable advice on interventions like mediation and direct people to sources of support. Please note that this service is available during office hours only and is not to be used to report high risk/emergency situations. 

Crimes can also be reported anonymously to the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111 or by completing the online form. They will then pass this information on to the relevant authority or police force. More information can be found here Independent UK charity taking crime information anonymously | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org)

Which agencies are responsible for responding to reports of unwelcome behaviour? 

With the vast majority of reports of unwelcome behaviour, the agency receiving the report will offer advice or signpost to sources of information or support rather than open a case for investigation. 

Which agencies are responsible for responding to reports of ASB? 

The agency receiving the report(s) will normally lead on managing the case and responding to the person who has reported the ASB. They may work with the other partner agencies/organisations if they need help in addressing the issues. In some cases, it may be more appropriate for the report to be passed to another agency to lead on.

What will the lead agency do? 

Any lead agency responding to reports of ASB will do so in accordance with their organisation’s ASB policies and procedures. They will look at the needs and issues relating to both the people experiencing the behaviour and those who are believed to be causing it. They will look at both short- and longer-term solutions where appropriate to resolve the problems. 

Please note that the level of response from the lead agency will vary depending on the issues being reported (e.g., a report of drug dealing will be actioned in a different way to a report of noise nuisance), the associated risks of the case, whether any enforcement action can be taken etc. Whilst always striving to resolve cases of ASB, agencies need to be mindful of what is proportionate and reasonable in terms of their response, and this should be communicated to the complainant at the earliest possible stage in order to manage their expectations. 

Finally, if you feel that the repeat ASB you are experiencing is not being dealt with adequately, you can request an ASB Case review of your case. Further information can be found here  Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) Case Reviews | Milton Keynes City Council (milton-keynes.gov.uk)