Anti social behaviour - help from RBH

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Reporting anti social behaviour to your local housing office

If you are experiencing problems with anti social behaviour you should try to resolve them yourself.  If the anti social behaviour continues or you are unable to sort it out yourself, report the matter to your local housing office as soon as possible. It is important that you report problems promptly because:

• it allows us to give you advice and support at an early stage if you are suffering as a result of the behaviour
• it allows us to take prompt action to deal with the issues
• it may be possible to 'nip the problem in the bud'

It is best if you report the nuisance directly to your local housing office  in person, in writing, by telephone or by email, but you can also report it to any community organisation or your local councillor or ask a friend or relative to report it on your behalf. 

Complaints can also be made anonymously, however this may restrict the amount of investigation and action we can undertake and will not allow us to provide you with information and support.  We would recommend, therefore, that you give us your name and address.

All information you supply will be treated as confidential and your identity will not be revealed without your permission. 

How we will deal with your report

Housing officers deal with each reasonable complaint of anti social behaviour. Each case will be considered on its merit and suitable action will be taken.

After you have complained, your housing officer will arrange to interview you.  If this interview cannot take place when you report the complaints, we will interview you within 24 hours for serious cases or within 5 working days for all other cases. At the interview we will obtain more information and discuss what action we can take.

Usually our first step will be to visit or write to the person you have complained about. We do not have to reveal your identity.

Following this we will write and let you know what is happening.

We may also try to mediate between you and the person you have complained about to help overcome differences.

If the anti social behaviour continues we will ask you to keep a record of what happens on an anti social behaviour incident diary sheet. This can be used as vital evidence should the matter require legal action.

You should give this record to your housing officer who will look at all the information you provide. We will discuss the situation with you and consider what action can be taken to try and resolve the problem.

Serious or urgent cases

Where there has been:

• A threat of violence or use of actual violence
• Discriminatory harassment whether racial or otherwise
• Serious nuisance is not resolved by the process described above

The case will be passed to our Legal Services and Enforcement Team for consideration and further action.

Possible action could include:

Collecting additional supporting evidence

If additional supporting evidence is needed we will consider collecting this by:

• Contacting other people who may have been affected by the conduct
• Issuing diary sheets to witnesses
• Loaning recording equipment
• Interviewing the alleged perpetrator
• Carrying out covert surveillance or CCTV surveillance of the area where the problem has occurred
• Using professional witnesses

Legal action

There are a number of courses of legal action available including:

• Anti social behaviour orders
• Injunctions
• Possession proceedings (extreme cases only)

The type of legal action will depend on the case.

Referral to other agencies

This may include referral to:

• Police
• Youth Offending Team
• Education Welfare
• Probation
• Social Services
• Community Safety

Again who the case is referred to will depend on the type of case and the behaviour involved.

Urgent rehousing

In exceptional circumstance, temporary accommodation may be provided.

Please note legal action can only be taken if there is very strong evidence of anti social behaviour. In some cases it may be necessary to have a record of anti social behaviour from at least two residents, who are prepared to give evidence in court. Without your support it may be difficult to take any legal action.

You should also be aware that if legal action is taken, the identity of witnesses may be revealed. In some circumstances evidence can be provided anonymously. You will be asked if you are prepared to be a witness and how you wish to submit your evidence before legal action commences.

Please bear in mind that the resident(s) you are complaining about has certain rights just like you and we cannot remove them from their home without a court order.

Supporting witnesses and complainants

We will support you by dealing promptly with your report of anti social behaviour and keeping you informed of progress.  Where appropriate, we will also offer real and practical support through a number of initiatives, including:

• Providing home security measures
• Providing panic alarms in serious cases
• Working closely with the Police
• Using our officers as professional witnesses