Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) working with polling firm Ipsos MORI and Cardiff University, has found that ASB is widespread. People who suffer adjust their lives to avoid it, a significant number suffer repeatedly, and high levels of intimidation can occur if they report it to the police.
Home Secretary Theresa May took up the report, saying: ‘Antisocial behaviour ruins lives and scars communities. This report, yet again, shows that for too long this problem has been sidelined and victims, especially those who are vulnerable, have been let down. <br><br>’The public are rightly concerned about levels of anti-social behaviour and police and other local agencies must work together to tackle it. Even in a tough financial climate, tackling antisocial behaviour must be core business.<br> <br>’The government will ensure the right tools and powers are available to crack down fast on perpetrators. And our plans to make police more accountable through elected Police and Crime Commissioners will put communities at the heart of the solution.'<br><br>On the release of the report, Sir Denis O’Connor, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, said: “We all want civility restored to society and the public rely heavily on the police to help this happen. But the police cannot do this on their own. The public won’t tackle anti-social behaviour on the streets while they fear reprisals. Perpetrators need to know they are wrecking lives, the results can be tragic and that they will get swift action from the authorities if the public call for help.”<br><br>HMIC says that its work shows that when the police take swift action, the public are very satisfied. But the police do not always attend calls for help and their systems are not always able to identify repeat callers or the most vulnerable.<br><br>Sir Denis added: “Officers are not always equipped with the information they need, and a limited review of partnerships raises concern about the speed with which they achieve results for victims. I am calling on the police, at the very least, to publish their data and enable the public to see the progress they are making.<br><br>“HMIC’s work provides the evidence needed for a more ambitious ASB strategy to turn the tide on this problem, based around greater police availability, action-orientated partnerships and community involvement.”<br><br>The study suggests:<br><br>ASB is prevalent in society – more than a quarter of incidents are reported to the police, but this amounts to around 3.5 million calls a year. This compares with 4.3 million recorded crimes.<br><br>ASB impacts on people’s lives – there have been a small number of recent high profile cases in which there were tragic consequences. The survey of 5,699 people who had contacted the police about ASB sheds light on the wider impacts:<br><br>People avoid public spaces, don’t stay out at night and steer clear of groups of youths.<br><br>People are intimidated; 32pc experienced intimidation after standing up to ASB and for those with a disability this rose to 43pc.<br><br>Some people suffer more than others; a large proportion suffer from ASB repeatedly. Some 71pc of the HIMC survey had called the police about ASB more than once in the past year. Of those who felt the need to call the police, a disproportionate number indicated they had a long-term illness, disability or infirmity (29pc). People living in deprived areas are more likely to experience ASB repeatedly.<br><br>What works…<br><br>Police availability – the public depend heavily on the police – 90pc in our survey thought the police were responsible for dealing with ASB. When the police take action, which in most cases means attending calls from the public, very high levels of satisfaction are achieved; 83 per cent of people who were aware the police had taken action were satisfied with the action taken. HMIC’s work, “Valuing the Police”, published in July, found that only 11 per cent of police are available for the public and put forward ways to improve police presence.<br><br>Prioritising resources well – police assess the risk of harm to callers and decide whether they will attend and if they need to attend as quickly as possible (a process called “grading”). HMIC’s research indicates that although all 43 forces now state ASB as a priority, they are not all able to prioritise repeat victims and those most at risk of harm. Presently, only 13 forces can effectively identify these individuals when they call.<br><br>Equipping officers with information and resources to act – certain police practices have a significantly positive outcome for victims. They are; briefings for staff dealing with ASB (21 forces were doing this); tracking what happens locally (17 forces were doing this) and ensuring neighbourhood policing teams know how to tackle ASB (33 forces were doing this).<br><br>What Doesn’t Work…<br><br>“Grading-out” ASB calls – although all 43 police forces in England and Wales now state ASB is a priority, they treat it differently to “crime”. Problems that are not considered criminal are often discounted as “not real police work”. The public, on the other hand, do not distinguish between crime and ASB. All forces “grade-out” low priority calls, which means they do not get a police response. Only 13 forces were able to identify and therefore prioritise both repeat and vulnerable victims of ASB.<br><br>Lengthy partnership processes – police need to work with partners to solve some problems. However, HMIC’s research indicates that partnership working can take too long to make a difference for the victim. Action alone is not enough, it needs to be swift.<br><br>What could be done, says the inspectors …<br><br>Publish accessible and comparable data on ASB<br><br>Review Graded Response – especially where systems do not readily identify repeat callers<br><br>Urgently review the outcomes being achieved by Community Safety Partnerships for victims and<br>the timeliness in which they act<br><br>Focus on what works and what doesn’t, taking account of the impact of slow or no action<br><br>Intervene early – an early intervention strategy to nip much more of the problem in the bud.<br><br><br> <br><br>Background <br><br>For ASBO statistics from the Home Office’s research department dating from July – <br><br>http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/whatsnew1.html<br><br><br>For the report in full visit – <br><br>http://www.hmic.gov.uk<br>“Re-thinking the policing of anti-social behaviours 2010 – a research report by Prof Martin Innes of the Police Science Institute at Cardiff University”. This HMIC commissioned report draws together HMIC’s inspection findings, the Ipsos MORI victim survey results, and information from the British crime Survey of 07/08 and 08/09, and crime and ASB rates from Home Office statistics.<br><br>“Policing anti-social behaviour; The public perspective 2010 – Ipsos MORI 2010”. This HMIC commissioned report surveyed victims who had reported ASB to the police during September 2009. The survey was conducted in May and June 2010 and involved 5,699 respondents.<br><br>“HMIC ASB inspection findings 2010”. HMIC inspected each of the 43 forces in England and Wales in June 2010 to determine how well the police understood ASB in their areas and consider how well the police responded to these problems.
