South Yorkshire PCC Supports Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week

South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings is supporting a national campaign that brings together people and organisations from across the country to take a stand against anti-social behaviour and aims to make communities safer.

Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week (18 – 24 July) focuses on the impact of anti-social behaviour on young people, and the importance engaging with the wider public about their vital role in tackling ASB.

Dr Billings said: “ASB is not a low-level crime, it devastates communities and has a profound impact on victims.

“Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour is a priority within my Police and Crime Plan, as I believe that everyone has a right to feel safe at home, at work and within their community.

“I meet many people in various places in many parts of South Yorkshire. They want to talk about crime, but more often than not they want to talk about anti-social behaviour of one sort or another. Crimes may be one-off events but ASB can persist night after night and week after week.

“Police resources are not infinite so they are often very stretched. They need to work with others – such as the local authority or community groups – if hotspots are to be identified and problems tackled. Where possible, we need to nip things in the bud before they escalate.”

Despite more than half of people (56%) believing that ‘more needs to be done’ to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) in their community, just one-in-fifty (2%) fully understand their rights to challenge the problem, according to a YouGov survey.

Rebecca Bryant OBE, Chief Executive of Resolve, said: “It is deeply concerning that despite the horrendous impact ASB can have, more than half of people affected do not report it to anyone.

“This new polling data lays bare the worrying lack of knowledge that people have about their rights when it comes to tackling ASB. The challenge is clear – the ASB sector needs to do much more to communicate with the public and to raise awareness of the powers available, including the Community Trigger”

Find out more about #ASBawarenessweek here.