Anti-Social Behaviour

The Safer Hastings Partnership’s ASBO Coordinator chairs meetings of the various partners involved in tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Hastings & St Leonards.

The targets concerning ASB set in the Safer Hastings Strategy 2005-08 are:

• To promote the ASB Unit Together Action Area reporting line
• To respond to all reports of ASB within one working day
• To deal with all reports of ASB within legal time restraints
• To reduce incidents of criminal damage by 25 per cent by 2008 compared to the recorded crime data for 2003/04

There are a number of key tasks by which our partners aims to achieve these targets. These are:

• Promote and develop the Home Office Respect Area
• Secure additional funding to sustain ASB Unit at its current level
• Targeted high-visibility public reassurance patrols (Police, PCSOs, Wardens)
• Development of targeted diversionary activities for young people
• Early intervention to tackle environmental crime (such as graffiti, dog-fouling, domestic and commercial fly-tipping, abandoned vehicles, criminal damage and litter)

Since 2002, the ASB Unit has been granted more than 40 Anti-Social Behaviour Orders. Of this, 18 have been granted since 2005, seven of which have been given to street drinkers.

The ASB Unit has been nominated for Respect Action Area Status. This replaces the Together Action Area Status awarded by the Home Office in October 2004.

The Youth Nuisance Register has evolved. Youths stopped by Sussex Police are notified to the ASB Unit by way of stop/search forms. Their parents are then informed by letter that their child was stopped and told of the unacceptable behaviour that has taken place.

The Unit has undertaken to work very closely with the Youth Offending Team (YOT) and the Youth Development Service to ensure that interventions are put in place for perpetrators of ASB. Referrals are made to East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service’s Life Project, the 121 Programme run by YDS and CRI’s ASB Family Support Project.

The Unit also works closely with the Hastings & Rother Mediation Service.

Quarterly reports are given to 1066 Housing Association to update them on the work the ASB Unit undertakes on their behalf.

A photo file has been created for members to peruse and, in order to raise public awareness and to increase reporting when an ASBO is breached, the Unit now prints leaflets featuring the photos and names of particular street drinkers who have been given ASBOs.

To find out more about the ASB Unit, contact asb@saferhastings.co.uk or call the reporting line number on: 0800 0854 500.