What can I do?
If you feel that you are a victim of anti-social behaviour, you
can contact either the Police or the Braintree District Council
Customer Service Centre (see Contact Numbers in Useful
Links). The details of your call will then be passed onto the
relevant department, and an officer will contact you directly with
appropriate advice and guidance.
You should also keep a record (or 'Diary') of the times and
dates of the incidents you have actually witnessed. These
records will help identify possible patterns of offending behaviour
and can be used as evidence.
You could also seek legal advice from a solicitor or your local
Citizen's Advice Bureau about obtaining a restraining order or
injunction against the individual or group of people who are
causing the anti-social behaviour.
You could also form or join an existing Neighbourhood Watch
Scheme (see Contact Numbers in Useful Links (to right of this page
or links in Community Safety).
For neighbourhood disputes you should contact SEAMS Ltd
(click on link to right of page) (or any other independent
mediation service) that will arrange for trained mediators to visit
you and your neighbour. They will help disputing parties to
reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
What can I expect?
The very least you can expect is feedback telling you about any
action or enforcement that may be taken. The extent of the
action taken will depend on the scale of the problem reported.
When a person is identified as acting in an anti-social way the
following options are considered:
- Verbal warnings
- Written warnings
- Visits to the perpetrator and/or their
family
- Diversionary Activities (i.e. arranged activities
which 'divert' the perpetrator away from their
behaviour)
- Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs)
- Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs)
The course of action will be based on what happened and the
evidence available. This means that there is a need for
information and, where possible, witnesses.
For a number of reasons some people, possibly through fear of
intimidation, feel reluctant to make statements and attend
court. It may be possible for your evidence to be introduced
in such a way that you do not need to attend - this is often known
as 'hearsay evidence'. Alternatively a 'Community Impact
Statement' can be prepared by Officers and presented to the
Court.
However - to enable the Police and the Council to take action
against individuals or groups responsible for anti-social behaviour
we do need evidence from the people on the receiving end of the
behaviour. That is why keeping a diary of incidents is so
important - it shows that the anti-social behaviour is taking place
and is affecting your quality of life.