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What is anti-social behaviour (ASB)?

Anti-social behaviour is conduct that causes or is likely to case a nuisance or annoyance. These are some examples of what is and isn't anti-social behaviour - the lists aren't exhaustive or exclusive.

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What ASB is

Violence against people and/or property

Aggressive and/or threatening behaviour or language

Any type of hate behaviour that targets members of identified groups because of their perceived differences

Intimidation and/or harassment

Domestic violence or abuse

Alcohol or drug related ASB

Using a property for illegal or unlawful purposes eg. the production, storage and/or selling of illegal substances, the storage of stolen goods, prostitution

Excessive and persistent noise nuisance such as loud music

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What ASB isn't

Noise from children playing, or babies crying.

General ‘living’ noise such as closing doors, going up and down stairs or people talking.

Cooking smells or odours

Noise from vacuum cleaners, washing machines or DIY at reasonable times.

Parking disputes.

Cats in gardens.

One off parties.

People gossiping in the street.

Disputes on social media.

Dirty looks or rude gestures.

Barking dogs (for short period of times).

How to report anti-social behaviour 

You can report anti-social behaviour to us in the following ways: 

Out of hours 

To report an incident out of hours – after 5pm each weekday and over the weekend - please call 0300 561 1111. 

Serious Incidents

Serious incidents or threats of violence should be reported immediately to the police on 999.  

To report a non-urgent incident to the police, call 101 or click the button below for more details of how to contact them.

If you witness a crime, you can report this anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. 

Remember that in all instances, you can report anti-social behaviour anonymously. 

Click here to report a non-urgent incident to the police
Irwell Valley Employees leaning on a green fence

We have two dedicated Community Safety specialist officers, who deal with high level or complex cases. Your Neighbourhood Officer will deal with the less complex cases of anti-social behaviour.

We will maintain the confidentiality of customers who wish to remain anonymous, and we will provide support to victims and witnesses of ASB. Anonymous reports will be recorded, and we will use our discretion and judgement in deciding if these warrant further investigation, as complaints made anonymously will restrict the scope of any investigation.

Where appropriate we will work in partnership with other agencies to prevent and resolve ASB in our neighbourhoods, and to support our customers effectively.

Images of our dear neighbour card

We need customers to work with us to resolve their complaint.

In the first instance, we will encourage you to speak to the person causing the issue if you feel able, and it is safe to do so. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, we will ask you to use our Dear Neighbour card and post it through their door. 

If you suspect there is a criminal activity, please contact the police as the first step, then contact us

When you contact us we will ask you to provide accurate, detailed evidence of who is involved, what has happened, where and when the incident took place and how this has affected you. We will also ask for the names and addresses of any witnesses and details of any other agencies involved. This is to ensure we have enough information to investigate and that your case is allocated to the correct officer.

Our approach is to resolve matters at the earliest opportunity in order to maintain positive relationships for residents within our neighbourhoods. However, should legal action be required, you may be asked to make a statement and attend court with support and advice from us.

 

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We will close a case when:

  • You confirm the situation has improved.
  • We've not heard from you for a period of time, despite attempts to contact you.  
  • We've spoken to you to explain that what is currently being reported would not be considered anti-social behaviour.
  • Our investigations have not been able to uncover any supporting evidence to support your report.
  • A legal order has been obtained (although we would monitor this for a short while afterwards to ensure the order is being complied with).

We'll contact you before we close the case to give you a summary of our investigation. This will tell you about the conclusions we've reached and the reasons why we're closing the case.  

Neighbours

Accepting each other's lifestyles is important and can help people to get along.

We know that sometimes neighbours don’t get along and differing opinions or lifestyles can cause tensions. If this happens, we encourage you to talk to them first, if you feel it’s safe to do so. They might not realise their behaviour is causing a problem for you.

A man talking with a woman outside
  1. Do it when you feel calm. Being angry can cause more problems.
  2. Think through what you want to say and stick to it.
  3. Try to deal with the issue face to face and informally first.
  4. If speaking to them face to face isn't possible - try using one of our Dear Neighbour cards.
  5. Explain what the issue is and how it is affecting you.
  6. Listen to their response - they may have a good reason, or it might have been a one-off.
  7. Try to reach a solution you are both happy with.
  8. If anyone is getting angry – walk away.
  9. If the issue involves children, speak to their parents if you can, don’t approach them directly.
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No home is totally soundproof, so everyone can expect to hear some noise from neighbours, but there are things we encourage you to do to help everyone get along.

  • Keep TVs and music to a reasonable level - especially in the summer when doors and windows are open.
  • If you're having a party, give your neighbours plenty of notice, so that they are prepared, and let them know when it is likely to finish.
  • Be respectful when leaving your home late at night or early in the morning.
  • Avoid doing noisy chores - like vacuuming or cutting the grass late at night or early mornings if you can.
Irwell Valley Employee holding notes and a pen

If you are experiencing a problem with a neighbour that you’ve been unable to resolve between yourselves, we are here to help.

Contact your Neighbourhood Officer today who can help. 

As well as support from your Neighbourhood Officer, we offer a Neighbour Mediation Service. This helps to prevent an issue from escalating into a bigger problem.

This service provides an independent person who works with everyone involved in an informal and confidential environment to work through issues and reach a solution. Your Neighbourhood Officer can arrange this, please contact them if you would benefit from this support.

 

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