As part of ASB Awareness Week 2024, we want to highlight the important role that community heroes play in making our communities a safer place to be.
We have teamed up with Neighbourhood Watch to share some stories where Neighbourhood Watch volunteers tackled anti-social behaviour in their communities.
Chester community strikes back
A small community in a fairly new development were having issues with loitering, drug dealing, loud music, loutish behaviour and youths being disruptive. The local Neighbourhood Watch coordinator looked into ways to reduce this from happening, as it was specifically in an area of unused land at the end of a cul-de-sac.
They decided to use the land for positive uses and hold a community picnic. So, the day came, and residents made their way to the location and joyfully enjoyed playing games and eating and socialising with each other.
The disruptive youths headed to the area and found that something was happening and had no choice but to walk away. The residents decided this was a great way of taking positive action but also knew that a picnic everyday was not sustainable. So, they looked into ways that the land could be used better. They engaged with Chester Zoo, made a hedgehog highway, used it for fitness classes etc and so the ASB stopped.
Local scheme disrupts ASB in park
Litter, youths making mischief, drugs, misuse of play equipment etc led local children and families to avoid using the park. The local Neighbourhood Watch coordinator decided that enough was enough and looked into ways that could make it better for the residents of the council estate. They knew the most active times were late afternoon and early evenings. Discussions with the council and local police helped determine what action could be done. The Neighbourhood Watch coordinator started locking the park when it started to get dark, with a padlock and chain supplied by the council and overnight there was a huge difference. In fact, the difference was an 80% reduction in ASB, and the impact was that families and children started using the park. There was less litter and glass, and the park was tidier than before.
The Community Safety Charter
The CSC seeks to support people to recognise a crime, encourage people to report, take positive actions and support victims. It covers topics such as harassment, hate crime, anti-social behaviour, bystander intervention, dealing with confrontation and how you can be the change in your own lives.
Using their modules, people will be able to see how they can identify the behaviours, intervene, report and support victims to access the help that they need.
Please find out more about the aims and successes of the CSC by visiting their page www.ourwatch.org.uk/charter.
Our thoughts
We know from conversations with victims how important community is to tackling anti-social behaviour. Building a sense of belonging and connection within communities is a great way to strengthen the relationships between neighbours and encourage positive engagement.
It is wonderful to see local initiatives supporting the work undertaken by statutory agencies in tackling ASB. These case studies demonstrate the pride many of us still have in our communities, and that community spirit is often another tool to tackle ASB on our doorsteps.
If your community is being impacted by anti-social behaviour and you don’t know where else to turn, please get in touch.