For some people, anti-social behaviour (ASB) is about graffiti, litter or abandoned cars. Other people may experience more personal ASB such as nuisance or noisy neighbours, rowdy gangs in the street, verbal abuse or being a victim of crime.
Anti-social behaviour is defined in law as "behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to persons not of the same household as the person". However, in some cases, activities may be classed as ASB if they cause nuisance and annoyance only.
If your concern relates to a criminal matter please contact 101, or 999 in an emergency. If you wish to report a safeguarding concern please use the Safeguarding partnership Tell Us options or an issue for another service area please contact Dudley Council Plus on 0300 555 2345.
Each case we receive is dealt with on an individual basis and will consider many factors, including the nature and frequency of the incidents, characteristics of the complaint, and if the perpetrators are repeat offenders. All complaints will be investigated and dealt with in a timely manner.
The following activities are things we will generally treat as anti-social behaviour if they cause harassment, alarm, distress or significant nuisance and annoyance:
We will always treat incidents of hate crime, harassment, physical violence and threats of violence as anti-social behaviour.
Behaviour that annoys one person may not annoy someone else. In each individual case, we will consider whether certain incidents are ASB.
These are some examples of behaviour we generally don’t consider to be ASB:
The sound of children playing or a baby crying
Everyday living noises, such as toilet flushing, closing doors, vacuuming
Minor personal disputes and differences
Young people gathering socially unless they are being intimidating
Being unable to park outside your home (where there are no lawful restrictions in place)
DIY and car repairs unless they are taking place at unsocial hours (for example late at night or in the early hours)
Civil disputes between neighbours (e.g. shared driveways)
Once reported the next stage to be taken depends on the severity of the incident, however prompt action will be taken in all cases.
Anyone reporting a complaint will be given initial advice and an appointment made with an Estate Management Officer.
In the case of a personal call to the office a customer will wait no more than 20 minutes to receive initial advice.
All cases and interviews will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
Once reported we will make contact within 1 working day for reports of violence and threats of violence. All other cases will be within 5 working days.
We will work with you to agree any action to be taken or support required.
A progress review will be given at least every 10 working days by the case manager.
The Anti-Social Behaviour Case Review is a policy that allows the opportunity for closed cases to be revised if victims are unhappy of the outcome of their case, or are still experiencing persistent problems.
Safe and Sound is made up of public sector and voluntary organisations who actively work together and aim to reduce crime, disorder, Anti-social Behaviour, and substance misuse in the Dudley Borough.
The Mediation service is available for advice and support to anyone who may be having problems getting along with neighbours or individuals in your community.
If you have previously reported anti-social behaviour and have had your case closed, we would be grateful if you could complete a short survey about your experience with our team. You will need your unique case reference number that you were given when your case was closed.
Each case we receive is dealt with on an individual basis and will consider many factors, including the nature and frequency of the incidents, characteristics of the complaint, and if the perpetrators are repeat offenders. All complaints will be investigated and dealt with in a timely manner.
