Cumbria Constabulary highlight their work to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) with the launch of a county wide awareness campaign.
With the summer holidays fast approaching, the Force’s Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT) and Child Centred Policing Teams (CCPT) are running a campaign to raise awareness of local issues of anti-social behaviour and the policing work being undertaken every day to tackle the issues.
The campaign will also highlight youth activities opportunities being run in communities over the summer holiday period including information on how young people can get involved.
The campaign starts today and will run over the next four weeks in the lead up to the summer holidays.
There are three anti-social behaviour categories:
- Personal antisocial behaviour is when a person targets a specific individual or group.
- Nuisance antisocial behaviour is when a person causes trouble, annoyance or suffering to a community.
- Environmental antisocial behaviour is when a person’s actions affect the wider environment, such as public spaces or buildings.
Examples of anti-social behaviour include:
- Rowdy, noisy behaviour including shouting and yelling close to people’s homes
- People loitering around the streets, paths and shops
- Drinking alcohol, being drunk or rowdy, in a public place
- Climbing on roofs or property that does not belong to you
- Riding mopeds or scooters through estates and on paths
- Abandoning cars on the street
- Vandalism and graffiti
Topics being highlighted during the campaign will include (non-exhaustive):
- The roles of the Neighbourhood Policing Teams and Child Centred Policing Teams
- Local anti-social behaviour updates
- The impact of ASB on victims
- To help increase awareness of this area of crime and to promote reporting ~ accounts and interviews will be shared based on real-life incidents reported to the constabulary
- Positive action in local areas
- Partnership working
- Information on the It’s Your Choice CCPT early intervention scheme
- Promotion of the countywide roll out of innovative youth engagement scheme One-Up, following it’s successful pilot
- Signposting to free, local, specialist support services, schemes and activities to support victims, vulnerable young people and those caring for young people
Information on the Constabulary’s antisocial behaviour initiatives and operations will also be shared on a local level by the Neighbourhood Policing Teams across Cumbria.
Superintendent Matt Pearman, the Constabulary’s Neighbourhood Policing Team strategic lead said:
“This campaign provides a timely opportunity to highlight the important work officers in two of our departments are doing together, to tackle anti-social behaviour. This work can involve Police Officers and local partners on the streets responding to issues, but a lot of the intelligence and investigative work goes on behind the scenes.
“Anti-social behaviour can take many forms and can have a really damaging effect on communities. Often it can be related to where a person lives or works which is why it has such a personal impact on victim’s lives.
“We have a wealth of tools that we use to stop and deter antisocial behaviour including targeted police patrols, dispersal orders, it’s Your Choice referrals and more.
“Where a crime has been committed during an ASB incident, a criminal investigation is launched. Where appropriate, officers will make arrests and pursue prosecutions”
Inspector Gemma Hannah, Child Centred Policing team lead said:
“With the summer holidays coming up it is a good time to talk about ASB, to raise awareness of its impact and to signpost those at risk of committing ASB to positive alternatives, such as summer activities and support services.
“Unfortunately, police deal with ASB incidents committed by both children and adults. It is never acceptable and can have a negative effect on the whole community. However, the intent behind behaviour can vary vastly in children and adults. Through this campaign we aim to bring awareness to our specialist work in both the Neighbourhood Policing Teams and the Child Centred Policing Teams
“In order to address anti-social behaviour, we need to consider and understand the underlying reasons behind the behaviour. Our Child Centred Policing teams do this by visiting children and their families who commit ASB and offering intervention and support where required.
“We work closely with partner agencies including the Youth Offending Service to provide the help and support children need to make positive changes in their behaviour and decision making.
“All of our officers have received specialist training regarding trauma informed policing and Adverse Childhood Experiences. This assists us in our child centred policing approach, diverting young people away from the criminal justice system.”
To find out more about this area of crime visit www.cumbria.police.uk/asb.
To find out more about activities in your area over the summer holidays visit (this list is non-exhaustive):
County Wide
Cumbria’s Holiday Activity and Food Programme | Cumbria County Council
Carlisle
Carlisle Youth Zone | Cumbria’s Family Information Directory
The Rock Youth Project | Cumbria’s Family Information Directory
Barrow
Drop Zone Youth Projects | Cumbria’s Family Information Directory
Whitehaven
WHYP – Opportunity And Adventure On Your Doorstep
Workington
Kendal
https://www.facebook.com/groups/kendalyouthzone
Reporting anti-social behaviour
You should contact the police about anti-social behaviour if the behaviour is:
- Violent, threatening or abusive
- Harassing you, particularly if the harassment is sexual, or because of your sexuality, religion or ethnic background
- Breaching the peace (being disorderly in the street or making a lot of noise)
- Driving vehicles dangerously or inappropriately
- Causing nuisance by street drinking or committing an offence by drinking in an alcohol-free zone
- Breaking the law in any other way is at serious risk of causing harm to themselves or others or – if you suspect this.
Reports of anti-social behaviour can be made to police via ww.cumbria.police.uk/reportit or by calling 101. Always dial 999 in an emergency.
To report information completely anonymously, contact independent charity,
CrimeStoppers, on 0800 555 111.
Contacting the council
Your local council can offer help with lots of different types of ASB which affect the area that you live in. Please see the related links to the right of this page to report to your Council.
Support
To access specialist support for victims, without police involvement, the public can contact independent charity Victim Support via Cumbria – Victim Support or via 0300 303 0157. You can also visit cumbriatogether.com to find a directory or searchable support services providing services in Cumbria.
