Anti-Social Behaviour 

Often described as low-level crime, anti-social behaviour (ASB) has a profound and lasting effect on individuals who experienced and witnessed it and in the community and neighbourhood where it often occurs. ASB impact are very real and widespread. It affects personal network and the community .

What is Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)?

ASBis behaviour which causes nuisance, harassment, or distress to people. More serious examples include arson, threats of violence, drug dealing, hate crime (because of someone’s ethnicity, sexuality, religion, mental health, disability, or sub-culture) and domestic abuse. Low level disagreements between neighbours such as parking, minor disputes, graffiti, usual living noise, or lifestyle issues, where there is no breach of tenancy, lease or licence will generally not be considered to be ASB and will be picked up by your Neighbourhood Specialist if necessary. However, we may offer mediation and other support to help customers resolve these issues amongst themselves.

By using our Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) toolkit you will be able to work out what is, and what is not anti-social behaviour, and what steps you need to take against it. How can I report Anti-Social Behaviour? JMHA have a dedicated Specialist team who will investigate any reports of ASB. We will respond to reports of:
 

Category A = Hate Crime / Domestic Abuse / Threats or Actual violence – we will call back within 24 hours (1 working day). Take full details of incident and make any necessary referrals to support agencies such as Hate Crime reporting centres / IDVA (independent domestic violence advisor) /Marac (multi-agency risk management agency conference)  –

Category B = Noise Nuisance, low level ASB – we will call back within 5 working days. Where the prime responsibility and power to lead an investigation lies with another service, such as the Police or the Local Authority, we will support the investigation and take any necessary supporting action. If you feel threatened or at risk, you should call the police in the first instance. We will promote the view that everyone has the right to their own chosen lifestyle providing this does not impact adversely on the quality of life of others. We will not usually take action where a complaint concerns behaviour that results from different lifestyles, or which would not generally be considered to be unreasonable. Your neighbours and other people in your community all live differently. Sometimes you may find their behaviour disruptive. This is not always anti-social. Anti-social behaviour We are committed to tackling anti-social behaviour within our neighbourhoods. We believe that everyone has a right to live in a home and neighbourhood free from excessive noise, vandalism, harassment, and fear of crime.  

How we deal with ASB?

JMHA has a dedicated team of Specialists who will investigate reports of anti-social behaviour. The service is available to all residents within our areas, so you do not need to be our tenant to benefit from the service. Not all ASB cases will result in legal action and our approach is to resolve matters at the lowest level to maintain positive relationships for residents within our neighbourhoods. Any information you disclose to us is confidential and is subject to data protection and we will not disclose your details to any other party. When you contact us, we need as much information as possible so that we are able to take the best course of action e.g., times and dates, what happened and who was involved. You'll be asked a variety of questions to ensure that your call is prioritised according to its urgency and to ensure there is enough information for us to investigate. Anonymous complaints will be recorded, and Specialists will use discretion and judgement in deciding if these warrant further investigation as complaints made anonymously will restrict the scope of any investigation.

Noise Loud Noise/Music - Repeated prolonged high level noise Nuisance This is considered anti-social behaviour if the noise is

• Persistent loud noise after 11pm and before 7am
• Loud music and other household noise at an inappropriate volume at any time
   

We want everyone to enjoy living in their home and we kindly ask our JMHA Tenants to be considerate and tolerant towards their neighbours.

We would suggest you have a friendly word with your neighbour first as they may not be aware they are disturbing you. Complete silence is impossible in rural or urban settings. Even in your own home, you don’t have an absolute right to silence. General living noise (including footsteps).

We would not consider sounds relating to ‘general living’ as anti-social behaviour. ‘General living’ includes noise such as vacuuming, walking around, doors opening/closing, washing machines, general conversations, children playing etc. If you still feel you are being disturbed, we request you try to record the noise on your phone, if this is not possible, then please contact your local environmental health department who may be able to provide you with a recording device if they deem it necessary and update JMHA.

We would not usually consider noise from neighbours arguing/shouting to be anti-social behaviour; unless it is persistent. You may want to have a friendly word with your neighbour as they may not be aware you can hear them. Although, if you are concerned you should call the police on 101. If the behaviour is persistent (continuous periods lasting over 30 minutes) and you do not feel safe approaching your neighbour, or you have tried and the situation has not improved.

If you have a concern for an adult or child in one of our homes, you can report this direct to your Local Council’s Social Services. Once you have reported this to the relevant department within the Council please contact us with the incident so we can contact the authority and work with them and agree any steps that JMHA can assist with.

Dogs barking, we want everyone to enjoy living in their home and ask to be both considerate and tolerant. If a neighbour’s dog is barking, we would suggest you have a friendly word with your neighbour as they may not be aware their pet is causing a disturbance. If you still feel you are being disturbed, we suggest you contact the Environmental Health Officer at your local council, should they take enforcement action, we can use this as evidence against the dog owner if appropriate. If you live in a flat, you should also inform your Neighbourhood Specialist. If the noise is persistent and you do not feel safe approaching your neighbour, or you have tried and the situation has not improved, once you have contacted the local Environmental Health Officer, If you have concerns about the welfare of a pet, you should contact the RSPCA 0300 1234 999.  

Dogs fouling, you can report a dog that is consistently allowed by your neighbour on public or private land. You may report the problem to Environmental Health at your local council,

Threatening Verbal Abuse/Threatening Behaviour  

This is a criminal offence, and you need to report this to the Police immediately, you must also let them know if you are concerned about your safety.

Once you have reported it to the Police, please contact us with the incident report number and the officer’s name so we can contact them and work with them and agree the next steps with you and the Police.

Neighbour nuisance/disputes

We suggest you have a friendly word with your neighbour as it maybe they do not realise they are causing you to experience nuisance.

Your neighbours and other people in your community all live differently. Sometimes you may find their behaviour disruptive. This is not always anti-social. It’s important to be aware that the people in your community may just be going about their everyday lives.

The examples above and below may sometimes be inconvenient but are not necessarily anti-social behaviour:

• Children playing
• Poor condition of property/garden
• Car parking
• Babies crying
• People gossiping in the street
• Disputes on social media
• Dirty looks or rude gestures
• General household living noise at reasonable times
• DIY at reasonable times
• Cooking odours
• Smoking in own homes
• One-off parties
• Dogs roaming on a lead with their owners
• Barking dogs (for short period of times)
• Cats in gardens
• Life-style clash  

Domestic Abuse

If you are a victim of domestic abuse, and wish to speak to someone, please call 0333 456 4737.

Alternatively, you can also complete our online form to request a call back at a time to suit you. Please be assured, we will not leave a voicemail or discuss your case with anyone else who may answer your phone.

If you have concerns that another JMHA resident is suffering domestic abuse, you can also let us know on 0333 456 4737. If you feel something is happening right now, please call the Police on 999. You can find help and support from the National Domestic Violence Helpline, Women’s Aid and Refuge on this helpline number 0808 2000 247. 

You can find more useful information by following the links below: 

National Domestic Violence Helpline www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk

Women’s Aid www.womensaid.org.uk

Refuge www.refuge.org.uk

Victim Support www.victimsupport.org.uk

GOV.UK www.gov.uk

Citizens Advice www.citizensadvice.org.uk

National Centre for Domestic Violence www.ncdv.org.uk

Specialist Help for Male Victims www.mankind.org.uk

Respect (for male victims of domestic abuse and also men that are concerned about their own behaviour) www.respect.uk.net

Men’s Advice Line https://mensadviceline.org.uk

Specialist Help Available for LGBT Victims Stonewall www.stonewall.org.uk

Galop https://galop.org.uk

LGBT Domestic Abuse Partnership http://lgbtdap.org.uk 
 

Hate Crime

This is a criminal offence, and you need to report this to the Police immediately, you must also let them know if you are concerned about your safety.

Once you have reported it to the Police, please contact us with the incident report number and the officer’s name so we can contact them and work with them and agree the next steps with you and the Police. You can find help and support from the National Stop Hate UK  and their 24-hour help line 0800 138 1625. Alternatively, you can contact Anthony Walker Foundation on https://anthonywalkerfoundation.com or 0151 237 3974 or Disability Equality website or https://disability-equality.org.uk.Whilst you can make your report using our online contact us, there may be a delay in picking up your report, therefore you may wish to contact us by phone on 0333 456 4737.  

Drugs Use/Dealing

This is a criminal offence and should be reported to the Police immediately, you must also let them know if you are concerned about your safety. Once you have reported it to the Police, please either contact us with the incident report number and the officer’s name so we can contact them and work with them and agree the next steps with you and the Police. If the behaviour has been on-going, please complete your diary sheets with dates and times of the incidents and send these to us. You can do this by hand or by post, but it may be quicker to do this electronically by sending us an email asb@jmha.co.uk and attach them when sending your email. You can report anonymously here https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ or 0800 555 111. 

Cannabis Cultivation

This is a criminal offence and should be reported to the Police immediately, you must also let them know if you are concerned about your safety. Once you have reported it to the Police, please either contact us with the incident report number and the officer’s name so we can contact them and work with them and agree the next steps with you and the Police. Cannabis cultivation is a breach of tenancy. If the behaviour has been on-going, please complete your diary sheets with dates and times of the incidents and send these to us. You can do this by hand or by post, but it may be quicker to do this electronically by sending us an email asb@jmha.co.uk and attach them when sending your email. You can report anonymously here https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ or 0800 555 111. 

Knife/Gun Crime

This is a criminal offence, and you need to report this to the Police immediately, you must also let them know if you are concerned about your safety. Once you have reported it to the Police, please contact us with the incident report number and the officer’s name so we can contact them and work with them and agree the next steps with you and the Police. You can do this by hand or by post, but it may be quicker to do this electronically by sending us an email asb@jmha.co.uk and attach them when sending your email. You can report anonymously here https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ or 0800 555 111. 

Gang Activity Report

Report this to the Police immediately. You must also let them know if you are concerned about your safety. Once you have reported it to the Police, please contact us with the incident report number and the officer’s name so we can contact them and work and agree with them the next steps with you and the Police. You can report anonymously here https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ or 0800 555 111.