ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR REVIEW FINDINGS REVEALED

22 January 2007

An 'anti-social behaviour ladder', more help for young adults and removing privileges from nuisance tenants are just a handful of tools recommended in a new review to tackle nuisance behaviour.

The results of Camden Council’s anti-social behaviour review, commissioned by the council's new administration in June last year, were revealed today, Monday 22 January.

The first of its kind in the country, the review was set up to re-examine the impact of the council's approach to anti-social behaviour, drawing on evidence from a wide range of experts – both local and national.

A new anti-social behaviour action plan will now be developed to reflect the findings of the review.

It found good progress had been made by the council to address anti-social behaviour with some notable success stories – however more needs to be done to nip problem behaviour in the bud and reduce the fear of crime.

It also recommends greater promotion of the positive contribution from young people to counter the common misconception that they are the main troublemakers. In Camden only a small percentage (12 per cent) of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) have been handed out to under 18s compared to 41 per cent nationally.

Among the causes of anti-social behaviour in Camden, drug and alcohol problems were found to be the single common factor in almost all perpetrators. This was the case through personal misuse or, in the case of some young people, another family member. In line with expectations, the majority of perpetrators also shared a number of complex problems including social exclusion, deprivation and poor parenting.

However, securing accommodation for an individual often provided a turning point in their behaviour. And countrywide evidence shows help and intervention from professionals – from counselling to ASBOs – could almost completely eradicate anti-social behaviour.

Building on evidence gathered, the review recommends a range of initiatives to tackle anti-social behaviour more effectively in the future, including:

Putting an 'anti-social behaviour ladder' at the heart of the council's approach to anti-social behaviour. It found the council's interventions work best when a person causing anti-social behaviour is given a clear ladder of goals and expectations that must be met. This is alongside providing them with information on support programmes – such as drug and alcohol treatment - available, and consequences about what will happen if the agreement is broken. This could include the extension of a yellow and red football-style card system, already in place for young people with Acceptable Behaviour Agreements (ABAs) – to clearly spell out the degree of seriousness of their actions.

Ensuring members of the community help find solutions – all local contributors saw anti-social behaviour as ‘everyone’s problem’.

More help for young adults – including looking into extending the Youth Inclusion and Support Panels – a safety net of professionals who work together to stop problem behaviour – to the 18-25 year old group.

Taking away privileges such as the right to a secure tenancy and to buy your council home from those who continually flout the rules – including looking into the possibility of introducing powers such introductory and demoted tenancies.

Information gathering should be further improved through a central electronic database to ensure all work is getting the right results. Although Camden has been recognised as ahead of most local authorities in the way it collects information about the use of anti-social behaviour powers[1], more is needed to assess their effectiveness and which interventions are most successful.

Encourage greater use of Camden’s many youth facilities and interaction between young and old to reduce the fear of crime.

Cllr Ben Rawlings, Camden Council’s Executive Member of Community Safety, said:

"The first priority for the council and its partners is to provide respite and relief to the victims of anti-social behaviour. Addressing the causes of anti-social behaviour and focusing on perpetrators provides the best chance of providing respite to victims over the long term.

“This review was commissioned to take stock and evaluate the way the council tackles anti-social behaviour. We wanted to re-examine all the tools and powers available to us and find out which were working best for Camden. Nationally very little evidence exists on the effectiveness of new anti-social behaviour measures. Camden is ahead of the game but there’s still a long way to go to make sure the community feel protected and perpetrators change their ways.

“It’s clear the council can make a huge contribution. But we need many more police on our streets and a criminal justice system that delivers results to be able to tackle the problem in Camden.

“I look forward to working with the community and the Community Safety Partnership to take these concerns to the heart of government and develop a plan that works for Camden.”

The review will be discussed at the Housing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee on January 24, 2007, and the Executive will consider the findings of the review on January 31, 2007.

To view the report, go to www.camden.gov.uk/democracy and click on forthcoming meetings, Housing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee January 24, 2007, agenda.

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