ASB Awareness Week
The UK’s national ASB Awareness Week starts today. As well as LiveWest, it is supported by HM Government, the Civil Service, all Police and Fire forces in the country, Historic England, and thousands of housing providers, local authorities and community groups. #MakingCommunitiesSafer
What are we doing?
We are committed to reducing ASB for our communities and improving the way we deal with reports of Anti-Social Behaviour. In view of this, we have very recently changed the way we work – this was following feedback from our residents who indicated that their preference would be for an ASB expert to deal with their case from start to finish. Our ASB & Enforcement Officers now deal with a case from start to finish, rather than it being passed over to then from the Housing Officer at a certain level.
Our ASB and Enforcement Team Manager, Michelle Kent, said; “We are proud to be supporting ASB Awareness Week. ASB can have a huge impact on individuals and communities. By working with other agencies LiveWest hopes to resolve issues of ASB, however, where this isn’t possible we will take further action, as long as we have the necessary information, evidence and the support of our partner agencies and victims. We are committed to making our communities safer”
ASB Cases
Over the last year we have dealt with 1,062 cases of ASB. The top three most common case types that we deal with are persistent noise/loud music, reports relating to drugs/substance mis-use, and harassment. We take ASB seriously and are committed to taking action to resolve issues within our communities. Legal action is always a last resort and informal actions, such as mediation, will usually be considered first. However where the actions are serious enough, or where informal interventions have been attempted but failed, then legal action will be considered.
Over the past year we have obtained 15 orders for possession in the County Court. Five of these order have unfortunately had to be enforced and the resident has been evicted. This is because the ASB has continued after the possession application has been made. It would not been possible to obtain these results without residents supporting LiveWest by reporting incidents (to ourselves and the Police) and providing statements/attending court.
What does a case of ASB look like?
Working alongside our residents and partners to resolve ASB, we will build strong and safe communities, where our customers love to live. Below is an example of the work we do to tackle ASB.
The first reports of ASB were received and a case was opened in December 2023. Complainants listed drug dealing, a high number of visitors, damage to LiveWest property from visitors and complaints about violence and abuse from visitors to towards other residents in the communal areas. Residents are elderly and vulnerable.
The case continued with mediation attempts consisting of tenancy warning letters, visits, and a NoSP (Notice of seeking possession) was served in January 2024. A CPW (Community protection warning) was issued in June 2024 and charges were brought by Police regarding drug possession, drug dealing and theft.
LiveWest worked closely with the Plymouth Community Connections (ASB) Team, the Police, and the residents, often on a daily basis, due to the volume of complaints. Diary evidence and CCTV was received in this time.
An injunction was gained by the Police, and a drugs warrant was executed in May 2024. An ASB stage 2 warning was issued in July 2024.
A possession application was submitted to Court in June 2024. Possession was granted on 10th October 2024. Bailiff eviction took place on 24th October 2024. Police were required to attend eviction.
ASB Case Review
We continue to work with ASB Help, a charity dedicated to providing advice and support to victims of ASB. ASB Help have lots of useful information and advice for dealing with the most common ASB issues on their website.
We have signed a pledge led by ASB Help, promoting the rights of people experiencing ASB. If you would like to find out more about tackling ASB or how we can support you, visit our ASB webpage.