What is anti-social behaviour?

What is Anti-Social Behaviour ('ASB')?

The Crime and Disorder Act (1998) defined anti-social behaviour as that which "caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons", and the Home Office has gone on to describe it as "aggressive, intimidating or destructive activity that damages or destroys another person's quality of life".

As a result, a broad range of things can be called "anti-social behaviour", and there is some overlap with crimes dealt with by the Police. Some examples of ASB are:

• Aggressive and/or threatening behaviour
• Intimidation and/or harassment
• Racial harassment
• Verbal abuse and/or bad language
• Damage to property (including graffiti)
• Fouling of public areas
• Inconsiderate disposal of rubbish and "fly-tipping"
• Littering and spitting
• Drug dealing or drug taking
• Nuisance caused by pets
• Noise nuisance
• Inconsiderate parking
• Abandoned vehicles

There are no hard and fast rules for predicting ASB. However, contributing factors include:

• The individual circumstances and attributes of those who commit ASB,
• Characteristics of victims which make them vulnerable, and
• Features of the environment in which the ASB is occurring.

The Royal Borough and our partner agencies have a broad range of tools with which to approach these problems and seek workable solutions.