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Q.What is anti-social behaviour?
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A.
The government has defined antisocial behaviour as
conduct which is capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to any
person, or conduct which involves using or threatening to use our
housing for unlawful purposes.
This may include:
- Noise from loud music, DIY noise, shouting, and slamming
doors.
- Children playing noisily, playing ball games thoughtlessly,
causing vandalism or trespassing into private areas.
- Nuisance from pets such as barking dogs, fouling of common
areas or animals being kept in poor condition
- Vehicle nuisance such as untaxed abandoned vehicles, repairing
cars where not permitted
- Overgrown or rubbish filled gardens
- Abuse or rude language
- Criminal activity such as drug dealing
- Violence including domestic violence
- Racist and Hate crime
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Q.What can I do?
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A.
If there has been no threat or violence involved, and if
you think it is safe to do so, you should first talk to your
neighbour about the problem because many problems with neighbours
can be sorted out simply by talking to each other.
Sometimes people genuinely don’t know they are
creating a nuisance. It is always best to try to talk to your
neighbour directly in the first instance, if you feel you can.
Remember
- Be prepared to negotiate, it might be a one-off incident
- Be diplomatic. Try not to shout, swear or raise your voice as
this may make the situation worse.
- Explain to your neighbour how their behaviour has affected you
and work together to find a solution.
- If your neighbour reacts badly or you feel uneasy, walk
away.
If the problem continues or it is not safe to
approach your neighbour, you should report the problem to us.
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Q.What do you deal with?
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A.
Affinity Sutton is committed to dealing with a
range of anti-social behaviours.
You may be having problems with a noisy
neighbour, or someone is keeping animals which are causing a
nuisance. Alternatively, there may be gangs of people intimidating
residents and vandalising property or someone holding regular late
night parties.
How we deal with anti-social behaviour will
depend not only on the type of behaviour but also on the frequency
and severity.
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Q.How quickly will you respond?
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A.
Depending on the type of antisocial behaviour you are
reporting we have different timescales for action:
Priority 1 (serious criminal
activity such as drug dealing, violence, racist and other hate
behaviour, and serious noise nuisance which affects the whole
community). We will aim to visit you within one working day
Priority 2 (bullying,
aggressive, rude and offensive behaviour or language, noise
nuisance, inappropriate use of public areas, and graffiti). We
will aim to visit you within five working days
Priority 3 (less serious
types of behaviour such as dog barking but behaviour that can still
have a serious effect on your life). We will aim visit you
within ten working days
In most cases we will ask you to keep a record
of what has happened, when it happened, who caused the problem and
how the nuisance has affected you. We will provide you with a diary
to help you record this type of detail.
In some case, we may suggest you attend
mediation to try and find a compromise that all parties agree
to.
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Q.What action will you take?
-
A.
Depending on the type of antisocial behaviour you are
reporting we have different timescales for action:
Priority 1 (serious criminal
activity such as drug dealing, violence, racist and other hate
behaviour, and serious noise nuisance which effects the whole
community). We will aim to visit you within one working day
Priority 2 (bullying,
aggressive, rude and offensive behaviour or language, noise
nuisance, inappropriate use of public areas, and graffiti). We
will aim to visit you within five working days
Priority 3 (less serious
types of behaviour such as dog barking but behaviour that can still
have a serious effect on your life). We will aim visit you
within ten working days
In most cases we will ask you to keep a record
of what has happened, when it happened, who caused the problem and
how the nuisance has affected you. We will provide you with a diary
to help you record this type of detail.
In some case, we may suggest you attend
mediation to try and find a compromise that all parties agree
to.