At Kingdom Local Authority Support we are passionate about helping local authorities find solutions to issues that affect their communities.
Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is one such issue that we pride ourselves in be able to tackle. It is a huge problem in the U.K with England & Wales's police forces receiving 1,039,579 crime reports about anti-social behaviour during 2022.
On 27 March 2023, the Government launched their much anticipated “Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan”, which sets out a number of proposed commitments to tackle ASB.
When announcing the plan, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: ‘’So much of our happiness and pride stems from that idea and having peace of mind in the places we call home. Yet, there’s a small minority whose anti-social behaviour makes other people’s lives a misery.
It is simply unacceptable that anyone should have to live in fear of intimidation from their neighbours or gangs terrorising their streets that parks and children’s play areas should be littered with empty nitrous oxide canisters; that women and girls should feel unsafe walking alone at night; or that businesses and shops should close down because town centres are no longer places that people want to be.
That is not the kind of community anyone wants, and it is not the kind of country we are.’’
‘‘That is why we are launching this new Action Plan. Because anti-social behaviour is not a low-level crime. It is not just a nuisance or irritant. It ruins communities. We need to stamp it out—and we can. There is nothing inevitable about it.’’
The plan focuses on four main areas:
· Making communities safer
· Building local pride
· Prevention and early intervention
· Improving data, reporting, and accountability for action
But how does the government intend to actually put the plan into action?
The government intends to tackle ASB in the community in many ways but one big shift is that local authorities will have more onus and authority when it comes to ASB. The government has announced plans to:
· Extend power of arrest to all breaches of civil injunctions.
· Scaling up hotspot enforcement with Police and uniformed authority figures, extending dispersal powers to local authorities, and increasing the length of dispersal.
· Lowering the age limit of community protection notices to include younger perpetrators.
· Increasing the use and size of on-the-spot fines for littering, graffiti, and fly-tipping.
· Reduce rough sleeping and begging.
· Cracking down on illegal drugs including a new ban on nitrous oxide. It is anticipated that this ban will be introduced before the end of 2023, classing it as a Class C drug with potential prison sentences and unlimited fines for unlawful supply and possession.
Whilst some local authorities have welcomed these new plans, many are faced with the prospect of the potential of more tasks and work for an already stretched team. This is where Kingdom L A Support can help. We offer a range of products and services that can help local authorises clamp down on ASB along with enforcing the plans from the government.
To find out more about how we can help your local authority with this exciting new plan then get in touch with us now on 0330 022 9422.
Image Source: Canva