Anti-social Behaviour Policy 2025-2028 Stages of an ASB case

A report of ASB can be made by phone, by dropping in at the council offices, e-mailing communitysafety@hart.gov.uk or via the ASB Form through the Community-Safety page on the website. 

The form can be completed anonymously to share information and concerns with us, however contact would then not be possible and updates cannot be gained or given. 

Stage 1 – Initial enquiry/report and assessment

This is triggered upon the receipt of a new report of ASB. 

  • We will assess the report and establish what investigation is needed and make a judgement on what level of action is needed. If insufficient information is provided to meet the threshold to proceed, the enquiry will be closed and the complainant, if known, will be advised of this.
     
  • Where the issue is a neighbour-to-neighbour issue only and is low level and contact has not been made already between them, the complainant will be encouraged to engage with their neighbour using our 10 Tips on speaking to your neighbours.
     
  • If the Community Safety officer is unable to contact the complainant after three attempts by telephone, a letter or e-mail will be sent to encourage contact. If the complainant does not contact the Community Safety team within 10 working days of the communication being sent, the assessment will be closed.
     
  • If we can help, diary sheets will need to be completed detailing the ASB experienced which need to chart both what is occurring and what impact it is having on the complainant. We need these to build a picture of what is happening. If no ASB is recorded within six weeks of a case being opened and no other evidence has been provided, the case will close automatically.
     
  • If diary sheets and/or sufficient other independent and clear evidence has been provided, the Community Safety officer will create a case record, complete a Risk Assessment Matrix and set up an Action Plan.
     
  • The Action Plan will be used to record the chronology of incidents, actions set and taken by the officer, including any multi-agency meetings, referrals to agencies for support, requests for information and the risk assessments. Forthcoming actions will also be recorded, e.g. when contact is due, when a new risk assessment is due to be carried out (usually three monthly whilst a case is live and ongoing or when risk is considered to have significantly changed).

Stage 2 - Case investigation

  • If an enquiry converts into a case investigation, the Community Safety officer will update the action plan to state a case investigation has started and begin our own evidence collation process.
     
  • The Community Safety officer will continue to engage with the victim/witnesses involved in the case to ensure that they continue to provide information to enable the officer to resolve the case effectively. Contact may include phone calls, emails, visits or liaising with other agencies such as the Police.
     
  • The victim will be expected to continue to report incidences throughout the case. If reports stop, the case will be risk assessed and then potentially closed due to lack of evidence as it will no longer meet the definition of ASB as being persistent and ongoing.

Stage 3 - Intervention

The Community Safety team will use a range of interventions to try to put a stop to ASB and these will often be used in the first instance. As each case is different, we will try to find the most appropriate intervention for each case. Interventions may include:

  • Verbal warnings/ words of advice
  • Advice/warning letters
  • Referral to mediation services
  • Acceptable Behaviour Agreements
  • Good Neighbourhood Agreements
  • The Community Safety team acknowledges the significance of enforcement action in reducing anti-social behaviour. However, reasonableness and proportionality will be at the forefront of any legal action that is considered. The Community Safety team will, if necessary, seek advice from the Council’s legal services before taking the decision to proceed with legal action, to ensure that it is an appropriate, reasonable and proportionate step to take.
     
  • The types of enforcement that may be considered include:
    • Legal warning letter/Letter Before Action
    • Civil Injunctions with or without a Power of Arrest attached
    • Closure Orders
    • Community Protection Notices
    • Legal Undertaking
  • For persistent area-based issues, a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) may be considered.

Stage 5 - Case closure

It is important to ensure cases are closed appropriately. Cases will only be closed with the approval of the Safer Communities Manager. Cases may be closed at any stage due to one of a number of factors, including:

  • Lack of co-operation from the victim/witness
  • Establishing the incident did not take place
  • Determining the issues reported are not considered by the Community Safety team as ASB
  • Not having enough evidence to prove the matter to the relevant standard of proof
  • Reports are between two parties and seemingly ‘tit for tat’ in nature – referral to mediation services would be offered but would require consent of both parties to go ahead and would be the only support available
  • The ASB has stopped and/or risk of further ASB is low
  • All tools and powers available to the Community Safety team have been exhausted and nothing further can be offered – signposting will be provided where appropriate

Officers will ensure they communicate with the victim/witness when a case will be closed and the reasons why. The rationale for case closure will be recorded in the case action plan.

Following the closure of a case, victims will be invited to provide feedback on the case management via a link or by post if requested: CST Customer Feedback Survey

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