Concerns regarding ASB are a regular cause of complaint by
constituents to councils, elected members and Members of
Parliament. There are wide ranging civil and criminal powers which
exist to combat ASB and prevent future problems from occurring.
However it is not always clear to whom a constituent should report
any concerns or what the outcome will be.
The House of Commons Library has produced a briefing paper
on ASB. Although it's aimed primarily at MPs to assist in their
constituency casework, it would also be of use to council staff and
elected members in providing a summary of the powers to tackle
ASB.
Recently, there has been major changes in the law regarding ASB:
in the previous Parliament, the Coalition Government introduced the
Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, the majority of
which came into force in October 2014, and Part 1, which deals with
new civil injunctions, in March 2015.
The well-known ASBO, introduced in 1998, has been replaced
by a civil injunction - the Injunction to Prevent Nuisance and
Annoyance (IPNA) - and a post-conviction court order (the Criminal
Behaviour Order or CBO).
In an attempt to streamline the powers available to tackle ASB,
the government introduced six new powers (replacing 19) which were
designed to be faster, more effective and centred on the needs of
the victim.
This briefing provides an overview of these new powers available
to the police, council and other agencies. It also considers the
new ways in which communities can have a greater say in the way ASB
is tackled locally and the options available to victims to have
their complaint reviewed and a say in the punishment of the
offender. Finally it briefly summarises the powers which now
exist in cases of housing-related ASB.
House of
Commons, ASB briefing paper.