Amanda Wells - Commissioning Officer, Office of Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Cathryn Vallender - Head of Neighbourhoods, Livewest
Michelle Dawson - Executive Director of Homes and Communities, Plymouth Community Homes
Steve Foale - Technical Lead for Community Safety, Plymouth City Council
Matt Garrett - Service Director for Community Connections, Plymouth City Council
Chief Superintendent Scott Bradley - Plymouth BCU Commander, Devon and Cornwall Police
Organisations across the city are teaming up to help spread the word about tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB).
Plymouth City Council, Plymouth Community Homes, Livewest Housing Association, Devon and Cornwall Police, and the Police and Crime Commissioner have joined up to re-sign the ASB Pledge.
The pledge is a commitment to support victims of anti-social behaviour, using anti-social behaviour case reviews.
Victims of persistent anti-social behaviour have the right to request a case review where a local threshold is met. It is an opportunity for an independent review to see what, if anything else, can be done to resolve the anti-social behaviour.
The pledge was set up by ASB Help, a registered charity which provides advice and support to victims.
The criteria to have the pledge status has changed since the Council last signed it in 2022, and to retain the status, we need to renew our commitment.
There have been nine requests so far this year for case reviews, compared to 18 last year in total.
One of the most recent case reviews involved a long-term drug user who supplied drugs to others visiting their flat. They would leave used needles in the nearby bin shed. The neighbours reported their concerns and unfortunately the issues continued, and the council worked with partners to address it, leading to the police carrying out a drug warrant.
The occupier was issued a Community Protection Notice Warning to stop visitors at their address. The council and the police were able to identify one persistent visitor causing anti-social behaviour and were able to obtain a civil injunction which banned them from the area for two years.
Unfortunately, this warning was ignored so the council and the police applied for a closure order against the property and the housing association subsequently regained possession of the property.
The Council’s street services cleaned the area of discarded drugs paraphernalia, and the residents returned to a peaceful life.
The case review involves an independent chair who can give an issue a fresh perspective. The review brings together all agencies involved, and a new action plan drawn up.
Councillor Sally Haydon, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “Anti-social behaviour can have an overwhelming impact on its victims and, in some cases, on the wider community.
“It is key that we as partners come together to show our commitment to tackling anti-social behaviour.
“By signing up to our ASB Help Pledge, we will work with partners to ensure that they demonstrate their commitment to supporting victims of ASB and will endeavour to implement and follow best practice with the ASB Case Review.”