Anti-social behaviour can take many forms, ranging from serious violence, racial harassment and drug related activity to more everyday incidents like noise and litter. However, any form of anti-social behaviour can damage the quality of life for residents in a neighbourhood.

Cheshire Peaks & Plains Housing Trust is committed to ensuring that all its tenants and leaseholders enjoy their right to peace, quiet and security in their own homes.

Our policy statement

“We are committed to ensuring that all our tenants and leaseholders enjoy their right to peace, quiet and security in their own homes.  We are also committed to ensuring that good tenancy relations are maintained within all of our neighbourhoods.  We recognise that there is a real desire amongst our customers, and society at large, for effective measures to be taken to not only control anti-social behaviour but to prevent it.”

We have signed up to the Government’s Respect Standard for Housing Management, which outlines the core elements essential to delivering an effective response to anti-social behaviour, such as accountability, leadership and greater resident empowerment.  Signing up to this standard is part of our ongoing commitment to tackling and resolving anti social behaviour in the borough.

What is Anti-Social Behaviour?

The Trust considers that the following actions constitute examples of anti-social behaviour and/or nuisance, although the Trust also recognises the examples listed are not exhaustive or exclusive: -

·         Criminal activity including drug dealing

·         All forms of harassment and intimidation including racial and sexual harassment

·         Violence or threats of violence (including Domestic Abuse)

·         Neighbour nuisance and disputes

·         Damage to property

·         Youth nuisance

·         Noise nuisance

·         Environmental issues including overgrown gardens and rubbish

 

Investigating the problem

We treat all reports of anti-social behaviour very seriously. When you contact us we will start to investigate your situation as soon as possible – for serious cases this will be within 24 hours.  This work will be carried out by our specialist Enforcement Team who are experts in this area.  Our investigation may involve us coming out to visit you, going out to view the situation, interviewing other witnesses or interviewing the person you have made allegations about.  We may also need further evidence, though the use of an incident diary, photographs or CCTV footage.

You will be assigned a single point of contact within the Trust and we will keep you informed of what’s happening with regular updates throughout our investigation.

Taking action

The action needed to resolve a situation will vary depending on the circumstances.  It might be appropriate for you to talk through the problem with the other person with the help of a mediation service who are experts at helping people to sort out disputes.

In more serious cases, it may be necessary to use legal measures to resolve the situation.  Our Enforcement Team will use the help of a specialist lawyer to take legal action which may result in court orders, injunctions or evictions.

Providing support

We are committed to supporting the victims and witnesses of anti-social behaviour.  We have developed a Witness Charter which outlines the services our witnesses can expect, and also have a Witness Forum at which current and former witnesses of anti-social behaviour provide mutual support and advice.

We also have a specialist out of hours service dealing with serious ongoing cases, whereby witnesses can call trained staff to report behaviour that takes place in the evenings or weekends, or simply for support and reassurance.

Our service standards

·         We will develop an action plan with the victim within 5 working days which sets out how we will deal with the case.  We will keep victims and witnesses informed of progress

·         We will provide witness support both in and out of hours for ongoing cases

·         We will investigate cases of nuisance and/or anti social behaviour within our policy timescales.  Category A (eg Hate Crime/Assault/Threat of violence) within 24 hours, for Category B (Continued harassment/damage to property) and Category C (Noise/dog barking) within 5 working days.

·         Acknowledge reports of nuisance and/or anti social behaviour within 24 hours

·         Investigate all reports of nuisance and/or anti social behaviour within 5 working days

 

 Please see our domestic abuse page and our hate crime page for more specific advice on these very serious matters - DO NOT SUFFER IN SILENCE!

You should contact us directly on Freephone 0800 012 1311 (it may be cheaper to call 0330 440 9707 from a mobile), email asbprevention@cppht.com or write to Cheshire Peaks & Plains Housing Trust, Ropewalks, Newton Street, Macclesfield, SK11 6QJ

Other customers also found these documents interesting:

Anti-Social Behaviour & Harrassment leaflet

Domestic Abuse Leaflet

Domestic Abuse Policy

Hate Crime Policy