Anti Social Behaviour

Reporting anti-social behaviour

If you're faced with noisy neighbours, or you've seen someone littering, drawing graffiti, or committing other acts of anti-social behaviour, you shouldn't suffer in silence.

Tell us what's happening

The first step is to speak to members of your Safer Neighbourhood Team  (SNT). These teams work closely with residents and partners to help stop anti-social behaviour. They can provide support and advice, and help you decide how to handle the situation. If you or your neighbours are tenants of the Council you should report this to your local housing office. If you live in a property that is managed by a registered social landlord such as Sanctuary Housing, South Yorkshire Housing Association etc you can report any incidents directly to them.

If the anti-social behaviour is affecting your quality of life, or making you fear for your safety or the safety of others, you should contact South Yorkshire Police on 01142 20 20 20. Staff working there will advise you regarding your complaint.

Gathering Evidence

When we are made aware of an anti-social behaviour complaint, we will ask you to log the incidents, and to keep us informed of what's happening. We need to have enough evidence about what's going on to take legal action against the people causing the problems.

Any action will depend upon the circumstances and how serious the incidents are.

Punishments for anti social behaviour

Penalty notices

Fixed penalty notices are generally issued by the Council for environmental crimes such as littering, graffiti, dog fouling, fly tipping and fly posting.  Penalty notices for such offences are issued by all enforcement staff including the Rotherham Wardens, PCSO's and the Police. 

Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABCs)

This is a written agreement between the person who has been causing the problems and us the local authority, Registered Social Landlord or South Yorkshire Police. These contracts are designed to give those involved the chance to acknowledge their actions, and to take responsibility for the impact they've had on others.  In some cases, this simple agreement can stop the bad behaviour at an early stage.  These contracts explain that the activity must not continue, and explain what will happen if the contract is broken. They aren't legally binding, but they can be referred to in court if the behaviour continues.

Anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs)

An ASBO is a court order banning anti-social behaviour, or preventing entry into an area where problems have occurred. The rules and restrictions of each ASBO are specific to the crimes involved, and they remain in place for a minimum of two years.

ASBOs are not criminal penalties, so they won't appear on a police record. However, not obeying the rules of an ASBO is a crime, and it can result in a fine or imprisonment.

Dispersal orders

Groups can be forced to leave an area (disperse) and not return if they are regularly loud, disruptive or destructive.

The 'area' in question can be anything from the space around a cash point to a whole neighbourhood, or even a local authority region. As long as there is strong evidence that those involved have been destructive and intimidating.

If a dispersal order is issued, the local authority must agree to it and the decision must be published in a local newspaper or in notices posted in the area. After that, the people involved will not be able to return to the location for the length of time set out in the order, which could be months or years.

Last update: 30/06/2011