ASB Awareness Week: A positive update from the past year
This week is Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week, an opportunity to reflect on some of the work which has taken place in the past year. Since I became Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner, I have been determined to robustly tackle anti-social behaviour, as I know the impact it can have on people’s quality of life.
My dedication to reducing this harm on our communities is why I made dealing with anti-social behaviour (ASB) a key part of my Police and Crime Plan and have consistently supported Dorset Police with different initiatives including Operation Relentless, 100 Days of Summer and Operation Track, alongside funding community-based solutions over the years.
Targeted work from the Force alongside strong collaboration with partners, has seen Dorset record the lowest number of anti-social behaviour incidents since 2007/08, as shown in recent figures. In the year to March 2024, reported offences dropped by 12% from the year before. Furthermore, ASB reports across the county have fallen by almost 50% since 2020/21 when I came to office. These positive statistics demonstrate we are moving in the right direction, and I will continue working relentlessly to drive down this harmful behaviour.
My own Operation Relentless Community Fund, which helps local projects reduce ASB has now supported 39 projects from all corners of the county to deliver CCTV to community hubs and churches and provide young people with diversions to keep them away from problematic behaviour.
Dorset’s Immediate Justice initiative which launched 12 months ago continues to play an important role in our strategy to combat ASB. It sees first time offenders who have committed low-level ASB carry out reparative work such as litter picking, graffiti cleaning or support to Dorset Reclaim, a charity that upscales furniture for people on low incomes.
The reparative work sessions are overseen by our partner, Red Snapper Managed Services. I will briefly pass over to their Contracts Manager, Steff Edwards, to explain a little more about their work:
“50 adult offenders in Dorset have completed 7-14 hours each of reparative activity since the scheme began. Service users often show a large amount of remorse, shame and embarrassment for their poor behaviour. They recognise their wrongs and want to give back to the community, as a way of repairing the harm caused. Individuals carry out their reparative activities within two weeks of their offence.
“Immediate Justice is pivotal, especially given the current pressure on the Criminal Justice System. What the initiative does is empower police officers and communities with the ability to address low-level offences at the roots, and stop it escalating into more serious crime. Being made to litter pick for example, is often the wake-up call people need to change their path.
“It stops unnecessarily criminalising people and our supervisors can signpost them towards other agencies for help with employment, housing, substance use or other needs, if it becomes clear those are factors contributing to their bad behaviour.”
Thanks to Steff for detailing the important work Red Snapper are doing to help improve Dorset and reduce ASB locally.
In my recent annual survey, almost two-thirds of you said ASB was the type of crime most likely to affect where you live. While it is right to acknowledge the continued hard work and success of Dorset Police, my office and partners who are fighting to solve this problem, I am aware there is still more required to give you the feeling of being protected from the daily grind of ASB.
ASB is not always a matter for the police to deal with. If you are the victim of ASB or want to report an incident, I urge you to look at Dorset Police’s dedicated ASB page here, which will signpost you towards agencies that can support.
I am clear that working together with our partners, we will capitalise on these positive figures, crack down on the incidents which make people’s lives a misery and ensure all Dorset’s residents can feel safe where they live and work.
David Sidwick
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner