Mid Devon District Council has joined a national campaign that is bringing together people and organisations from across the country to take a stand against antisocial behaviour and make communities safer.

Running from July 19 to 25, ASB Awareness Week – Making Communities Safer aims to encourage communities to take a stand against ASB and highlight the options available to those facing it.

Organised by community safety specialists Resolve, ASB Awareness Week is being backed by the Home Office, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Local Government Association (LGA), National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the National Fire Chiefs’ Council (NFCC).

Many of the departments within Mid Devon District Council work closely together to help reduce complaints from members of our community, however, on occasions we are unable to do this without support from other organisations such as the police and health services. Working closely with these organisations and the people involved we offer a number of ways to help and find a resolution. These include:

Mediation

At every opportunity, we encourage residents to participate in Mediation to help them to resolve their neighbour dispute.

Neighbourhood Agreements

The Council has, during the last year, set up Neighbourhood Agreements to resolve neighbour disputes. Neighbourhood Agreements are informal agreements between residents to find a solution to resolving their differences.

Taking Legal Action when it matters

When required the Council will take legal action to reduce antisocial behaviour. Civil injunctions can be obtained to offer effective protection for victims and the community and to stop antisocial behaviour impacting on people’s lives and escalating further.

If you would like further information on the steps we can take to help you see our website: What is anti-social behaviour? - MIDDEVON.GOV.UK

 

Councillor Dennis Knowles for Community Well Being said:

“ At MDDC we take antisocial behaviour very seriously and we strongly encourage residents to get in touch with us so that we can work together to help resolve the issues they are facing.

We are aware that antisocial behaviour causes distress and we feel that highlighting this issue during Antisocial Behaviour Awareness Week is of great importance and will help sign-post residents to the help they need ”

If you are experiencing anti-social behaviour in your neighbourhood, or from your neighbours, and you are unable to resolve this yourself, you can report this to the council. Information about how to make a complaint can be found on the Council’s website.

More serious issues such as threats, criminal damage, intimidation or harassment are matters for the police and can be reported via 101 on either telephone or via their website.

If you are experiencing issues that are happening right now and feel threatened then dial 999 for immediate support.

 

Rebecca Bryant OBE, chief executive of Resolve, said:

“We need to change the way we think about ASB. It is not low-level crime. It devastates the lives of victims and communities and can be a precursor to more serious crime.

“As the nation begins to recover from the impact of the pandemic and our society and economy celebrates the start of return to normal life, it is important that the challenge of ASB continues to be given the priority it needs nationally and locally so that people feel safe in their homes and communities.

“We are delighted to have Mid Devon District Council involved in this hugely important and successful campaign.

“It is vital to develop partnership approaches across communities to deal with the growing challenges around ASB.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe in their home and community.”

 

For more information visit www.resolveuk.org.uk/asbawarenessweek