Antisocial Behaviour

Antisocial Behaviour and Hate Crime

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We believe that everyone has the right to live in a safe environment that allows them to enjoy their home and community. Anti-social behaviour and hate crime can be a destructive force within communities, but we must recognise that not all reports relating to behaviour that impacts on an individual, can be deemed anti-social behaviour.

We expect our tenants, members of their family, including children or visitors to their home, show consideration and toleration for their neighbours and the wider community.

We also believe that good neighbours should communicate with one another and be able to understand that different lifestyles can affect others. In order to empower our tenants, we have produced a toolkit to help deal with nuisance type incidents. We would expect our tenants, where appropriate, to try and resolve nuisance type issues with their neighbours in the first instance.

We would expect that you;

Speak to your neighbour about the problem
Plan what you are going to say before seeing your neighbour
Listen to your neighbour; your neighbour is more likely to do the same in return
Avoid shouting or using abusive or threatening language
Consider leaving your neighbour a politely worded letter detailing the nuisance or issue.

More information can be found in our Neighbourhood Toolkit here

How we deal with antisocial behaviour

In most cases, we will contact you within five working days of your complaint being received. If the incident involves incidents of a more serious nature, including hate crime, we will contact you within one working day. If we deal with your report under our ASB policy, we will agree an action plan with you and complete a vulnerability assessment. We will also look at signposting or referring you to appropriate agencies where relevant.

CBH takes all incidents of antisocial behaviour seriously, and will help you to resolve the problem. We expect our tenants to take responsibility to resolve disputes with neighbours, and we will often refer you to mediation services to encourage this.

CBH is however, not responsible for the behaviour of our tenants.

Colchester Borough Homes are part of The Safer Colchester Partnership (SCP). This is a collection of organisations, including Essex Police, colleagues in the NHS, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, Colchester Community Voluntary Service, The Garrison and Probation. Our aim is to work together to reduce crime and disorder. The SCP play a very important part in making Colchester a safer Place to Live, work and visit.

If you would like to discuss antisocial behaviour, please contact us on 01206 507341, or contact our customer services on 01206 282514. You can also email asb@cbhomes.org.uk or complete the referral at the bottom of this page

Please note; Tell the Police immediately if you have been assaulted, threatened or are the victim of a hate crime, then inform us. Contact the Police directly by dialling 101 or report it online. If you are concerned about the welfare of an adult, or a child, please report this to Essex County Council

What is Mediation?

Mediation is free. It is also a great way of resolving neighbour disputes and without the need of going to court.

It helps you and your neighbour to reach an agreement. It is a voluntary process but by taking part, it could help you resolve your problem(s) with your neighbour without involving other agencies.

Mediation cannot be used if there has been a serious act of violence or a criminal act.

Other reasons to choose mediation include:

It allows you to reach a mutually acceptable solution
It is confidential
It is informal
It aims for a win/win situation
It lets you decide what happens

How does mediation work?

Mediation can be arranged with or without both parties meeting face-to-face. The mediator will work with both parties to help them communicate better. The mediator will also help them to understand each other’s concerns and jointly come up with solutions to help resolve disputes.

The mediator’s role is to arrange a meeting on neutral ground. They will encourage each person to:

Talk freely
Explain their point of view
Find common ground
Come up with an agreed and a way to move forward

In some cases, where this is not possible, the mediator can act as a go-between. They will pass messages between each party until you both reach an acceptable solution.

The Mediator cannot take sides, but they can encourage you both to work towards a solution you can be happy with, which will prevent the situation getting out of hand.

If you would like to participate in mediation, please contact us. Alternatively, you can self-refer to the mediation service https://restorativeessex.co.uk/

Hate Crimes

Hate crimes are unwelcome or hostile acts, including harassment or violence, and we take these reports seriously. We consider hate crimes to be any incident that is perceived as a hate crime by the victim or any other person and can be related to the victim’s:

gender
age
race
religion
colour
beliefs
ethnic or national origin
sexual orientation
marital status
disability

What can CBH do if I am a victim of a Hate Crime?

We will record and investigate every reasonable report we receive. We work closely with the Police and other agencies to make sure you remain safe, and that you receive the support you need.

To show our commitment to tackling Hate Crime, Colchester Borough Homes have Staff that are fully trained Hate Crime Ambassadors.

How do I report a Hate Crime? You can either report a Hate Crime directly to us, contact the Police by dialling 101 or report it to them online (Hate crime | Essex Police).

Essex Police have lots of useful information on their webpage too.

Please Remember; In an emergency please always call the Police on 999 or 101.

If you have been effected by crime of any kind, you can contact Victim Support or call them on 0808 178 1694

What can I do if am not happy with the way my ASB case has been dealt with?

CBH have a complaints Policy. If you are not happy with the service you have been provided, you can tell us HERE

If you think your case could have been dealt with differently, you have another way of getting this looked at. The Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act means victims are given the right to have their ASB case reviewed. If you are not happy with the way your case has been dealt with, if the criteria has been met, you can ask for an ASB Case Review (or Community Trigger)

What is the Community Trigger?

The Community Trigger/ASB Case Review is designed to give victims of anti-social behaviour (ASB) the right to ask a review of their case. It means agencies will come together to take a joined up, problem solving approach to find a solution.

When can I activate the Community Trigger/ASB Case Review?

How do I activate the Community Trigger

If you decide to activate the Community Trigger you will need to give the following details:

Dates of each time you’ve complained
Details of where you complained (name, organisation and/or incident reference number)
Information about the anti-social behaviour

Please visit the Essex Police webpage, or The Safer Colchester Partnership webpage to request the review. Or;

Email: asbcasereviews@colchester.gov.uk

Telephone: 01206 507341

Anti-Social Behaviour Reporting Form

Have you reported this anti-social behaviour to us before?(Required)

Yes

Your Details

Name(Required)

Title First Name Last Name

Date(Required)

Day

Month

Year

Address(Required)

Address Line 1 Address Line 2 City County Postcode

Daytime Telephone Number(Required)

Including area or network code

Email(Required)

I am a ...(Required)

Details of the incident

Please tell us what type of ASB you are reporting. If the incident involves more than one of the below options please choose the one you are most concerned about *

Details of the incident(Required)

Animal nuisance or concerns

Damage to property (including vehicles)

Domestic violence/domestic abuse/sexual harassment

Drug related nuisance (drug taking or dealing)

Drunken/Rowdy/Nuisance behaviour

Graffiti/Vandalism

Harassment/intimidation, threatening behaviour and verbal abuse

Homophobic harassment

Racial harassment

Noise nuisance

Public disorder (begging, street drinking, public sexual acts, prostitution)

Rubbish or littering

Vehicle nuisance/inappropriate use

Violence to person

Youth nuisance

Other

Please describe what happened(Required)

If you have photos, videos or audio recordings of the incident please attach them

Drop files here or

Max. file size: 256 MB, Max. files: 5.

Date of the incident(Required)

Day

Month

Year

Approximate time of the incident(Required)

Hours

Minutes

AM/PM

Do you know the address of where the incident took place?(Required)

Yes

Address(Required)

Address Line 1 Address Line 2 City County Postcode

Have you reported other incidents of this behaviour to CBH in the last 3 months?(Required)

Yes

Date you reported it(Required)

Day

Month

Year

Reference number if known(Required)

Details of the person causing the problem

Do you know who is causing the problem?(Required)

Yes - know them well

Yes - know who is responsible but do not know them personally

Name

First Last

Address(Required)

Address Line 1 Address Line 2 City County Postcode

Do you think the perpetrator is under 18 years of age?(Required)

Yes

Do you feel that the person has any unmet support needs e.g. drug/alcohol dependency, mental health conditions etc.(Required)

Yes

Do not know

Please provide details(Required)

How has the incident affected you

Other than this occasion, how often do you have problems?(Required)

Do you think incidents are happening more often and/or are getting worse?(Required)

Who do you think this incident was targeted at?(Required)

Do you feel that this incident is associated with any of the following?(Required)

Is there anything else that increases your household’s personal risk?(Required)

Yes

Please tell us why(Required)

How affected do you feel by what has happened?(Required)

Has your or anyone else’s health been affected as a result of this, and any previous incidents?(Required)

Do you have a social worker, or any other type of professional support?(Required)

Yes

Can we discuss this incident with them?(Required)

Yes

Please provide their name and contact details(Required)

Do you have any friends or family to support you?(Required)

Apart from any effect on yourself, do you think anyone else has been affected by what has happened?(Required)

Local community

My family

Does the person causing the problem or anyone linked to them have a history of intimidation or harassment as far as you know?(Required)

Do you think the current incident is linked to the previous incidents?(Required)

Yes

Please tell us why(Required)

We would like to contact you to discuss the incident you have reported(Required)

I do not want to be contacted

At what time is it best to contact you and would you prefer a phone call, email or letter?(Required)

Is there anything else you would like to tell us?(Required)

Please choose one of the following options that most accurately describes your ethnic group or background

White: British

White: Irish

White: Other

Asian or Asian British: Indian

Asian or Asian British: Pakistani

Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi

Asian or Asian British: Other

Mixed: White and black Caribbean

Mixed: White and black African

Mixed: White and Asian

Mixed: Other

Black or black British: Caribbean

Black or black British: African

Black or black British: Other

Other ethnic group: Chinese

Other ethnic group: Other

I do not wish to state my ethnic origin

What is your first language?

If your first language is not English, do you need additional support in understanding information we send you?

Is there anything you think we should be made aware of so we can deliver our services to you? If so, please let us know any vulnerabilities, disabilities, or adaptations.