Increase resources to tackle anti-social behaviour

The approved plans are aimed to strengthen the service provided by the Community Safety Team and increase their resources, including the addition of a new Senior ASB Officer to the team.

The role would supervise the Community Protection Officers (CPOs) on a daily basis ensuring deployment of patrols in key locations in a timely manner, assist ASB officers in dealing with more complex ASB and Safeguarding cases to provide more resources and assistance to manage the continued demand.

Councillor Paul Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Community Relations at Newark and Sherwood District Council said: “We know that tackling ASB is a priority for our residents, and incidents can be extremely distressing to victims. Our priority is always to make sure Newark and Sherwood is a safe and welcoming place to live, work and visit for all.

“I’m pleased to see these recommendations approved as our Community Safety Team work hard to clampdown on ASB and the additional resources will allow us to combat the increasing demand on the team and to build upon the work currently being done to improve safety and security of residents and businesses in the district”

These recommendations will be implemented alongside the current work the District Council has already committed to in order to tackle anti-social behaviour including:

• The Safer Streets Project: Currently over £1 million has been invested in Newark and Sherwood through the project, an initiative which funds security measures such as gating, lighting and CCTV cameras that help deter ASB.
• Earlier this month the District Council supported Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week, a campaign aimed at encouraging communities to take a stand against ASB and highlighting the actions that can be taken by those experiencing it. 
• In recurring or more serious cases the District Council serve injunctions and criminal behaviour orders in order to protect local communities.
• Over the summer months the District Council have worked with partners on safety sessions with young people to educate on the dangers of ASB and unsafe behaviour around water and fire. Similar work also includes safety consultation events with residents, nights of action in hotspot areas, as well as other safety events and school talks to educate young children via early intervention methods.
• Strengthening the visibility of Community Protection Officers (CPOs) who patrol the district daily, by taking into account locations and times of their patrols and investment in an additional hybrid vehicle and charging point to increase the presence of CPOs across the district by allowing them to work more flexibly and provide an enhanced responsive service.
• The ‘No Excuse for Abuse’ campaign has also been launched this year by the District Council, in a bid to reduce abusive behaviour towards staff following 59 violent incidents being recorded during 2021 and 2022. The campaign outlines its zero-tolerance policy and the importance of staff being able to come to work and perform their responsibilities in a safe work environment.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is behaviour which causes nuisance, harassment, alarm or distress to one or more people in different households. It can affect anyone at any time and is often deeply threatening to our sense of safety.

Types of ASB include graffiti, litter, verbal abuse, drug dealing, drinking alcohol in the street, begging and irresponsible dog ownership.

To find out more about anti-social behaviour visit: https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/asb/