Event Details

Key Speakers

	Amerdeep Somal, Commissioner, Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC)
	Nick Budden, Specialist Staff Officer, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC)
	Patrick Hodgson, Team Manager - Community Action, West Lindsey District Council (Community Trigger Pilot)

Overview

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) such as drunkenness, vandalism, abusive/noisy neighbours, drug dealing and dog fouling blights the quality of life of millions of people in England and Wales every year. Recently, a number of high profile cases have illustrated the detrimental impact it can have on individuals, particularly when targeted at those most vulnerable in our community.

Pledging that every person has the right to feel safe in their home and in their neighbourhood, the Government’s White Paper, ‘Putting Victims First – More Effective Responses to Anti-Social Behaviour’ (May 2012), outlines a new approach to tackling ASB, placing greater responsibility into the hands of local professionals best placed to understand and address the needs of their area. Seeking to equip professionals with a more flexible, responsive and cost effective toolkit, the Government has radically streamlined 19 powers into 6 powers that are related to the behaviour of people, the protection of places and the powers of the police. Whilst seeking to give professionals greater freedom, the Government has stressed the need for stronger multi-agency working in order to ensure that repeat and vulnerable victims are identified better and action is taken at the earliest opportunity.

Although there has been some improvement in police responses to anti-social behaviour since 2010, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary’s (HMIC) report ‘A Step in The Right Direction: The Policing of Anti-Social Behaviour’ (June 2012) indicates that there is still a lot of work to be done, with fewer than a third of ASB incidents being reported to the police and 32% of victims dissatisfied with the police response in their area. As part of its wider framework of reforms, the Government is committed to empowering communities to shape the way local issues are dealt with and to hold police accountable, introducing a Community Trigger, elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Community Harm Statements.

This timely symposium offers an invaluable opportunity for police, local authorities, housing providers, third sector organisations and other key stakeholders to examine the Government’s vision for creating a new framework for tackling ASB and consider how to strengthen local responses to improve the quality of life for victims and their communities.

Delegates will:

• Examine the Government’s new framework to tackle anti-social behaviour
• Consider how powers within the new streamlined toolkit will strengthen front-line responses to ASB
• Assess the practical implementation of the ‘Community Trigger’
• Discuss how agencies can deliver a more joined-up approach to ensure repeat and vulnerable victims are identified as early as possible
• Explore how to empower communities to reduce ASB, participate in neighbourhood justice and hold the police to account

Programme

Who Should Attend?

• Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships
• Community Safety Teams
• Neighbourhood Policing Teams
• Anti-Social Behaviour Coordinators
• Crime and Disorder Overview and Scrutiny Chairs
• Drug and Alcohol Action Teams
• Police and Fire Services
• Youth Offending Teams
• Outreach and Youth Workers
• Youth Inclusion Teams
• Young Offenders’ Institutes
• Probation Officers
• Social Housing Officers
• Town Centre Managers
• Licensing Enforcement Officers
• Community Support Officers
• Local Authority Officers and Councillors
• Central Government Departments and Agencies
• Domestic Violence Co-ordinators
• Families Services Officers
• Health Service Professionals
• Victim Support Representatives
• Psychologists
• Social Workers and Social Services Officers
• Local Education Welfare Authorities
• Neighbourhood Wardens and Coordinators
• Volunteer Street Patrols
• Park Rangers
• Security Guards
• Criminal Justice Practitioners
• Youth Justice Boards
• Judges and Magistrates
• Legal Professionals
• Third Sector Practitioners

“ We will introduce faster and more effective powers to stop the dangerous and yobbish behaviour of those who make victims’ lives a misery. We will replace 19 complex existing powers with six simple new ones. The powers will include a new court order available on conviction that will stop the behaviour of the most destructive individuals and will address the underlying causes of that behaviour – addressing one of the main failings of the ASBO. ”
— ‘Putting Victims First: More Effective Responses to Anti-Social Behaviour’, Home Office, May 2012

“ The main features of the Community Trigger remain unchanged between the Green Paper and the White Paper:

• There will be a duty on local authorities, police and health bodies to deal jointly with complaints raised by members of the community regarding Anti-social Behaviour where no action has previously been taken
• Authorities will be able to reject those complaints deemed vexatious or malicious
• Much of the detail will be left to local discretion

The Community Trigger is to be tested in a number of areas, including Manchester, West Lindsay and Brighton & Hove. ”
— The “Community Trigger”: Government proposals on Anti-social Behaviour, May 2012