Anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour is any act that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons.

You can report the following antisocial behaviours:

• people being drunk or rowdy in a public place
• people using or dealing drugs
• damage to vehicles or property
• aggressive begging
• prostitution, kerb crawling or brothels
• suspected cuckooing
• groups or individuals making threats
• nuisance premises

Other types of behaviour can be reported online

You can report:

• Noise and other nuisances
• Fly tipping
• Graffiti
• Fly-posting
• Abandoned vehicles
• Illegally parked vehicles

What is not Anti-Social Behaviour?

ASB can be difficult to define, and although annoying, there are some types of behaviour that are not classed as anti-social:

• children playing in the street or communal areas - unless they are causing damage to property
• young people gathering socially - unless they are rowdy, inconsiderate and being intimidating to individuals
• being unable to park outside your own home
• DIY and off road car repairs - unless these are taking place late at night or early in the morning
• disagreements about boundary walls, fences and parking
• cooking smells
• noise from opening and closing cupboards
• noisy household appliances

Before you report anti-social behaviour

You can try the following:

• speaking to the people that are causing the problem in a calm manner - they might not realise that it is affecting you
• contact neighbours who may also be concerned and are prepared to help
• keep a diary of events (including the date, time and problem) this can be vital intelligence in helping to support prosecutions or interventions
• get to know your Police Safer Neighbourhoods Team
• consider launching a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.

Report ASB

You can report incidents of anti-social behaviour, at any time, online.

Or you can:

• call us during office hours
• contact your Police Safer Neighbourhoods Team
• call the police on 101
• report it to the police online.

Council Tenants or Leaseholders: you should call 0208 937 2400. Housing association tenants should contact your housing association or housing officer.

Anonymous reporting

You can make reports of ASB anonymously, but this may limit the actions we can take. Please be reassured, we will not disclose your identity if you do not want us to.

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, someone suspected of a crime is nearby, when there is danger to life or when violence is being used or threatened. 

We aim to contact the complainant within 7 working days of receiving the report either by phone, email or letter. 

We understand that people have different tolerances, expectations, and perceptions, and that sometimes someone will consider something to be ASB when it is not behaviour that could be considered unreasonable. 

It is for this reason that when we decide whether something is to be defined as ASB we consider not just the statutory definition of ASB, but also whether the behaviour is unreasonable. 

We decide whether something is unreasonable based on several factors, including but not limited to:

• the frequency of the problem – we are unlikely to consider something as ASB if it is a one-off incident, unless it is particularly serious.
• how long each incident lasts and/or the times of day they are occurring
• the impact upon the victim/s
• the intention of the alleged perpetrator and whether they mean to cause harm.

When investigating a report, we:

• may need to contact the individual causing the problem. We will not reveal your identity unless you give us permission
• will liaise with the police if appropriate
• will issue nuisance log sheets and monitor the situation, if necessary. 
• will contact the complainant to ask a series of questions to assess the potential risk of harm.

You may be required to attend court and give evidence.

Brent ASB Team treats all information received with the strictest of confidence. However, we have a duty to share information with partnership agencies as defined in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and / or in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and data sharing protocols.

If you have reported many instances of the same anti-social behaviour problem and feel that it has not been addressed, you can apply for a community trigger.

This allows you to demand action and a case review where frequently reported problems have not been dealt with. 

Who can use the trigger 

The trigger is open to all Brent residents of all ages. You can be an individual, business community group or another person such as a family member, Councillors or Member of Parliament can act on behalf of the complainant provided you have been given consent.

Using the trigger

You can activate a trigger when there have been three qualifying complaints relating to the same issue (each made within one month of the initial incident taking place), and no action has been taken or response from the agencies. The complaints must have been made to either the council, police or a registered housing provider (social landlord).

The request to activate the trigger must be made within six months from when the first complaint was made.

When can't I use the trigger

• Anonymous reports, as they do not meet the Community Trigger threshold.
• If this is the first time you are reporting an issue or concern about anti-social behaviour.

If you don’t meet the criteria, you can report your concerns in the following ways:

• Community Protection Team: community.safety@brent.gov.uk
• Council Tenants or Leaseholders: call 0208 937 2400
• Housing association tenants:  contact your housing association or housing officer

Or you can:

• contact your Police Safer Neighbourhoods Team or call the police on 101 or report it online.

Request to activate the Community Trigger 

If you believe you have grounds to activate a Community Trigger:

What can I expect

Once we have received your completed Community Trigger application:

• An acknowledgement will be sent to you within three working days.
• The community protection team will ask the agencies involved to provide details of your complaints and actions taken to address your concerns.
• Your application will be reviewed and you will be informed of the outcome within 20 working days

If it is found that your complaints have not been managed satisfactorily, a meeting will take place between the appropriate agencies and other relevant partners to review how your case has been dealt with. This group will develop an action plan to resolve the issue and will make recommendations to the appropriate agencies.

A response will then be sent to you, requesting your approval of the proposed action plan.

Challenging the outcome

If you are unhappy, with the way the trigger application was dealt with or how the case review was carried out.

You can request a further review from the Operational Director of Resident Services.

You must pay a fixed penalty notice (FPN) within 14 days if you are found in breach of a:

• Community Protection Notice (CPN)
• Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) – Nuisance Vehicle

You can pay online if you have received a penalty for anti-social behaviour.

Payment will discharge your liability to prosecution for the offence.