What is Anti-social behaviour?
Anti–social behaviour can be defined as ‘behaviour causing harassment, alarm or distress’ to members of the public. It is a broad term describing day-to-day incidents of crime, nuisance and disorder that impact negatively on the quality of life of our communities. It covers a wide range of behaviours and can include the following;
- Shouting, swearing and fighting
- Verbal abuse
- Harassment and Intimidation
- Noise
- Anti-social drinking and substance misuse
- Animal nuisance
- Inappropriate use of vehicles
- Vandalism and criminal damage
Neighbour disputes, often start over low level matters and in themselves would not be considered ant-social. If, however, the behaviour escalates then this can become anti-social behaviour.
Anti-social behaviour can negatively impact on an individual’s life and the community in which they live. As it covers a wide range of behaviours, dealing effectively with it is not the responsibility of any individual agency. Walsall Council and its partners, including West Midlands Police and social landlords, work together to tackle anti-social behaviour across the borough.