Anti-social behaviour

Has someone’s behaviour been affecting your safety, home or neighbourhood?

Anti-social behaviour can make everyday life feel stressful, upsetting or unsafe. If someone’s behaviour is causing problems where you live, you are not alone.

You don’t need to be certain about what the behaviour is called. If something has happened and it’s affecting you, you can talk to us about it.

What is anti-social behaviour?

Anti-social behaviour is behaviour that causes harm, distress or problems for you or others. It can affect you directly, your home or property, or the area where you live.

Sometimes these situations happen once. In other cases, they happen repeatedly over time and can affect how safe you feel.

Anti-social behaviour can include:

  • Hate crimes or hate incidents
  • Violence or threats of violence
  • Repeated abusive language or behaviour
  • Harassment or intimidation
  • Damage to property
  • Domestic abuse or violence
  • Vehicle nuisance – street racing, dangerous driving, stuns on public roads or unlicensed vehicles like mini motorbikes
  • Repeated loud noise from a home – persistent shouting, loud music, frequent parties, ongoing dog barking or alarms
  • Misuse of public spaces – intimidating groups taking over an area or illegal dumping of waste
  • Dog fouling or someone failing to control an aggressive dog
  • Behaviour linked to drugs or alcohol misuse

If you are unsure whether what you have experienced counts as anti-social behaviour, you can still reach out for advice and support.

How you might be feeling

Ongoing disruption, intimidation or harassment can affect people in different ways.

You might feel:

  • Anxious or on edge
  • Angry or frustrated
  • Intimidated or unsafe
  • Stressed about being in your own home or neighbourhood
  • Tired or overwhelmed if the behaviour has been happening for a long time

People respond differently to these situations. However you’re feeling is valid. Support is available if you would like to talk to someone.

Get the help you need

If you would like information, advice or emotional support, call us on 0800 876 6155. We can listen to what has happened and help you understand what support options are available.

You can also get support from other organisations and services.

Your local council:

Your local council can help with many types of anti-social behaviour. They may be able to take action or investigate ongoing issues in your area.

You can contact your local council to report incidents or ask for advice:

Your housing provider:

If you rent your home from a housing association or registered housing provider, you can report anti-social behaviour to them. They may be able to investigate or help resolve problem affecting tenants.

Reporting anti-social behaviour to the police

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999.

If you want to report something to the police but it’s not an emergency, you can:

You can also share information anonymously through Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is a charity that is independent of the police.

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