Anti-social behaviour has become a high profile issue in recent years. Where it takes hold, it can pose a serious threat to community life, undermining people’s sense of safety, their well-being and, ultimately, their health.
Tackling anti-social behaviour is a high priority for national and local government. Because many of its lower-level manifestations – noise nuisance, dumped rubbish, abandoned cars, graffiti and fly-posting etc – fall within the remit of environmental health departments, EHPs are in the front line of efforts to protect communities from its damaging impacts.
Incidents that may be relatively minor in themselves can have a serious cumulative effect if left unchecked, leading to a loss of community pride and a spiral of decline. Identifying the problems and dealing with them swiftly, before they escalate out of control, is therefore crucial to successful management of anti-social behaviour. Efficient partnership working is also important, as anti-social behaviour cuts across the functions of a wide range of agencies.
To guide EHPs in this aspect of their work, a toolkit – Anti-Social Behaviour: A Toolkit for Environmental Health Practitioners – was published jointly by the CIEH and the Home Office Anti-social Behaviour Unit in September 2005. Updated in 2006, the toolkit sets out the law relating to the management of anti-social behaviour and the enforcement powers at the disposal of EHPs. It considers environmental crime as an important aspect of the problem, and includes case studies demonstrating successful interventions across a range of community settings. Finally, it provides guidance on successful partnership working and problem solving.