Anti Social Behaviour

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Anti Social Behaviour

Anti-social behaviour destroys lives and shatters communities.

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 defines anti-social behaviour as “ behaviour that causes or is likely to cause alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household”.

This definition covers all types of behaviour including noisy neighbours, dangerous dogs, dumping rubbish, young people gathering in public where they appear intimidating, using and selling drugs, vandalism, being aggressive or harassing a person. This list does not set out all types of anti-social behaviour, and there are many other examples. In line with our Command Area Policing Plan, we are working in partnership with other agencies to tackle these kind of problems. Our partner agencies include Highland Council, Youth Action Teams, the Health Board and Environmental Services.

Anti-social Behaviour Orders (ASBO’S)

When a complaint of anti-social behaviour is received, we will first try to solve the problem using diplomatic communication with all parties involved. If this does not work, we will try all other appropriate means, with help from our partner agencies. The last resort is applying for an ASBO.

The ASBO is a very useful tool available to us in our fight against anti-social behaviour. An ASBO is a civil preventative measure which is not a criminal conviction, but to breach an ASBO is a criminal offence.

Successful application for an ASBO may mean that the person(s) at fault are not allowed in certain areas after a certain time, or they may be instructed not to go near certain persons. Should they fail to obey the terms of the ASBO, they can be arrested and taken to court.

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