Hampshire Police supports Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week as it calls for public to report all incidents
'Tackling anti-social behaviour is a priority'
Hampshire police are supporting a national campaign to raise awareness of anti-social behaviour as it states that tackling the crime is a “priority”.
Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week runs from Monday, June 29 to Sunday, July 5 encouraging communities to take a stand and making people aware of the avenues of support they have available to them.
ASB, Business Crime & Problem-Solving Police Sergeant Chris Collins said: “I want to be clear – we take all reports of anti-social behaviour extremely seriously because we know the impact it has on all our communities. Our officers work hard all year round and will always look to make use of the powers that we have at our disposal to help tackle and reduce ASB in your area.
“When appropriate, we can authorise dispersal orders, carry out dedicated ASB patrols, and work with partners and the courts to secure closure orders on nuisance properties. Our teams also work tirelessly to provide the relevant evidence so the courts can hand out Criminal Behaviour Orders to help persistent offenders limit their offending.”
In recent months there have been a number of actions taken to clamp down on ASB in the local community including in Havant where officers seized 10 vehicles as part of a joint road policing operation targeting anti-social vehicle use on the Leigh Park area in June.
While in Portsmouth two people were arrested for breaching a partial closure order that was imposed following reports of ASB at a property.
Police have also targeted shops that sell to people underage with a full closure order granted at a Gosport High Street store that was selling illegal vapes and tobacco in April. In May officers authorised a dispersal order for Fareham town centre following reports of ASB and criminal damage.
Sgt Collins said: “I hope you can see from our recent work across all districts that tackling ASB is a priority and something that we are passionate about reducing.
“We have dedicated officers and teams in all areas and in recent weeks we have secured multiple closure orders, carried out countless dedicated patrols, and seized nuisance vehicles. But this work doesn’t stop. Throughout the summer will we continue to work with the local community and our partners to make your areas a safe place for people to live, work and visit.
“Unfortunately, we know that some people don’t report anti-social behaviour when they see it or experience it. Please know that every report you make helps us to take action, and we are better able to tackle these problems when people report what is happening within their community, so please tell us.”
More details on what ASB is and how to report crimes can be found at https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/asb/antisocial-behaviour/.