Anti-social behaviour reaches record level in Portsmouth resident survey

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Portsmouth is at its highest level in over a decade, according to a new resident survey.

Around 77 per cent of the city’s residents who took part said they had seen rising anti-social behaviour had a fear of crime, along with lower quality of life compared with before the pandemic.

It comes as Portsmouth City Council published its findings from the 2026 community safety survey, which captures residents’ experiences and views on crime.

Some 1,072 face-to-face interviews and an online survey, which received 352 responses, gathered views on ASB, quality of life, fears and experiences of crime, and where people feel unsafe.

Overall quality of life

Some 65 per cent of residents reported a good overall quality of life in the city. However, average quality of life scores “have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels”.

Residents who did not report concerns or experiences of crime, victimisation or feeling unsafe “reported significantly higher quality of life”.

“While it is not possible to attribute causation, these findings suggest that community safety contributes to wider wellbeing.”

ASB is rising

Around a third of residents agreed that ASB is a “significant issue” in their local area.

Some 77 per cent of residents reported “they personally witnessed or experienced ASB in the previous 12 months”.

This is the highest proportion since 2014, when the survey methodology was introduced.

Using or supplying drugs were among the most commonly reported issues, along with e-scooters, noise in the street, street drinking and “people hanging around”.

The report adds that “since 2024, most ASB types have increased, with particularly notable rises in drug-related ASB and traffic issues.”

Only one quarter of ASB incidents were reported to agencies, a “long-standing pattern”, with the main reasons being “apathy, normalisation of ASB, and a lack of confidence that reporting will lead to effective action”.

Fear and experience of crime

One third of respondents reported being a victim of at least one crime in the previous year, higher compared with 2022 and 2024, although “broadly stable overall since 2014”.

The increase from 2024 was driven by a “sharp rise” in threats, intimidation, verbal abuse and hate crime.

Victimisation was higher among adults aged between 25 and 34, along with unemployed people, sick or disabled individuals, and ethnic minorities.

While fear of crime has increased since 2024, it remains lower than levels recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reports of cybercrime have also risen to 22 per cent, from 16 per cent in 2024. Online fraud, phishing and personal hacking were the most common types experienced by younger adults and people with disabilities or long-term conditions.

Only half of crimes were reported, three quarters of which were reported to the police.

Knife crime

Although real cases of knife crime remain “relatively rare”, concerns around knife crime have “increased substantially since 2024”, with over half of respondents viewing it as a problem in the city.

“This increase appears to be driven largely by media coverage and wider awareness of local incidents, rather than personal experience.”

Over 10 per cent of residents reported seeing someone carry a knife, similar to previous surveys.

Police and hospital data does not indicate an increase in knife crime or knife-related hospital admissions.

“This suggests that, if knife carrying among young people is increasing, this has not yet led to a corresponding rise in physical harm or in reported experiences of knife crime.”

Places people avoid or feel unsafe

Over half of respondents avoid certain places in Portsmouth because they feel unsafe, which has remained stable over the last decade.

Commercial Road was the most frequently mentioned area, followed by Somerstown and Buckland.

Reasons given included drug use and dealing, alcohol-related issues and ASB, groups or gangs hanging around and the “visible presence of rough sleeping”.

“Women were significantly more likely than men to report feeling unsafe or avoid areas, although the areas where they felt unsafe and reasons why were similar to responses from men.”

Survey samples

The report notes that the face-to-face surveys were “broadly representative” of the Portsmouth population. However, older residents were over-represented, while adults aged 25-44 were slightly under-represented.

Additionally, retired people were “more common” than in the general population, with people in employment “under-represented”, along with members of the armed forces.

Residents in Charles Dickens ward were over-represented due to the use of Commercial Road as a location for interviews, while Cosham and Paulsgrove were under-represented.

The online survey participants showed greater differences than the face-to-face survey. Almost three-quarters of respondents were aged over 55, and half of participants identified as retired.

In terms of geography, the ward profile also differed, with Charles Dickens, Nelson and Paulsgrove ward residents under-represented in the online survey.

What now?

The report, which will go before the Health and Wellbeing Board on September 23, identifies and recommends a range of improvements.

These include improving residents’ confidence to report crimes and ASB through “clearer reporting pathways and visible feedback to communities about action taken”.

Other recommendations include tackling “persistent ASB hotspots”, reassuring residents in areas where they feel unsafe, and strengthening cybercrime support.

Improvements to lighting, surveillance and guardianship in locations were suggested to “embed women’s safety into place-based work”.

The report also recommends to “continue targeted work to tackle violence and related harmful behaviours including intimidation, harassment, sexual harassment and hate crime.”