The definition of anti-social behaviour under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 is ‘behaviour which causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more people not of the same household and is of a persistent and serious nature’.

• Incidents of violence including verbal and physical abuse and threats
• Vandalism, graffiti and damage to property
• Noise nuisance at high levels or unreasonable hours
• Racial and other kinds of harassment motivated by someone’s age, disability, faith or sexual orientation
• Domestic violence
• Criminal activity including burglary, drug dealing or using premises for unlawful purposes
• Other nuisance like dumping rubbish, dog fouling, uncontrolled pets, dangerous parking and abandoned cars

Effective solutions to these problems are not the responsibility of a single agency or organisation. Residents and tenants, communities and individuals, local authorities, the police, social services, schools, businesses and many other groups have a role and responsibility to tackle anti-social behaviour.