What steps it is taking to tackle rises in antisocial behaviour, in light of statistics published by Police Scotland that reportedly show t…

The Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 provides a wide range of measures for dealing with antisocial behaviour. We also have a national strategy in place which is based on prevention, early intervention and diversionary activities. The Scottish Government is currently working with a small group of local authority representatives to look at the existing guidance to the antisocial behaviour legislation which will bring together expertise and knowledge from across the antisocial behaviour field to inform and drive forward refreshed and clearer up to date guidance on tackling antisocial behaviour.
All data used in the Police Scotland Management Information report are provisional and are not official statistics. This means that the report is unsuitable for drawing longer term trend comparisons of crime types.
To understand longer term trends the Scottish Household Survey results provide us with a more accurate picture of people’s perception of the prevalence of antisocial behaviour and tells us that over the last decade adults in Scotland describing antisocial behaviour issues as very or fairly common in their neighbourhood has remained low:
% of people in Scotland who identified antisocial behaviour as a very or fairly common issue in the Scottish Household Survey
Behaviour Type
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
General anti-social behaviour
Vandalism/graffiti/damage to property
16
17
15
14
11
11
11
10
8
8
Group or individual harassing others
11
12
11
10
8
8
8
7
6
6
Drug misuse or dealing
12
12
13
12
11
12
13
12
11
12
Rowdy behaviour
12
17
17
16
14
14
15
13
12
11
Neighbour problem
Noisy neighbours/ loud parties
8
9
10
10
10
10
12
11
11
10
Neighbour disputes
5
5
5
6
5
6
6
6
6
6
Rubbish and fouling
Rubbish or litter lying around
27
29
29
26
24
25
29
27
27
28
Animal nuisance such as noise or dog fouling
-
-
-
24
23
26
30
31
31
31
Vehicles
Abandoned or burnt out vehicles
-
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Base (minimum)
14,190
10,390
9,310
11,400
11,140
11,280
9,890
9,920
9,800
9,410
The 2016 Scottish Household Survey results will be published on 26 September 2017.
In the Scottish Borders, the increase in reported antisocial behaviour can, in part, be explained by the proactive efforts by Police Scotland, Scottish Borders Council and housing providers to encourage residents in certain areas to report incidents of antisocial behaviour so repeat offenders can be identified and the negative behaviours tackled.
Partnership working between the police and Scottish Borders Council has been central to tackling antisocial behaviour and has been successful in reducing and at times eliminating antisocial behaviour calls in identified areas. Scottish Borders Council has a dedicated police officer in the Safer Communities Team who monitors all reported antisocial behaviour incidents, looking for trends, common locations etc. which allows them implement effective early intervention where required.
I have asked my officials to discuss the impact and effectiveness of this approach with the partnership and consider whether there is potential for this approach to be adopted in other areas across the country.