Neighbourhood Crime Prevention Advice

Anti-Social behaviour (ASB) is an umbrella term used to describe a range of undesirable behaviours that can cause harm, annoyance or distress to someone in their home, neighbourhood or community.

However, whether a behaviour is considered ASB can be subjective due to what one person deems undesirable behaviour, someone else may not.

ASB includes:

• Noise nuisance including loud music, banging DIY at unsocial hours, or loud parties
• Household disputes including shouting, swearing and fighting
• Harassment and intimidation including threats violence or abusive behaviour aimed at causing distress to specific people e.g. the elderly
• Environmental ASB including dumping rubbish, animal nuisance (dog fouling and barking), vandalism and property damage.

Recording

Should you experience ASB, ensure you keep a record of the incidents that have occurred, as this will assist in the Police’s investigation into the behaviour and tackling it. By recording, it also helps you know how frequently it occurs and help to establish a pattern of the behaviours over time.

Reporting

Should you want to report ASB, the earlier you do it, the quicker the behaviour can be dealt with as it can heavily impact and ruin people’s lives. It should be noted that it’s not only the Police who tackle ASB, but your local council and housing providers also have the authority to deal with certain ASB behaviours.

Street Harassment

Street harassment is unwanted behaviour in public areas that includes:

• Unsolicited sexualised or offensive comments or gestures
• Unwanted whistling or honking of vehicles horns
• So-called ‘catcalling’
• Indecent exposure
• Stalking or being followed
• Intrusive staring
• Persistent sexual advances
• Unwanted touching
• Being insulted or shouted at
• Feeling physically threatened

Witnessing street harassment and not safely intervening sends the message to those experiencing and perpetrating it that it’s okay and that society considers the behaviour acceptable. Acceptance to street harassment contributes towards to a toxic culture perpetuating inequality by denying equal access to public spaces that should be safe and inclusive for all.

Behaviour doesn’t have to be illegal for it to be harassment, although some harassment is a crime. Behaviours that are not considered harassment are those that arise from a relationship of mutual consent.

In circumstances where street harassment includes unwelcome sexual conduct, another term is ‘public sexual harassment’.

The 5Ds of Bystander Intervention

The 5Ds are five different methods you can use to support someone who’s being harassed, emphasise that harassment is not acceptable, and show others that they have the power to make their community safer. They are:

• Distract
• Delegate
• Document
• Delay
• Direct

Anyone can use the 5Ds. They’re designed to be safe and to avoid escalating the situation. Four of the five are indirect methods of intervention.

Distract: Interrupt the situation without directly confronting the harasser. Engage with the person being harassed by talking about something unrelated, ask for directions, drop something, or start a casual conversation. Avoid mentioning the harassment itself.

Delegate: Seek help from someone in authority, such as a bus driver, store manager, or security guard. If it’s safe, explain clearly what you’re witnessing and how you’d like them to help.

Document: If someone else is already intervening and it’s safe for you, record the incident via photo, video, or notes. First, assess the situation: is the person being harassed receiving help? If not, choose another method. After documenting, ask the person what they want to do with the material. Never share it online or use it without their permission.

Delay: Check in with the person after the incident. Even if you couldn’t act in the moment, you can still make a difference. Let them know you saw what happened, that it wasn’t okay, and offer support or resources. A simple “Are you okay?” can go a long way.

Direct: Address the harassment directly by naming the behaviour and confronting the harasser. Use this method with caution, it can be risky, as the harasser may escalate or redirect their abuse. Only use Direct intervention if you feel safe and confident.

However, before choosing this method, ask yourself:

• Am I physically safe?
• Is the person being harassed physically safe?
• Is it unlikely the situation will escalate?
• Does the person being harassed seem to want someone to speak up?

If you can answer yes to all of these, you might choose a direct response. Be firm but brief, then shift your attention to supporting the person who was harassed.