Anti Social Behaviour and Hate Crime/Incident Service Standard

A customer guide of what you can expect when reporting anti-social behaviour or hate crime/incident

South Essex Homes are committed to tackling anti-social behaviour and hate crimes/incidents across our communities, ensuring our customers feel safe in their homes.

We recognise that ASB and hate crimes/incidents can have a significant impact on the lives of our customers and can have a disruptive effect on our communities.

We take ASB and hate crime/incidents seriously and are committed to supporting our customers to resolve the issues, taking proportionate action where necessary using tools available to us as a social landlord.

We will need to take a multi-agency approach with some reports, for example drug dealing or noise nuisance, and will offer you the appropriate support to refer this to then and take action where we have the evidence.

What is Anti-Social Behaviour?

What is anti-social behaviour?

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is defined by the Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 as

  1. conduct that has caused, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to any person
  2. conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to a person in relation to that person's occupation of a residential premises, or
  3. conduct capable of causing housing-related nuisance or annoyance to any person

What is a Hate Crime?

Hate crimes are any crimes perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice. Hate Incidents feel like crimes and often escalate to crimes or tensions in a community.

Both are committed because of a person’s actual or perceived:

  • Race: including ethnicity, nationality or national origin, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
  • Religion or belief: including no faith.
  • Sexual Orientation: including Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual.
  • Gender Identity: including transgender, non-binary and gender fluid.
  • Disability: including learning, mental health, physical or sensory disability.

How to report ASB or hate crime/incidents

You can make your ASB report using a variety of methods, via our website, by email, in writing or reporting directly to your Tenancy Officer

If someone is seriously injured, in immediate danger, or if there is a threat to public safety, please call 999

Response Times

All cases will be risk assessed which will determine the priority

High (priority 1) – high risk of harm and hate crime/incidents. We aim to respond within 24 hours (excluding weekends and bank holidays)

Medium (priority 2) – medium risk of harm. These cases will be acknowledged within 24 hours (excluding weekends and back holidays) and investigation will begin within 5 working days

Standard (priority 3) – no risk of harm. Not classed as ASB e.g. babies crying, cooking smells, one-off parties but recorded for information. We will respond to these cases within 10 working days

What Happens Next?

  • We will formally record your report and allocate an officer to your case
  • We will agree an action plan with joint responsibilities to progress the case
  • We will consider any specific support needs you may have
  • As part of our investigation, we will communicate with all parties
  • We will keep in regular contact with you, as agreed in the action plan

Progressing the case

  • You are responsible for reporting any new incidents to South Essex Homes and other relevant agencies such as the Police.  We will support you in how to make reports to other agencies
  • There may be occasions when we cannot share sensitive information, however we will maintain contact with you to provide reassurance that case is being progressed
  • We will commit to working closely with partner agencies and to clarify who is the lead agency.  We will share resources and expertise in order to deliver better outcomes for our customers
  • We will hold case review meetings with relevant officers at any point during a case
  • For a case to be considered for legal action, we will need to confirm your commitment to supporting us with witness statements.
  • For neighbourhoods affected by ASB and hate crime/incidents, we will ensure that we notify the community of positive activity

Closing a case

A case will be closed in the following circumstances:

  • The reporter withdraws the complaint
  • The case has been resolved
  • Where the action plan has not been adhered to (e.g. actions not completed by complainant)
  • Where appropriate actions have been exhausted (the reasons for this will be explained to you)
  • Where there have been no new reports for 60 days

We will visit you or contact you by phone to agree this before the case is formally closed

Partnership Working

South Essex Homes are members of the Southend Community Safety Partnership (SCSP), a group of statutory and commissioned bodies to provide a coordinated response to crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour in Southend. The SCSP can help you with advocacy and provide information on the ASB Case Review process. Find out more at https://southendcsp.org.uk/

Satisfaction and Monitoring

We are committed to engaging with residents regarding the services we provide, in order to continuously improve.

We will record and promote performance on how long it takes to respond to ASB and hate crime/incident reports, conduct internal case reviews to ensure the appropriate use of action plans, risk assessments and case outcomes. We will ask residents how satisfied they are with the service. Cases reported to have been dealt with unsatisfactorily will be investigated and any identified actions for improvement instigated.

We will share our performance around anti-social behaviour through our Insight Magazine and on our website.

If you are not satisfied with the service or would like to compliment the service you have received, you can do so in a number of ways:

  •  In writing:

South Essex Homes

Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue

Southend on Sea,

Essex SS2 6FY