Supporting you with Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)
It's ASB Awareness Week (30th June - 6th July)! We want to make sure your communities are welcoming and safe places to live, and are here to support you if you’re experiencing ASB.
We know that sometimes it can be hard to know what counts as ASB, and what steps you can take, so we want to share some examples of how we’ve worked with customers to take action and make a difference. Here are two real cases our team recently resolved…
Your safety and peace of mind are really important to us. Recently, some customers experienced noise disturbances, verbal abuse and intimidation from a neighbour. We know how much this can affect everyone’s quality of life, so our ASB team acted quickly.
To help us support you and deal with ASB effectively, we need cleared, detailed evidence. In this case, our customers and the police gave us clear, detailed evidence, including times, dates, descriptions and photos and videos, so that we were able to build a full picture of what was happening and take the right steps to sort it. The evidence gave us what we needed to be able to take strong and fair action, including setting out clear agreements with the customer about behaviours we will, and won’t, allow.
Because of the seriousness of the situation, we applied for an injunction (a court order that prevents someone from doing something), which included the ability to step in and protect the community immediately.
Importantly, we balanced community safety with understanding our customer’s personal situation. The customer agreed to follow the agreements and help to keep the community peaceful and secure for everyone.
Mary Langston, ASB Team Manager at Stonewater, said:
“This case highlights the importance of fast, proportionate action and strong partnership working. We are proud of how the team responded to protect the community while handling a complex and sensitive case.”
We believe everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and supported - whether you're a customer or a member of our team.
This month, we also successfully secured a two-year court injunction against someone who repeatedly sent our team members hateful and threatening messages.
These messages included violent threats, discriminatory language and slurs, which became so extreme they had to be reported to the police. Unfortunately, this person’s actions made it harder for us to do our jobs and support other customers in the community safely, so, we acted quickly to protect our staff and make sure we could continue to deliver our services.
Gena Nelson, Senior Anti-Social Behaviour Officer at Stonewater, said:
"Our colleagues are the backbone of the services we provide. Nobody should face abuse for doing their job, especially when that abuse is rooted in hate and discrimination. This case sends a clear message: Stonewater stands with our people, and we will take strong legal action when their safety is put at risk."
The injunction now limits the person’s ability to contact or harass our staff and allows the police to step in straight away if they do behave inappropriately.
Hate and harassment - whether in person, online, or over the phone - have no place in our communities. We’re committed to creating safe, inclusive places to live, where no one has to face abuse alone.
If you’re experiencing anti-social behaviour, there are ways we can help. Find out more, in our ASB guide, here.
If you’ve got questions about Anti-social behaviour, we’ll be holding a live Q+A on Facebook soon. Follow us on Facebook for more information on the event!