NORTH Wales Police has joined a national campaign raising awareness of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and is highlighting the issue this week.

Running from July 18 to July 22, ASB Awareness Week 2022 aims to encourage communities to take a stand. 

Neighbourhood policing teams across the force are taking part in a number of initiatives to show their support.

It comes after ASB was highlighted as one of the top issues that mattered most to communities across the region.

Parts of Flintshire for instance have been subjected to consistent instances this year.

Read more: Flintshire police call on parents to help stop anti-social behaviour

Holywell has been among one of the worst hit areas, but police officers have said that there has been a 'dramatic reduction' in cases there recently.

In Buckley, businesses have been forced out of the town over ASB incidents which have included windows being smashed and taps being turned on to deliberately cause flooding.

Organised by Resolve, the UK’s leading ASB and community safety organisation, the awareness week features a series of events all across the UK.

Across North Wales, officers will be highlighting work already underway to tackle ASB in their areas this week, while conducting high visibility joint patrols with partner agencies, visiting targeted areas including town centres, beaches, and housing estates.

Anti-social driving exercises will also be carried out in designated areas across the region.

Throughout the week, Police and Crime Commissioner, Andy Dunbobbin will also join police officers on patrol across the force area, to see activity taking place to counter ASB in local communities.

The Leader:

PIC: Chris Allsop of North Wales Police.

Assistant Chief Constable, Chris Allsop, said: “Anti-social behaviour is a priority for North Wales Police, this awareness week offers an opportunity to highlight the issues of ASB and the impact it can have on local communities.

"We do not under-estimate the impact of anti-social behaviour and it is important for us to reach out to those who may be a victim of anti-social behaviour to provide them with the best possible support.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe where they live that is why tackling anti-social behaviour is an everyday commitment for us and our partners in North Wales. Our activities this week will highlight some of the work we undertake on a daily basis to support our communities and tackle ASB.

“I hope this event will help bring communities together to take a stand against ASB and provides an opportune moment for us all to remind ourselves of what we can do to keep North Wales safe and free from this kind of harm and upset.”

Recent YouGov research commissioned by Resolve found that more than half of people (56%) believe that ‘more needs to be done’ to tackle ASB in their community. However, after they witnessed or experienced ASB, a similar proportion of the public (57%) said that they did not report it to anyone.

#ASBAwarenessWeek - What can be done to tackle ASB?

Here are the five ways the police, and your local authority, can tackle ASB; 

  • Civil injunctions – to stop or prevent individuals engaging in ASB quickly, nipping problems in the bud before they escalate.
  • Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO) – issued by any criminal court against a person who has been convicted of a criminal offence to tackle the most persistently anti-social individuals who are engaged in criminal activity.
  • Dispersal power – requires a person committing or likely to commit ASB, crime or disorder to leave an area for up to 48 hours.
  • Community Protection Notice (CPN) – to stop a person aged 16 or over, business or organisation committing ASB which is persistent, unreasonable and is having a detrimental effect on a community’s quality of life.
  • Public Spaces Protection Order – designed to stop individuals or groups committing ASB in a public place Closure Power – to allow the police or council to close premises quickly which are being used, or likely to be used, to commit nuisance or disorder.