‘Community Trigger’ response to Anti Social Behaviour reports

New powers aimed at improving local responses to incidents of anti-social behaviour are now available to Biddulph residents.Known as the ‘community trigger’, the process gives individuals, businesses and community groups the right to request a review of the response to their reports of anti-social behaviour. It should only be used by those who believe their concerns have not been dealt with or acted upon by partner agencies. The measures which require Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and the Police to review responses to complaints of anti-social behaviour in certain circumstances were introduced by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. Welcoming the new arrangements, Councillor Gill Burton, cabinet member for communities at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, said: “People can sometimes feel powerless in relation to anti-social behaviour in their local area so this ‘community trigger’ is one way of giving communities confidence that their voices are being heard. “It’s a transparent process which will seek to review actions already taken to resolve complaints and also examine whether any further support is required. Hopefully, Moorlanders won’t need to trigger a review but the existence of the process should offer additional reassurance to local residents that we and our partners do take their concerns seriously.” Requests for reviews should be made by calling the police non-emergency contact number 101 and asking for Staffordshire Police. A panel of partners will then decide whether the threshold for triggering a review has been met. The threshold criteria states that at least three qualifying complaints about the anti-social behaviour to which the application for a review relates must have been made within a six month period. For more information visit www.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk