The police can take action (and seek a conviction) on any antisocial behaviour which is a criminal offence.
Antisocial behaviour which can be considered criminal includes:
- vandalism
- attacking another person
- causing physical and/or psychological damage
- wilfully damaging someone else’s property
- behaving in a threatening or abusive way in order to intimidate, frighten, or cause harassment, alarm or distress intentionally
- inciting gender, racial, or religious hatred or violence
The police can issue on the spot fines (fixed penalty notices) for some types of antisocial behaviour, such as littering and dog fouling.
Contacting the police
- emergency: dial 999
- reporting a crime: dial 101
- use the police email contact form for less urgent/serious issues
- make an anonymous report via Crimestoppers or telephone 0800 555 111
If you are worried that the police may call at your door, so identifying you as the person reporting the problem, ask the police specifically not to call – instead, say that you will go to the police station. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously – but note Crimestoppers can’t give any other assistance.
If the antisocial behaviour continues over a period of time, you may require further action to be taken by the police and you may need to keep contacting them.
