Public to get power of review for failed anti-social behaviour cases

The so-called “community trigger” is part of the newly introduced Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 which gives the public authority to request a review of cases they feel have been inadequately investigated.
To be eligible, a complainant must have already submitted at least three reports against a person within a 6-month period or at least five reports if from multiple complainants within the same period.
Anti-Social Behaviour co-coordinator for West Berkshire Alex O’Connor said: “The reviews will be judged on a case by case basis. It’s a way for victims to request a review of their case.
“This is not a complaints procedure. This is something completely different.”
Members of the public will be able to request a review either through contacting their police station, local council or housing association directly, or through a dedicated phone line and e-mail address.
West Berkshire Local Policing Area deputy commander Clare Knibbs said: “We are not expecting a high influx of people; it will be an introductory process.”
Although no firm figure could be determined as to how many people would utilise this service in West Berkshire when it is launched later this month, Dep. Com Knibbs said that there may be a rise in cases being brought forward in the short term.
She said: “We might actually see an increase and it may encourage people to come forward when they normally wouldn’t have."
Sovereign Housing Association became the first housing provider in the area to allow anti-social behaviour victims to review their case last month.
The association’s head of ASB, Aaron Devereux, said: “If people have been affected by anti-social behaviour and feel the problem has not been addressed adequately, they now have the right to ask for a review.
“We want to ensure that we are doing everything we can to resolve the matter and that the case is being handled in a fair and reasonable way.”
The scheme which will soon be launched across the county was previously piloted in Manchester, Brighton and Hove, West Lindsey and Boston in trials that started June 2012, with further trials being rolled out in the London borough of Richmond Upon Thames in August 2012.
A government report following these trials published in May last year said that the scheme helped build confidence in the agencies involved in tackling anti-social behaviour, that the number of triggers was low and it was mostly effective in targeting long-standing and complex cases that had otherwise not been addressed.