Anti-Social Behaviour

We can all expect to hear daily ‘living noise’ from our neighbours. In most cases, this wouldn’t be classed as ASB and we would ask you to speak to your neighbour first if they are disturbing you - often they don’t realise it’s causing any issues.

We ask all residents to be considerate of those around them and do what they can to limit noise from their homes. This could include:

• using rugs on floors if you live above someone else

• keeping music and television noise on low volume

• limit more noisy activities to times when they’ll be less of a nuisance

We consider noise to be anti-social when it is happening regularly and persistently. Noise at unsociable hours, after 11pm and before 7am can also be more anti-social, but this would depend on the type of noise it is. A one-off party may cause disturbance but may not be something we would investigate unless it was happening regularly.

To help us investigate noise nuisance we usually ask customers to collect evidence using the Noise App, so we can assess the best way to challenge the behaviour further. It’s free to download and easy to use and your Neighbourhood Housing Officer can help show you how to do this. You can find out more here.

Incidents of serious criminal activity do not happen very often, however, when they do it is important that you report them to Merseyside Police. Always call 999 in an emergency.

When we are aware of criminal activity we will act quickly and will work alongside our partners, where they have more powers and are able to take more effective action than we can.

We will work with Merseyside Police if you are the victim of a crime that has happened in your community or if you share details with us of a crime that you have witnessed.

Our more serious ASB cases are escalated to Wirral ASB Team, who are a specialist team able to investigate cases and liaise with Merseyside Police on our behalf. In the most extreme cases, this has resulted in Closure Orders being granted and also evictions, due to the seriousness of the activities taking place.

Where there are repeated incidents of ASB reported to the police, social landlords or local authorities and it is felt that the response has not addressed the concerns raised, a Community Trigger process can be requested. Further details can be found here.

We all want to live in a neighbourhood we can be proud of, keeping it clean and tidy helps us feel better about where we live.

If you see graffiti or any damage such as broken windows or fly-tipping you can take a picture of it and send it to us through the customer portal, use the online Contact Us form or phone us and let us know.

We aim to remove any offensive graffiti within 48 hours.

If a neighbour has left rubbish near their or your property please speak to them to see if they are planning to remove it. If it remains and continues to cause a nuisance please contact us and we will deal with it.

Vehicle registration numbers can be helpful in identifying those who fly-tip. We can share this information with the local authorities to challenge fly-tippers. If we know who is responsible, we will support the police in seeking financial compensation against them. We will also consider taking measures to keep them away from the area or taking action under the tenancy agreement if they live in a Prima Group home.

You should always report the use of illegal drugs to the police. You can call 101 where it is a non-emergency or online here. Always call 999 in an emergency. When you report nuisance from drug misuse it is important to give as much information as possible. This would include:

• Who is using the drugs?

• Where and when it is happening

• Is there a strong smell of drugs outside a particular door?

• Have you seen anyone using drugs at a particular area or address?

• How is it affecting you? For example, are you being disturbed by visitors to the property?

We will work with the police to deal with this.

Cuckooing is when a drug dealer takes advantage of a vulnerable person and takes over a property. They then use the property for their drug dealing activity. If you are concerned that this may be happening to a neighbour, please let us and the police know straight away. We will work together to take the right action.

Domestic abuse is where threatening or controlling behaviour, abuse or violence occurs between people who are, or have been, family members or partners.

You may not want your abuser to see what you are viewing on the internet - if you are disturbed, click here and you will be taken to the BBC News website.

Domestic abuse covers behaviour or threats of an emotional, financial, sexual or psychological nature. It can affect everyone. It can happen regularly or occasionally, it is rarely a one-off and a pattern tends to appear over time. You do not have to be physically assaulted for it to be domestic abuse. It is not the person being abused’s fault. We are here to help.

You can tell us about it in confidence, if you are the victim or if you are reporting it on behalf of someone else.

We will work closely with those being abused, discussing with them what we can do to keep them and any children safe. We can provide extra security to homes, if needed, and agree on a plan of how we can help - either by supporting you to stay at home or advising you on how to leave and secure emergency housing.

Hate crime is an offence motivated by someone’s hatred of people who they see as different. This could be because of the persons:

• race, ethnicity or nationality

• sexuality

• religion or belief

• gender identity or transgender

• health, disability or mental health

The type of incident could be threats or harassment, verbal abuse, damage to property, bullying, vandalism and intimidation.

We will take any reports of hate crime very seriously and will deal robustly with any residents in our properties who carry out hate crimes. This could include injunctions and other legal interventions. We will support you and look to work with other agencies, such as the police or specialist support organisations, to put in place measures that keep you safe.

We want our customers to live in a safe environment, so we have robust safeguarding processes in place so we can react quickly to any concerns we receive about the welfare of children or adults who need support.

Safeguarding is where we take action to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults from harm.

If you have any immediate concerns for the safety of a child or vulnerable adult you should call 999.

Local authorities have a duty of care towards children who are at risk. You can report concerns to them. They will want to know about any concerns you have, and you should contact them providing as much detail as possible. Where we need to be involved, we will work alongside social services teams to support families.

You can also contact your local authority if you have concerns about any adult who has vulnerabilities. When you tell us about this, we will look to contact the person and see how we can best support them, this may involve us contacting other agencies who have more expertise in providing support.

• NSPCC - Call 0808 800 5000 or Text 88858

• CEOP - report online child abuse

• Action on Elder Abuse - Call 0808 808 8141

• Modern Slavery Helpline - Call 0800 0121 700

We know how much pets become part of the family for many customers, but they can sometimes cause problems between neighbours.

Your tenancy agreement will say if you are allowed to have pets and if you need to ask for permission from us before getting them. In some properties, pets aren’t allowed, so it’s always better to check with us first.

Dogs - some barking is normal and wouldn’t be considered anti-social unless it was causing a persistent nuisance. We expect pet owners to be mindful of their neighbours, by keeping them under control in shared areas, picking up their waste and keeping the time they’re left at home alone to a minimum.

If your neighbours’ pets are causing a nuisance, please speak to them about it. If things do not improve, then get in touch with us. Some dog breeds are classified as dangerous, and any dog which is aggressive should be reported to the police. If you report an incident, please let us know and we will work together with the police where further action is needed.

If you have concerns about pets that may be being mistreated, please contact the RSPCA online or call 0300 1234 999.