You don’t have to dig too deep on the internet or in a news article search to see the rising statistics and negative impact of antisocial behaviour (ASB) on both individuals and local communities, writes Sue Reece, a town councillor at Chilton Town Council.
Anti-social behaviour is defined as someone acting in a manner that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more people not living in the same household as the perpetrator.
It ranges from excessive noise, abusive behaviour to damage of property and vandalism and is often referred to as minor offensive or low-level criminal activity, which downplays the significant effect is has on physical wellbeing and mental health.
The latest police crime figures show that in July there were 19 reported incidents in Chilton alone and that may only touch the surface compared to those that go unreported.
As Chilton Town Councillors, we have signed up to support the Don’t Suffer in Silence! campaign – a multi-agency approach to reporting, co-ordinating and dealing with ASB.
Working with Dawn Knight and Tia Daniels (Community Safety Coordinators) we have endorsed the Durham Police and Crime Commissioner’s commitment to ensure that any incident is reported to the right agency, treated seriously and that there is access to victim support.
This may include a Community Peer Mentor, a volunteer from the local community who supports people affected by life changing events including those affected by ASB.
So how can the Town Council help?
If you are the victim of, or a witness to ASB, we can support you to contact the right agency.
We can help to follow up your complaint and we will monitor patterns of activity to assist the authorities to identify and deal with the perpetrators. So don’t allow antisocial behaviour to continue to disrupt our lives. It is unacceptable, we shouldn’t tolerate it, and we shouldn’t suffer in silence.
To report a crime or for more information and support contact: info[@]chiltondurham-tc[.]gov[.]uk.
You can also call us on 01388 721788 or call in to see us at Hutton House.
Ferryhill & Chilton's local community newspaper.
