Reporting antisocial behaviour (ASB)

As a resident living in Reading, it is important you can live in your home safely and with enjoyment. If there are times when you encounter problems with a neighbour or feel unsafe, you can get help from us or the police.

If you’re experiencing antisocial behaviour you don’t have to cope on your own. We can help you deal with it.

Not all antisocial behaviour can be dealt with by the council. This might be because the issue you are reporting is a police matter, or the person responsible for the ASB is the tenant of a different landlord. A member of the Antisocial Behaviour Team can help you understand what to do when someone’s behaviour is affecting your quality of life.

On this page:

What is antisocial behaviour?

Antisocial behaviour does not have a single definition. It can mean different things to different people.

When assessing if we should investigate a case, our Community Safety Partnership have to be clear what they mean by antisocial behaviour. Their definition is:

“Behaviour causing damage, disturbance, distress, harm or fear which has a significant impact on people’s lifestyles, routines or their environment. Persistence, intensity and the number of incidents involved are relevant factors. The behaviour need not be a breach of the criminal law .”

When taking legal action for a housing case, we use the definition from the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. This definition is:

“Conduct capable of causing housing related nuisance or annoyance to any person.”

We have experience of supporting people dealing with:

  • noise nuisance (if a Reading Borough Council tenant)
  • neighbour disputes
  • verbal abuse
  • threatening behaviour
  • harassment and intimidation
  • vandalism
  • criminal damage

You might think that an incident is small or unimportant to start with. But antisocial behaviour can go on for a long time and become very serious. Not all antisocial behaviour is classed as criminal, but a lot is, or can become, a crime. We can help you even if the police are not involved, but nothing will change if you don’t act. You may not know how to do this, but we can give you the information and support you need to change things.

What is area based antisocial behaviour (location)

To create a safer environment for residents, visitors and businesses of Reading, area-based is defined as:

  • crime, ASB or exploitation that involves groups of people whose behaviour impacts on a neighbourhood, block or estate, geographical location or public space
  • businesses, public buildings, or communal areas impacted by crime, ASB or exploitation
  • geographical or temporal hotspots or ASB and crime
  • poorly designed areas or areas of decline where the built environment is an enabler of crime, ASB or exploitation
  • drug dealing or drug use in public areas
  • street begging and associated behaviours, where the built environment is an enabler of crime, ASB or exploitation
  • traveller encampments (on council land) – more information on how to report an unauthorised encampment

The council’s Safer Public Realm team will consider each case on its own facts and will give a consistent response to the types of cases it deals with. We will treat all victims equally.

You can find our approach to tackling ASB in our Antisocial Behaviour Policy.

Find out more about the Reading Community Safety Partnership.

How to report antisocial behaviour

It is important you try to discuss your concerns with the person responsible for the ASB first. On most occasions a problem can be resolved simply by talking, however there will be times when this is not possible. You may need help to resolve the problem.

You can ask the Antisocial Behaviour Team to investigate the matter for you by:

For Apple phone users only, you may prefer to contact us using the Reportable App.

For Apple and android phone users, you may want to report noise nuisance using the Noise App. Find out more about noise nuisance.

Whichever way you report it an officer from our teams will arrange to contact you. They will get your consent before starting to investigate. The officer will ask you to give evidence of your experience. They will only progress a case if within the first four weeks of your report further evidence is provided. You should expect to be asked to give statements and for those statements to be used in court if a case is serious enough that enforcement action needs to be taken.

The ASB team will only work with you if you are either a Reading Borough Council tenant, a tenant of a private landlord or a homeowner. Tenants of social landlords, such as a housing association, will be supported by their housing or ASB officer. Our team can help to contact them if you have been unsuccessful.

Antisocial Behaviour Team service standards

If a case of antisocial behaviour is opened by the council, victims can expect the following:

  •  A named officer will oversee the initial enquiry and where appropriate, a case investigation.
  • The ASB procedure is thoroughly will be explained to you and other witnesses & realistic expectations will be set.
  • Tailored witness support can be offered, including an explanation of the tools that can be used to report ASB such as diary sheets or the ASB reporting app.
  • For the duration of the case, the council will keep you updated at least once a month on the progress of a case. This will usually be an in-person meeting unless agreed that a different format such as online, or telephone contact will be sufficient.

Reporting antisocial behaviour in the greater Reading area

If you’re experiencing antisocial behaviour, but do not live in the local authority area of Reading Borough Council, you may need to contact the local authority where you live.

Some antisocial behaviour can be caused by a resident living in another area. Reading Borough Council’s Antisocial Behaviour Team can sign post you to the right area. You may wish to contact them yourself at:

Wokingham – report antisocial behaviour webpage

West Berkshire – antisocial behaviour webpage

South Oxfordshire – report antisocial behaviour webpage

Thames Valley Police – report antisocial behaviour webpage

ASB Community Right to Review (Community Trigger)

If you feel that no one is dealing with the antisocial behaviour problems you are experiencing, you have a ‘Right to Review’ of your case. This was previously known as the Community Trigger. Once you request the Right to Review, the relevant agencies will work together and decide whether any further action can be taken to resolve the issue. We will try to ensure we involve victims in the process as much as is possible.

The Community Right to Review is not for making a complaint or reporting new antisocial behaviour cases. If you want to make a complaint about they way in which an organisation has dealt with your case, you should ask them about their complaint’s procedure.

You can apply for a Community Right to Review by:

Data on Community Trigger activations

2021-22:

  • Number of applications for community trigger received: 2
  • Number of times the threshold for review was not met: 1
  • Number of case reviews carried out: 1
  • Number of case reviews that resulted in recommendations being made: 0

2022-23:

  • Number of applications for community trigger received: 3
  • Number of times the threshold for review was not met: 3
  • Number of case reviews carried out:  3
  • Number of case reviews that resulted in recommendations being made: 3

2023-24

  • Number of applications for community trigger received: 1
  • Number of times the threshold for review was not met: 0
  • Number of case reviews carried out: 1
  • Number of case reviews that resulted in recommendations being made: 1

Noise nuisance

You may be experiencing noise disturbance from your neighbour.  However, not all noise is considered a nuisance and the team will be able to advise on this.   To be a nuisance, the noise must be more than annoying or simply audible. It must significantly interfere with your enjoyment of your home and appear unreasonable to the average person. It is important to understand that noise nuisance investigations are about how you are affected. We will be unable to help without your co-operation and evidence.

Some types of noise are more likely to be a nuisance, such as loud music and DIY noise. It is however very unlikely that we would be able to act for normal domestic noise (for example people moving about in their own home, children playing, use of appliances etc…) or where there is poor sound insulation between dwellings. This is because we need to show the noise is being caused unreasonably.

In Reading this can be dealt with in two different ways.  By the Anti-social Behaviour Team if reports of noise involve a tenant of Reading Borough Council and by the Environmental Protection Team for anyone else. 

If you are a tenant of Reading Borough Council, you can report noise nuisance to Reading Borough Council direct to the Anti-Social Behaviour Team by:

The team will ask you to make recordings if you can, using a Noise app or by completing diary sheets.

Alternatively, if you are not a tenant of Reading Borough Council or the person causing noise is not a tenant, you can raise a case using the Noise App at the link below, which will come direct to the Environmental Protection Team to review, who may contact you about your concerns.

The Noise App

More information on noise nuisance

Reporting a hate crime

You may be experiencing discrimination in your home or the neighbourhood where you live.  A Hate Crime can involve a verbal assault, including online, a physical assault or be an incitement to hatred.

If you feel you are in immediate danger, call 999.

If you situation is not urgent, call the police on 101.

A hate crime is defined as ‘Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.’

A hate incident is any incident which the victim, or anyone else, thinks is based on someone’s prejudice towards them because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or because they are transgender.

Evidence of the hate element is not a requirement. You do not need to personally perceive the incident to be hate related. It would be enough if another person, a witness or even a police officer thought that the incident was hate related.

It is preferable that you report any concerns you have to Thames Valley Police who can investigate, however if the matter involves a neighbour you may also want to raise it with the Anti-social Behaviour Team as well at asb.team@reading.gov.uk. 

Visit Thames Valley Police website for more information on hate crime

Domestic abuse

If you feel you are in immediate danger, call 999.

If you situation is not urgent, call the police on 101 or contact Berkshire Women’s Aid on their helpline on 0808 801 0882 or by email at helpdesk@bwaid.org.uk.

If you are at risk from a partner, either current or previous, you can obtain help from Berkshire Women’s Aid, who can work with you to assess your options and advise professionals working with you on the best next steps.  Visit Berkshire Women’s Aid website for more information on domestic abuse.

Feeling unsafe or at risk

In all cases before you report Anti-social Behaviour, Domestic Abuse or a Hate crime first, consider the safety of you and other victims. If either of you are in immediate danger, call the police immediately on 999. These can be situations where:

  • A crime is in progress
  • Someone is suspected of a crime nearby
  • There is danger to life
  • Violence is being used or threatened

For non-emergency incidents of anti-social behaviour, you can report this to the police using the non-emergency number, 101 or by using the online form below to contact them. This is either if you have experienced or witnessed an incident.

Thames Valley Police

You can also get help and assistance on the Thames Valley Police website.

Visit Thames Valley Police website for more information on reporting antisocial behaviour.

Crime Stoppers

You may wish to give information anonymously. Crime Stoppers is a national organisation who can help you to do this and be called on: 0800 555111. Or go to the Crime Stoppers website.

If you witness an incident of antisocial behaviour, you can also contact the police at the non-emergency number 101, or our Anti-social Behaviour Team on 0118 9373787.

Last updated on 19/09/2024