During these unprecedented times, it is more important than ever that communities still feel able to report concerns, and we understand many victims of anti-social behaviour (ASB) will be feeling worried and unsure of where to turn. We want to reassure you we are adapting our services to reflect the situation and give you the confidence in our ability to deal with ASB.

Following the government’s announcement, many households now remain at home which could mean:

• An increase in noise nuisance
• Households not adhering to the ‘stay at home’ guidance
• More people feeling isolated and anxious
• Money worries putting a strain on families and individuals
• People becoming intolerant as they struggle to adapt to a new way of life.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now focusing on telephone or email contact with our customers and will continue to be guided by our ASB procedure for case management. Although our investigations will be different, we are committed to doing the following:

• Work with other agencies
• Signpost customers to victim support services
• Refer customers to our mediation service
• Signpost perpetrators to support services
• Increase contact with vulnerable customers
• Encourage the use of technology to record ASB if it is safe to do so
• Signpost to our website to report ASB
• Issue verbal warnings over the telephone and written warnings via email
• Produce Acceptable Behaviour Agreements by email where verbal consent has been given
• Issue Notice of Seeking Possession for breaches of tenancy
• Apply for injunctions in the most serious cases
• Share best practice with other housing providers.

Please note: During the pandemic it is business as usual for the police – incidents can still be reported via 999 for emergencies, 101 for non emergencies and the Cleveland Police website for non emergencies.