Anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour is behaviour that causes, or is likely to cause, serious nuisance, harassment, alarm or distress. We consider what has happened, how often it happens and the effect it is having.

A single incident is unlikely to be treated as anti-social behaviour unless it is particularly serious.

What we may treat as anti-social behaviour

This can include:

• people being drunk or rowdy in a public place
• drug use, drug dealing or using a property to sell drugs or for other illegal activity
• damage to vehicles or property
• prostitution, kerb crawling or brothels
• suspected cuckooing, where criminals take over the home of a vulnerable person
• dog-related anti-social behaviour
• threatening behaviour, including verbal or physical threats and abuse
• nuisance linked to a property
• harassment, including incidents based on race, gender, religion, disability or sexual orientation

What is not normally anti-social behaviour

Not every nuisance, disagreement or difference in lifestyle is anti-social behaviour. This does not mean that your concern is unimportant, but another service or organisation may be better placed to deal with it.

The following are not normally treated as ASB:

• children playing in streets or communal areas, unless they are damaging property
• young people meeting socially, unless they are behaving in an intimidating, rowdy or inconsiderate way
• being unable to park outside your home
• disagreements about boundary walls, fences or parking
• differences in lifestyle, culture, religion or personal preferences
• cigarette smoke or cooking smells
• DIY and off-road vehicle repairs, unless they take place late at night or early in the morning
• high hedges or overgrown gardens, unless there are related problems such as vermin

Everyday household noise

Everyday household noise is not usually anti-social behaviour. This can include:

• people talking or walking around inside their home
• doors and windows opening and closing
• babies crying
• children playing
• normal use of washing machines, vacuum cleaners and other household appliances

If noise is causing a nuisance, use our noise and nuisance service

For a non-emergency police matter, call 101 or report it on the Metropolitan Police website.

Before you report anti-social behaviour

Keep a record of:

• the date and time of each incident
• where it happened
• what happened and how long it lasted
• who was involved, if known
• how it affected you or other people
• any report or reference numbers you already have

You could also talk to your neighbours to find out if similar things have happened to them, and if they would be willing to support your concerns.

If you feel safe and comfortable doing so, you may choose to tell the person that their behaviour is affecting you. You do not have to do this before making a report.

You can also contact your local Police Safer Neighbourhood Team for advice and support or call 101.

How to report

For most anti-social behaviour, you can report it to us using our online form.

Use this form if the incident happened in a public place, or in or around a privately rented or owned home.

If the problem is linked to a Brent Council or housing association home, block or estate, use the relevant housing route below instead.

Using AI to help with your report

You are welcome to use AI tools to write your report. Keeping your report short, clear and focused on the key facts can help us review it more quickly.

Report anti-social behaviour as a council tenant or leaseholder

If you experience an example of anti-social behaviour linked to your home or in or around a Brent Council block or estate, you can report it by:

• calling 020 8937 2400, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• emailing housingmanagement@brent.gov.uk
• contacting your Area Tenancy Manager (map is only for Brent Council housing tenants).

If the incident happens elsewhere, use the main council reporting route above.

Report anti-social behaviour as a housing association tenant

If the anti-social behaviour is linked to a housing association home, block or estate, report it to the housing association first. The landlord is responsible for taking appropriate tenancy management action.

If you do not know who your landlord is, check your tenancy agreement, rent statements or letters about repairs or housing management.

If the problem cannot be resolved, Brent Council may be able to work with your housing association where a wider response is needed.

If the incident happens elsewhere, use the main council reporting route above.

Report anonymously

You can report anti-social behaviour without giving your name. However, this may limit what we can do because we may be unable to ask you for more information or evidence.

If you give us your contact details, we will not disclose your identity without your consent unless we are required to do so by law.

We review every report we receive. Making a report does not always mean that we will open a new anti-social behaviour case.

1. We review your report

An officer from the Anti-Social Behaviour Team will review the information you provide. We aim to contact you within 7 working days by telephone, email or letter.
When reviewing a case, we consider:

• what happened
• how often it happens
• how long incidents last and when they happen
• the effect on you, other people in your home and the wider community
• any risk to the people affected
• whether the behaviour appears intended to cause harm, distress or nuisance

A single incident is unlikely to be considered ASB unless it is particularly serious.

2. We decide how the report should be handled

Where appropriate, we will complete a risk assessment and prepare an initial action plan.

Your report may be allocated to an Anti-Social Behaviour Officer or an Area Tenancy Manager, depending on the circumstances.

3. If a case is opened

The officer managing the case will investigate and may:

• contact the person reported to be causing the problem
• work with the police, a housing provider or another relevant organisation
• ask you to complete an incident diary or nuisance log
• carry out a risk assessment to understand how the behaviour is affecting you

The action available will depend on the circumstances and the evidence. If formal enforcement action is needed, you may be asked to provide evidence and attend court.

4. If a new case is not opened

Your report may still:

• be linked to an existing case
• be kept as information about the issue
• help identify a pattern of behaviour
• support future action

This means the information you provide can still help us understand ongoing concerns, even where we do not open a separate case.

Brent Council housing cases

Reports involving Brent Council tenants or leaseholder properties, are categorised as low, medium or high priority.

• Housing Officers manage low-priority cases.
• The ASB team manages medium and high-priority cases.

Confidentiality and information sharing

We treat the information you give us in confidence. We may need to share relevant information with the police, housing providers, NHS services or other organisations where this is appropriate and permitted or required by law.

This may include sharing information under:

• the Crime and Disorder Act 1998
• the UK General Data Protection Regulation
• the Data Protection Act 2018
• relevant information-sharing agreements.

An Anti-Social Behaviour Case Review, previously called the Community Trigger, allows people who have repeatedly reported ASB to ask relevant organisations to review how they have responded.

Check if you can apply for a Review

A Case Review will normally be considered if:

• you have made three or more separate qualifying reports of anti-social behaviour within the last six months
• you reported each incident to the council, police or a registered housing provider within one month of it happening
• each incident happened within the last six months
• you believe effective action has not been taken

The relevant organisations will also consider how persistent the behaviour has been, the harm caused or likely to be caused, and whether their response has been adequate.

When a Case Review cannot be used

You cannot use the process if:

• you want to remain anonymous
• you want a Crown Prosecution Service decision about a prosecution or non-prosecution reviewed
• you want to challenge a civil or criminal court decision
• your concern is only about service provision or a service complaint
• you want to make a formal complaint about the service you received
• you are reporting criminal activity or a hate crime, which should be reported to the police

What you will need

When you apply, tell us:

• about each report you made
• who you reported it to
• any reference numbers you have
• what happened in each incident

What happens after you apply

Once the Community Safety service receives an ASB Case Review application:

1. Acknowledgement: we will send you an acknowledgement letter within 5 working days. We need your consent before sending it to a third party.
2. Information gathering: we will ask the relevant organisations and council departments for information. They will have 17 working days to respond. If we ask you for more information, you should provide it within 7 working days.
3. Threshold decision: we aim to tell you within 31 working days whether your application meets the threshold. This may take longer if the case is complex.
4. Review: if the threshold is met, relevant organisations will review the case. If it is not met, we will tell you by email or letter and, where appropriate, explain who else you may be able to contact.

These are target timescales and may be adjusted where necessary.

Who reviews the case

Depending on the case, the review may involve Brent Council, the Metropolitan Police Service, NHS North West London Integrated Care Board and registered providers of social housing that take part in Brent’s Case Review arrangements.

If the threshold is met, a panel meeting will be held within 28 working days of the threshold decision letter. The panel will consider the application and agree any outcomes and recommendations. We will send the panel report to you and the relevant organisations within 7 working days of the meeting.

How to appeal

You can appeal if you disagree with the decision about your application or believe the Case Review policy and procedure was not followed or relevant evidence was not properly considered.
You must appeal in writing within 28 calendar days of the letter telling you that your application did not meet the threshold or giving you the outcome of the review. Explain why you are appealing and include any evidence you want considered.

Send your appeal to:

Director of Community Development
Brent Council
Brent Civic Centre
Engineers Way
Wembley
HA9 0FJ

The Director of Community Development, or a nominated senior officer who has not previously been involved, will independently review the decision and process.

Annual information about Case Reviews

Some anti-social behaviour cannot be resolved by one organisation alone. Depending on the issue, we may work with:

• the Metropolitan Police Service
• Brent Housing Services
• housing associations and other registered housing providers
• NHS services
• other relevant council services and partner organisations

Working together can help the organisations involved understand the full circumstances, agree who is best placed to act and coordinate any further action.

We only share information where it is relevant, appropriate and permitted or required by law. We will not disclose your identity without your consent unless we are legally required to do so.

If you want to report anti-social behaviour, use the reporting route that applies to your situation.

If you have already reported repeated anti-social behaviour and believe effective action has not been taken, you may be able to ask for an ASB Case Review.

You must pay a fixed penalty notice (FPN) within 14 days if you are found in breach of a:

• Community Protection Notice (CPN)
• Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) – Nuisance Vehicle

You can pay online if you have received a penalty for anti-social behaviour.

Payment will discharge your liability to prosecution for the offence.