ASB Falls by almost a quarter in Essex

Anti-social behaviour across Essex has fallen over the past year by almost a quarter.

Essex Police recorded 40,965 incidents of anti-social behaviour between 1 January and 31 December 2021, a drop of 23.6% compared with the previous 12 months.

Furthermore, during the past decade, anti-social behaviour incidents reported to Essex Police have been decreasing.

Superintendent Richard Melton said: “The numbers continue to fall and last year showed a steep drop compared with 2020.

“While that can partly be attributed to the fact that breaches of public health regulations during the first year of the pandemic were recorded as anti-social behaviour, it also reflects the hard work our community policing teams have put in to address issues locally.

“To maintain this downward trend, we need the public’s help to tell us about issues they are experiencing. And we will continue working with our partners to find solutions which not only benefit communities affected by anti-social behaviour but divert the behaviour of those causing it.

“We take anti-social behaviour very seriously. It is not just nuisance behaviour, it can severely impact on victims and make their lives a misery so our focus is not just on dealing with the anti-social behaviour but on supporting victims and dealing with those responsible.”

Reporting anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour can affect not just individuals but entire communities, too. If you’re experiencing anti-social behaviour or you see or hear about anti-social behaviour issues, we want you to report it to us so that we can work with our community partners to resolve community issues.

You can report incidents of anti-social behaviour on our website via Live Chat – open from 7am-11pm every day – or by completing an online report. You can also ring 101.

If you’ve been a victim of anti-social behaviour, or any crime, and are feeling mentally impacted by it, contact Victim Support on 0808 1689 111.