Council and police working together to tackle anti-social behaviour

Buckinghamshire Council's Community Safety Team is joining forces with Thames Valley Police and other partners this Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week to share information and advice about tackling the issue in local communities.

National Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week runs from 3-9 July and aims to empower communities to stand up against anti-social behaviour and arm them with the knowledge of what to do to if it occurs in their local area. Anti-social behaviour can include anything from verbal abuse and vandalism to threatening behaviour, noise nuisance and criminal damage.

As part of the week, members of the council's Community Safety Team will be holding two Multi Agency Days of Action in partnership with Thames Valley Police, other council teams and external organisations including the Fire Service and Neighbourhood Watch:

• Wednesday 5 July at 10am - 4pm, Quarrendon and Meadowcroft Community Centre, 147 Meadowcroft, Aylesbury, HP19 9HH 
• Thursday 6 July at 10am - 4pm, The Hive Community Centre, 1-2 Arnison Avenue, High Wycombe, HP13 6DD 

Teams will be undertaking high visibility patrols, completing litter picks and dealing with a range of issues identified by the community. Residents are invited to go along and speak to the teams to discuss their concerns and find out what is being done to deal with local issues.

Thomas Broom, Buckinghamshire Council's Deputy Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: "We know that anti-social behaviour is one of the topmost concerns of local residents and it is one of our top priorities, as set out in our recently published Safer Buckinghamshire Strategy. While it doesn't happen everywhere, we know there are pockets of the county where it can occur more frequently and we are working with colleagues in the police and other agencies, as well as community groups and organisations to see what can be done to tackle these issues.

"We want residents to know what they can do to report issues and where to go to receive information and advice about all forms of anti-social behaviour and what is being done locally to support communities."

Council street wardens work proactively in the community with partners, helping to deter crime and anti-social behaviour. They also regularly engage with vulnerable members of the community, including rough sleepers, linking them in with support services and completing regular welfare checks.

In High Wycombe a new initiative from HWBIDCo (High Wycombe Business Improvement District Company) is working in conjunction with local charity, The Oasis Partnership, to tackle drug and alcohol use amongst town centre street beggars. The scheme works by installing a number of 'Diverted Giving' points where people can give a donation which will be used to provide meaningful support and help tackle drug and alcohol use amongst the street begging community in High Wycombe.

To report anti-social behaviour or a community safety issue contact the council team.

To report a crime, call the police on 101. In an emergency call 999.

You can view the Safer Buckinghamshire Strategy online.