Cumbria Police have launch a county wide awareness campaign to highlight their work to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB).

With the summer holidays fast approaching, the Force’s Child Centred Policing Teams (CCPT) supported by the Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT), are running a campaign to raise awareness of local issues of anti-social behaviour and the policing work being undertaken every day to tackle the issues.

Inspector Gemma Hannah, Child Centred Policing team lead said: “With the summer holidays coming up it is a good time to talk about ASB, to raise awareness of its impact and to signpost those at risk of committing ASB to positive alternatives, such as summer activities and support services,

“Unfortunately, police deal with ASB incidents committed by both children and adults. It is never acceptable and can have a negative effect on the whole community. However, the intent behind behaviour can vary vastly in children and adults.

“Through this campaign we aim to bring awareness to our specialist work in both the Neighbourhood Policing Teams and the Child Centred Policing Teams.

“In order to address anti-social behaviour, we need to consider and understand the underlying reasons behind the behaviour. Our Child Centred Policing teams do this by visiting children and their families who commit ASB and offering intervention and support where required.

“We work closely with partner agencies including the Youth Offending Service to provide the help and support children need to make positive changes in their behaviour and decision making.

“All of our officers have received specialist training regarding trauma informed policing and Adverse Childhood Experiences. This assists us in our child centred policing approach, diverting young people away from the criminal justice system.”

The campaign will also highlight  youth activity opportunities being ran locally over the summer holiday period, including information on how young people can get involved.

There are three anti-social behaviour categories:

• Personal antisocial behaviour is when a person targets a specific individual or group.
• Nuisance antisocial behaviour is when a person causes trouble, annoyance or suffering to a community.
•  Environmental antisocial behaviour is when a person’s actions affect the wider environment, such as public spaces or buildings.

Examples of anti-social behaviour include:

• Rowdy, noisy behaviour including shouting and yelling close to people’s homes
• People loitering around the streets, paths and shops
• Drinking alcohol, being drunk or rowdy, in a public place
• Climbing on roofs or property that does not belong to you
• Riding mopeds or scooters through estates and on paths
• Abandoning cars on the street
• Vandalism and graffiti

Superintendent Matt Pearman, the Constabulary’s Neighbourhood Policing Team strategic lead said: “This campaign provides a timely opportunity to highlight the important work officers in two of our departments are doing together, to tackle anti-social behaviour.

“This work can involve Police Officers and local partners on the streets responding to issues, but a lot of the intelligence and investigative work goes on behind the scenes.

“Anti-social behaviour can take many forms and can have a really damaging effect on communities. Often it can be related to where a person lives or works which is why it has such a personal impact on victim’s lives.

“We have a wealth of tools that we use to stop and deter antisocial behaviour including targeted police patrols, dispersal orders, it’s Your Choice referrals and more.

“Where a crime has been committed during an ASB incident, a criminal investigation is launched. Where appropriate, officers will make arrests and pursue prosecutions”

Topics being highlighted during the campaign include:

• The roles of the Neighbourhood Policing Teams and Child Centred Policing Teams
• Local anti-social behaviour updates
• The impact of ASB on victims
  • To help increase awareness of this area of crime and to promote reporting ~ accounts and interviews will be shared based on real-life incidents reported to the constabulary
• Positive action in local areas
• Partnership working
• Information on the It’s Your Choice CCPT early intervention scheme
• Promotion of the countywide roll out of innovative youth engagement scheme One-Up, following it’s successful pilot
• Signposting to free, local, specialist support services, schemes and activities to support victims, vulnerable young people and those caring for young people

Information on the Constabulary’s antisocial behaviour initiatives and operations will also be shared on a local level by the Neighbourhood Policing Teams across Cumbria.

The campaign will run over the next four weeks in the lead up to the summer holidays.