Award winning anti-social behaviour team celebrates success

Published by JenCooke for National Federation of ALMOs in Housing and also in Communities

St Georges Community Housing’s Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) Team are celebrating after receiving an 88 per cent customer satisfaction level against a target of 82 per cent in the last year.

The ASB Team, who won a Basildon Business Award in 2008 for their work to engage young people across Basildon, provide a range of services to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

Over the last year, the team has dealt with in 867 cases of anti-social behaviour resulting in four notices of seeking possession being served, two households being evicted, two injunctions with power of arrest being granted and one person being sent to prison for breaching an injunction.
 

The team consists of Neighbourhood Nuisance Officers, Anti-social Behaviour Officers and Community Wardens. This dedicated team deal with a wide range of anti-social behaviour ranging from less serious neighbour disputes to more complex and serious cases that require court action. The team provide a single point of contact for reporting all anti-social behaviour including hate crime and domestic abuse.

The ASB Team has strengthened its links with key partners, including the Police, Basildon Council, the Probation Service and the Youth Offending Team, and in partnership, has reduced the public’s perception of anti-social behaviour in the district from 46 per cent in 2003/2004 to 25.9 per cent in 2008/2009.

To assist in the fight against anti-social behaviour, St Georges Community Housing’s five Community Wardens, provide a uniformed presence across the Basildon District and encourage young people to take part in positive activities.

The Wardens also support vulnerable residents in the community by gathering evidence and sharing intelligence with the police.

Over the last year the wardens have tackled over 60 nuisance vehicles, reported over 2,600 cases of dumped rubbish and 1,200 cases of graffiti, as well as 77 cases of criminal damage and vandalism. They have also reported 63 cases of defective street lighting and 221 highway related issues.

Steve Shynn, Interim Chief Executive of St Georges Community Housing said: “We are very pleased with the positive impact the Anti-social Behaviour Team including the Community Wardens have made over the last year. We have used a wide range of tools to tackle the problem including an independent mediation service and swift enforcement action. At St Georges Community Housing we are dedicated to reducing the levels of anti-social behaviour on our estates and we are committed to improving the environment in which our tenants live”.

The team at St Georges Community housing are committed to the belief that all residents of the Basildon District, whether Council tenants or not, have the right to enjoy peace, quiet and security in and around their homes.

In addition, the Audit Commission recently awarded St Georges Community Housing 2 stars ‘good’ rating and recognised anti-social behaviour as a key strength when the ALMO were inspected in June 2009.

Established as an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) in April 2007, St Georges Community Housing manages 12,900 homes and 5,900 garages for Basildon District Council. It works alongside the council and its residents to develop communities in which people are proud to live.