Victims placed at centre of housing association's new ASB strategy

Published by Max Salsbury for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Communities, Legal

Victims of anti-social behaviour are being put at the centre of a housing association's new crime strategy.

Nottingham City Homes (NCH) wants to make sure that victims are listened to and that are issues dealt with promptly.

The new strategy- which was launched by Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Paddy Tipping, after he met NCH tenants - aims at seven outcomes:

• provide a victim-centred approach to identify and tackle anti-social behaviour and criminality, ensuring that communities and individuals are kept informed and reassured;
• ensure that NCH services are aligned to prevent incidents of anti-social behaviour, to intervene at the earliest opportunity when incidents do occur, and to protect communities through swift enforcement;
• maintain and further develop effective partnership response to crime and anti-social behaviour;
• provide a robust response to hate crime and domestic abuse;
• work with police and partners to tackle drug use and gang crime;
• promote and encourage community responsibility, involvement and community spirit;
• tackle environmental anti-social behaviour and invest in people’s homes and communities.

Tenants told Mr Tipping how investment in their homes by NCH had made them safer after securer windows were fitted, with burglaries halving in one area following the work.

“Meeting and talking to tenants and NCH officers has really demonstrated how tackling crime is not just a police issue. It’s about how organisations like NCH invest in their homes to make them safer and how they engage with their tenants to make their neighbourhoods safer for all," said Mr Tipping.

NCH chief executive Nick Murphy added: “If left unchallenged, crime and anti-social behaviour can not only have a devastating effect on neighbourhoods but also the people directly affected by it.

“Our approach to tackling anti-social behaviour is already highly regarded – and our new strategy will make sure this work continues."