Antisocial behaviour (ASB)
Whilst most people in Merseyside are considerate, kind and cautions, there are some that involve themselves in antisocial behaviour and criminality. You can trust us to take swift and appropriate action.
What is antisocial behaviour?
Antisocial behaviour can take many forms, and it’s far from minor. We understand how upsetting it can be. The alarm, distress and disruption it causes to people simply trying to live peacefully is real and we take that seriously.
Who to contact if you experience antisocial behaviour
Sometimes it’s hard to know if it’s the police or organisations such as the council, housing association or landlord who you need to contact about antisocial behaviour, and that can add to the frustration.
Some situations aren’t always straightforward and who deals with an issue can depends on a few different things. Click here to go to our interactive reporting tool to ‘find out’ who is the right person to help.
If it’s the police you need to contact, you can do it over the phone, online, or in-person.
Concern |
Find out more |
Report to police |
Report to council |
| Fireworks | Fireworks | ✓ | x |
| Threats/intimidation from neighbours | Disputes with neighbours | ✓ | x |
| Trespassing with criminal damage | Protecting your home from crime | ✓ | x |
| Trespassing | Trespassing on private land | x | ✓ |
| Abandoned vehicles | Parking issues and abandoned vehicles | x | ✓ |
| Fly-tipping | Fly-tipping and other littering | x | ✓ |
| Noise from neighbours | Disputes with neighbours | x | ✓ |
| General noise complaints | General noise complaints | x | ✓ |
| Unwanted phonecalls/visits | Unwanted phonecalls/visits | x | x |
| Animal issues | Animal issues | x | x |
| Street drinking/drug use | Street drinking/drug use | x | x |
| Nuisance vehicle use | Nuisance vehicle use | x | x |
Further national guidance on antisocial behaviour can be found here.
What happens when you report ASB to us?
What we need you to do
We all have an important role to play in helping to keep our communities safe by reporting anything that doesn't feel right: from aggressive, noisy or abusive behaviour to underage firework selling.
Halloween and Bonfire Night should be fun and safe for everyone. A quick chat can go along way, talk to your children about making smart choices, even well-behaved children can be influenced. If your child is heading out, consider dropping them off and picking them up to help keep track of their whereabouts. Remember, family time or organised community events are the safety way to celebrate together.
Fireworks, including sparklers, can cause serious harm and injuries, so keep them well away from children. Selling fireworks to anyone under 18 is illegal. Please don’t sell flour, eggs or similar items to children during this period, and report any concerning behaviour should you spot it.
You’ll never get into trouble for reporting a genuine concern and we’ll always take your report seriously.
We’re listening – even if it’s busy. Our contact resolution officers are very busy this time of year, but your report matters. Please be patient while we deal thoroughly with each contact. The fastest way to reach us is often by messaging @MerpolCC on social media. You can also call 101 for non-emergency issues.
We treat your 101 calls and online reports with the same care and urgency as a 999 call. If something’s important but not life-threatening, please don’t hesitate to call 999.
Our recommendations
A lot of antisocial behaviour isn’t planned in advance, it’s opportunistic. Because of this, making small changes can make a significant difference.
Below are some adjustments which might help to prevent ASB around your property:
- Get your wheelie bins out of reach and, if you can, out of sight. The same goes for garden furniture and ornaments
- If you’ve got gates, keep them closed. It creates a psychological barrier, as well as a physical one
- If you can put your car in the garage rather than leaving it on the drive or on the street, it’s a good idea.
- Vandals and burglars won’t choose to target well-lit areas if there are easy alternatives. Keep your lights on. If you’re out, put them on a timer. Maybe get a motion sensor flood light. Keep your home security cameras on and visible if you’ve got them.
For further advice and information please refer to our crime prevention section.
It’s always helpful to keep a log of events you think might be classed as antisocial behaviour. Aside from potentially enabling you to identify any patterns, the more information you can provide the appropriate service (ourselves, the council etc.), the more effective the interventions are likely to be.
What is Merseyside Police doing about antisocial behaviour?
Local neighbourhood policing teams have had some great successes in tackling antisocial behaviour by combining traditional policing approaches, trialling new tactics, and partnership working.
Watch as Chief Inspector Kevin Chatterton explains what we do on key nights around Halloween and Bonfire Night.
Below is an overview of what we’re doing to tackle antisocial behaviour.
Hotspot policing involves identifying key locations for antisocial behaviour and targeting activity and resources to them. This gives foot patrols a chance to engage with communities and undertake information gathering and problem-solving.
Research suggests that hotspot policing can reduce overall offending, including drug offences and property offences. Government statistics from year ending March 2022 show that 120,000 patrols nationally resulted in an average 7 per cent reduction in violence against the person and robbery offences in hotspot areas.
Merseyside receives funding from the Home Office to target serious violence and antisocial behaviour (ASB) across 25 hotspot areas.
Merseyside Police have dedicated schools’ officers in most of the secondary schools in Merseyside, as well as PCSOs who regularly deliver talks and support in primary schools.
Education around antisocial behaviour begins at a primary school level and continues through into secondary school.
As part of this education journey, all pupils have the opportunity to engage in a range of interactive, age-appropriate sessions exploring aspects such as:
- What it means to commit antisocial behaviour.
- The impact of antisocial behaviour on individuals and communities.
- The consequence and legalities of committing antisocial behaviour.
- Strategies for disengaging with problematic situations and peers.
Having an established presence in schools and building relationships with pupils allows schools’ officers to be a source of early guidance for parents, staff and students where there are concerns that a young person may be at risk of being drawn into antisocial behaviour.
The antisocial behaviour pathway gives offenders the chance to change their behaviour at key points through the offender journey with the dual aims of intervention and reform.
In the first instance, offenders are identified and warned about their behaviour with letters which clearly set out the harm being caused, what behaviours need to change, and the consequences if those behaviours continue.
If this initial letter is not adhered to, the police and council will discuss which is the next, most proportionate, step to take.
Potentially, this could be to progress to an Acceptable Behaviour Agreement (ABA), where the offender needs to commit to, and sign, a behaviour contract. However, in particularly serious instances, this step may be bypassed.
If the ABA is not adhered to, the police, council or housing association will look to take action (such as criminal proceedings or an eviction). The pathway is intended to be a staged response allowing for all partners to have an input in the problem solving.
As one of the ‘trailblazer’ areas taking part in the Immediate Justice pilot, we are taking swift action against antisocial behaviour in Merseyside.
Using funding secured by the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, this initiative sees Merseyside Police working with our region’s five local authorities and the charity Causeway to identify individuals found committing antisocial behaviour in Merseyside to ensure they repair the damage they have inflicted as quickly as possible.
Whether that damage is on an individual or a community as a whole, the ambition is for them to begin restorative work as soon as 48 hours after their offence.
This includes through completing unpaid work, such as litter picking, graffiti removal and gardening.
The aims of Immediate Justice are:
- For victims to know antisocial behaviour is treated seriously and with urgency
- For those perpetrating antisocial behaviour to learn the impact of their behaviour on victims
By encouraging offenders to think about the consequences of their actions and recognise the impact on their victims and the wider community, this pilot is focused on preventing further incidents, making our communities safer for all.
More than 70 perpetrators a month are now being put on this programme and as a result, areas across Merseyside are being improved and made cleaner, nicer places to live.
The pilot is scheduled to run until March 2025 when its success across all the participating areas will be evaluated.
As the school holidays get underway, 30 grassroots organisations have been awarded a share of £500,000 to run projects to help prevent antisocial behaviour across our region.
The money is being used to provide free, safe, positive activities for nearly 12,000 young people to help prevent spikes in violence and antisocial behaviour over the summer holidays, autumn half term and other key times.
From youth workers going out to hotspot areas to mental health courses and leadership training, the grants will be used to reach and support at risk young people, build their trust, and help to steer them away from behaviour which could be harmful or dangerous.
The money is being invested by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, and the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership (MVRP) through their new Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES).
The YES funding is focused on initiatives which engage and support young people, helping them to gain new skills, increase their confidence and resilience and fill their time in a positive way over the school holidays.
Of the 30 successful organisations, 10 are based in Liverpool, eight in Sefton and four in Knowsley, St Helens and Wirral.
Projects offer a wide range of activities from graffiti and art classes to music sessions and DJing, capoeira, boxing, and football.
Other ways to report to us
Report to us online:
Facebook: Merseyside Police CC
X (formerly Twitter): @MerPolCC
Or via the website reporting page
Report to us by phone:
999 – if you are in danger now.
101 – to tell us about what has happened.
18001 101 - textphone service if you are hard of hearing.
Report to us face to face:
At your local police station (find your nearest police station here.
