Brighter Places, Bristol’s largest independent Housing Association which has over 3,500 tenants, has joined a national campaign to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) to help keep  its residents and wider communities in Bristol and surrounding areas safe.

ASB Awareness Week 2022 (18 – 22 July) aims to encourage communities to take a stand against ASB and highlight the actions that those experiencing it can take.

Organised by Resolve, the UK’s leading ASB and community safety organisation, the week features a series of events all across the UK involving Councils, Police Forces, Housing Associations, charities, community groups and sports clubs.

Brighter Places is urging their residents not to suffer in silence if they experience anti-social behavour.  Residents can report incidents to their Brighter Places Housing Officer and Anti-Social Behaviour team or contact the Police if they feel at immediate risk or in danger.

In addition Brighter Places can help in several ways to help keep residents safe while Brighter Places investigate their case. Measures include:

• Applying for an injunction order against the perpetrator
• Arranging CCTV installation
• Arranging extra locks and spyholes on front doors
• Working with police to put a Treat As Urgent Marker on the resident’s home to provide a faster response time if police are called about an incident at the address.

Recent YouGov research commissioned by Resolve found that more than half of people (56%) believe that ‘more needs to be done’ to tackle ASB in their community. However, after they witnessed or experienced ASB, a similar proportion of the public (57%) said that they did not report it to anyone.

Claudia Cobban, Customer Services Director of Brighter Places said:  

“Anti-social behaviour can  have a devastating impact on people’s wellbeing and quality of life and our specialist teams are here to help.

‘Brighter Places take all reports of anti-social behaviour from our residents seriously and we encourage them to report it if it is negatively affecting their lives. Nobody should suffer in silence. We work with our partners, including Resolve, to effectively deal with issues.

We hope this campaign will encourage people to come forward, and send the message to perpetrators that there is no tolerance for anti-social behaviour in our communities.’

Rebecca Bryant OBE, Chief Executive of Resolve added:  

“ASB is not low-level crime. It can have a long-lasting impact on the lives of victims and communities and can be a precursor to more serious crime.

“It is important that the challenge of ASB continues to be given the priority it needs so that people everywhere feel safe in their homes and communities.

“We are delighted that Brighter Places is supporting this hugely important campaign. It is vital to develop partnership approaches across communities to deal with the growing challenges around ASB.”

Brighter Places residents who are experiencing anti-social behaviour can report it 24 hours a day using by emailing  info@brighterplaces.co.uk or by using the free noise app to record sound and email it to us.

During office hours, you can also call 0117 942 4600 to report anti-social behaviour.  In an emergency, please dial 999 for the police.

To find out more about how Brighter Places support residents experiencing anti-social behaviour visit https://www.brighterplaces.co.uk/antisocial-behaviour/

For more information about ASB Awareness Week visit www.resolveuk.org.uk/asbawarenessweek