Section: Anti-social Behaviour
Help for Landlords to Tackle Antisocial Behaviour
Communities Secretary Hazel Blears published guidance for housing associations on improving engagement with Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs), to assist landlords in tackling problems that can blight housing estates, including drinking in public, youth gangs, truancy and drug taking.
Housing associations will be encouraged to share intelligence of antisocial behaviour and criminal behaviour with other members of the CDRP and by working together share resources and expertise to really crack down on antisocial behaviour.
Hazel Blears said:
"Social landlords shouldn't just be concerned with bricks and mortar, they must also be involved in building better, safer communities.
"Our guidance will support social landlords to engage with other key agencies to help tackle antisocial behaviour wherever and whenever it occurs. It will help to deliver quicker, more effective actions, and in turn, increase tenants' confidence in coming forward to report problems."
Individual housing associations will decide locally how to engage with partnerships and what activities they may wish to take on. Examples of work already being undertaken by housing associations were engagement with partnerships already occurs include:
- Pill patrols - no parent wants to send their children out to play in areas where drug use is rife. On the Church Manor estate in Lambeth residents have been made to feel safer after social landlords teamed up with local police to patrol the estate and improve monitoring via CCTV. This joint effort has resulted in the successful closure of a crack house.
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Gang clampdowns - in East Finchley, social landlords have started to work with the local safer neighbourhood sergeant to look at how to disperse groups of youths congregating in public spaces. The housing association and local council are working together to provide youth clubs and activities for local kids and looking at how they can share resources to bring in neighbourhood wardens.
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Crime-busting consortia - moving a gang, graffiti artist or serial fly tipper on from one estate may well result in them simply turning up at another. If we want to make social housing a no go area for antisocial behaviour and antisocial people, social landlords need to work together to get results. In Coventry, they have developed a Consortium of Social Landlords, who work together to form partnerships spanning estates across local areas to allow landlords to explore more options for tackling antisocial behaviour.
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Estate surgeries - on the World's End Estate in Kensington and Chelsea, representatives from the council, and police regularly attend 'estate surgeries' with local residents alongside housing association staff. The more visible presence of police and this more hands on approach where people get to know local police officers and police get to know residents on estates have resulted effective action against drug dealing.
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Social landlords groups - Kent and Medway Social Landlords Antisocial Behaviour Group have pioneered a new approach that sees housing associations and the police work jointly on local initiatives. The group meets to discuss best practice, share information and discuss current problems. This leads to more targeted interventions and allows landlords to report back to residents on the actions being taken in their area.
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Information sharing - housing associations are able to share intelligence on antisocial and criminal behaviour. Housing associations in Wandsworth regularly provide the council and police with updates about activity in their area, up to date information about staff who are leading on issues and changes to properties and residents in the Borough.
