Report anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour is unacceptable behaviour that causes harm to an individual, to their community or to their environment.
This could be an action by someone else that leaves you feeling alarmed, harassed or distressed. It also includes fear of crime or concern for public safety, public disorder or public nuisance.
You can report a new instance of anti-social behaviour to us. You can also request a case review if you think the agency dealing with an existing report has not dealt with it properly.
Typical cases we investigate include:
- nuisance neighbours
- rowdy and nuisance behaviour
- vandalism, graffiti and fly-tipping
- drug odour
- aggressive begging
- misuse of fireworks
- noise complaints (subject to criteria)
We will not investigate:
- parking disputes
- people congregating in the street who are not acting in an intimidating manner
- noise from children playing
- civil disputes over boundary walls, fences, trees or hedges (you should contact Citizens Advice for these types of complaints)
- day to day noise, such as toilets flushing, vacuum cleaners, footsteps on floors
You can report an incident to Essex Police online or by calling 101. You should call 999 if someone is in immediate danger.
If you don't feel comfortable contacting the police, you can report anti-social behaviour to us.
To report anti-social behaviour, you will need:
- your name, address and contact details
- when the incident happened
- where the incident happened
- what happened during the incident
- who was involved in the incident
- the names and address of any witnesses
- whether you have contacted the police about the incident
- how the incident has affected you
- if you did anything to stop the incident
Once we receive your report about the incident, we will:
- acknowledge your report within three days of receiving it
- contact you to start our investigation
With anti-social behaviour, we strongly recommend you try to solve the problem informally, by talking to your neighbour, before resorting to formal reporting. You may have a Neighbourhood Watch in your area, who can advise or support you with this.
You can also use the Restorative Justice and Mediation Service, if you are in dispute with your neighbour(s) and both of you feel you are in the right.
If you are a victim of anti-social behaviour, you may find the Restorative Justice scheme helpful.
If you live in rented property or social housing, your landlord or housing association may be able to help you.
You can also find how we deal with noise nuisance.