Only one-in-fifty (2%) people fully understand their rights when it comes to anti-social behaviour, a new YouGov survey has revealed.
The Community Trigger – also known as the anti-social behaviour (ASB) case review – gives people the right to request a multi-agency review of their case if they feel their complaints about anti-social behaviour have not been dealt with.
However, 94% of people said that they had never heard of the Community Trigger, with just 2% saying that they ‘fully understand’ their rights.
The power was introduced in 2014 as part of a shake-up, which also saw Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) replaced with civil injunctions and the Criminal Behaviour Order.
The survey of over 2,000 people also found that just 5% said they had received or noticed communications about their ASB rights in the last three years, while 88% said that they were not aware of any communications during this period.
Overall, one-third (33%) of people said that ASB has got worse in their local area compared with three years ago, rising to 41% in the North of England. After they witnessed or experienced ASB, more than half of people (57%) said that they did not report it to anyone.
Rebecca Bryant, chief executive of Resolve, the think tank that commissioned the survey, said: ‘It is deeply concerning that despite the horrendous impact ASB can have, more than half of people affected do not report it to anyone.
‘This new polling data lays bare the worrying lack of knowledge that people have about their rights when it comes to tackling ASB. The challenge is clear – the ASB sector needs to do much more to communicate with the public and to raise awareness of the powers available, including the Community Trigger.
‘I would urge all organisations with responsibility for community safety and tackling anti-social behaviour to take part in ASB Awareness Week 2022. It’s time to back our communities and work together to make them safer.’
