Crime and Crime and Communities
Perceptions and experiences of anti-social behaviour
Anti-social behaviour (ASB) has been at the centre of the government's focus on crime for some time. This report looks at people's experience of anti-social behaviour, as reported in the British Crime Survey (BCS) 2003-04. It finds that the majority of people have experienced something that they would consider to be ASB, and that experiences varied from general annoyance to serious offences.
Title: Perceptions and experience of anti-social behaviour
Author: Martin Wood
Series: Home Office Findings 252 (On-line report 49/04)
Number of pages: 4 (30)
Date published: October 2004
Summary
The report found many perceptions of a widespread variety of problems with ASB across the survey group. These are commonly the result of frequent personal experience. While the incidents are rarely serious in isolation, over time they have an impact across the whole community. Evidence from the BCS suggest that interventions should take the negative effects of victims living alongside offenders into account while also trying to improve relationships within communities.
Key points
Of those aged 16 or over in England and Wales, three-quarters (76%) perceived one or more of 16 types of behaviour to be a problem. Over a third (36%) said one or more was a 'very big' problem.
The type of area where people lived was the strongest predictor of perceived high levels of anti-social behaviour. Those in 'hard-pressed' areas were far more likely to encounter problems than those in areas characterised by 'wealthy achievers'.
A high proportion of those experiencing ASB problems in their area had experienced problems in the previous 12 months. For many this experience was frequent. Despite this, only a small percentage of incidents were reported.
The specific type of incident experienced varied widely. Although a large proportion resulted in general annoyance, serious offences were also experienced, particularly in urban areas .
'Offenders' were generally groups of young people of both sexes. The parties involved were often strangers, although from the local area.
Serious emotional reactions to some experiences were reported. Even with low-level incidents, the impact on quality of life was cumulative (6% of the population reported a high impact and 11% a medium impact as a result of young people hanging around).
The research suggests that initiatives which target 'hard-pressed' urban areas and focus on increasing the ability and will of a community to deal with local problems are more likely to be successful.
Getting a copy
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Last update: Tuesday, July 22, 2008