Trends

Information available indicates that there may have been an upward trend in anti-social behaviour over recent years:

• Disorder offences represent a growing proportion of total police incidents. Calls to the police for these offences increased by 19% in 1995-98; -3-:

• Local authorities reported an increase of 127% in the number of possession actions for anti-social behaviour commenced per 1000 tenancies between 1996-1997 & 1998. This may be due to recent legislation or increased awareness of the problem 4 ;

• The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Officers reported in 1997 that complaints about neighbours had risen by 50 % since 1993 5;

• 80% of social landlords said that legal action was used more frequently in cases of anti-social behaviour now than five years ago 6.

There is evidence that some forms of anti-social behaviour may be decreasing:

• In 1998, the British Crime Survey reported that between 1995 & 1997 there was a 15% reduction in the incidence of vandalism 7.
• The 2001 British Crime Survey reported a further 9% reduction in vandalism between 1999 and 2000.