Tackling anti-social behaviour

To have to put up with that night after night after night, it wears through"

The Prime Minister has added a clamp down on anti-social behaviour to his list of promises for the coming year.

The comment came a day after Leicestershire police and council officials were criticised for their lack of support for Fiona Pilkington.

Pilkington, 38, killed herself and daughter Francecca Hardwick after years of hounding by Barwell youths.

BBC Leicester looks at other victims of severe anti-social behaviour and some of the strategies in place to help.

Forced to move away

Terence Neal lived in Syston for 22 years, but the abuse the family suffered became so bad they eventually moved to Derbyshire.

Windows were smashed, obscenities were shouted through the letterbox, his daughter was spat at, and his son was followed by groups of youths.

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR Anti-social behaviour is actions which causes someone else harassment, alarm or distress This can include vandalism, excessive noise, plus physical and verbal abuse It also covers littering, nuisance from vehicles and drug use

The family used to hope for heavy rainstorms, as they would receive less hassle on those nights.

One night Terence stepped into his garden to confront a group standing in his garden shouting and was attacked leaving him with two broken ribs.

He says after the police took a statement he heard nothing more.

On one occasion he was able to capture a photograph of youths collecting gravel to throw at their windows, "the police told me off 'cos I was infringing their rights to liberty, to privacy".

"I was diagnosed with severe depression. The National Health Service were great, they really clicked into gear, possibly they saved my life".

Terence says that he feels that his concerns weren't taken seriously by the police, and feels great sympathy for the Pilkington case.

"I really felt my stomach churn because I know what she'd gone through and I read that she'd gone through it for 10 years so she was going through it at the same time that we were.

"To have to put up with that sort of thing night after night after night, it wears through, and especially when you're told you should ignore them and just let them walk all over you and that the police aren't prepared to do anything about it."

Taking a stand

Ann Glover from Braunstone has also been at the wrong end of anti-social behaviour in her home.

Her car windows have been smashed, paint has been thrown at the house and her car was set on fire four times.

"You do feel so totally alone and so isolated when you keep calling the police asking them to help you and to even be prepared to prevent the next attack which you know is going to come."

Ann Glover believes communities must support the police

Ann says she doesn't know why some individuals struggle to receive the support they need from authorities.

"I'm of the thinking that if one person makes 33 calls they're considered perhaps to be a bit of a whinger, but if 33 people make one call in the same area it's considered a bit of a hot spot and then they then go there and try and sort it out."

Eventually Ann says her fear turned to anger and she was spurred on to bring neighbours together to help stamp out the problems.

"For me the issue is communities don't get behind the police to help them sort these problems out. They'll sit behind their net curtains looking out, but the thing is when the trouble then knocks on their door they're wondering when no one's helping them."

Norman Rochester took a similar approach when anti-social behaviour became a problem in the Stocking Farm area.

Local residents came together to take a stand against the bullies, taking notes of incidents and building up evidence for their case.

He says the support he received from the police really helped; "As soon as we really got them involved, they were absolutely brilliant, and we very quickly then got control."

However Norman does believe there is a problem with taking the evidence further, as victims are often worried of reprisals if cases go to court.

Help from police and council

Temporary Chief Constable Chris Eyre of Leicestershire Police says they deal with 55,000 anti-social behaviour reports a year.

"There's no ability for a police officer to turn up and simply say that one person in a set of circumstance will have a resolution that they prefer.

Our commitment is to make sure crimes don't happen again if we can prevent them Chris Eyre, Temporary Chief Constable

"We have to deal with the complaint that comes to us at the time and look into the circumstance and make sure we deal with it in a fair, proportionate and balanced way."

"Our commitment is to make sure crimes don't happen again if we can prevent them, and we get a resolution that for the victim means that they feel safe and they're confident that the police service are here protecting them."

Nigel Canham is the manager of Leicester City Council's Anti-social Behaviour Unit, which works in partnership with Leicestershire Police.

"We tackle the problem by listening to people, by treating what they're saying seriously, because nobody should have to put up with what goes on - it's just not acceptable."

Nigel feels much of the problem lies in not challenging anti-social behaviour at the roots cause - the youths and the parents.

He is keen to point out that of the 600 plus cases the unit is involved in each year, only 30-40% deal with problematic young people.

Whether adult or youngsters Nigel says the units have had massive successes; "the results on the street are evident".

"I can't say we're always going to succeed, but you're not alone. There are people out there who can assist, there are people out there who can advise."

Supporting young adults

On the Saffron Lane estate, Gary Fox and the Saffron Young Peoples Project are at the forefront of tackling anti-social problems.

Sport provides a positive distraction for youths in Birstall

The youth work organisation has had a presence on the estate for last 16 years, regularly approaching groups in parks and shop doorways to talk about issues important to them and gaining their trust.

The Saffron Lane estate is in the top 2% of deprived areas in England, and Gary believes much of the problem stems from boredom and escalates into gang mentality.

Often he feels that young people are just rebelling against negative perceptions of them in society.

Carl Gunns runs a gym in Birstall which aims to get young people off the streets and give them a new focus and outlook on life.

He believes much of the problem comes from a lack of stimulation in the evening, with no outlet for possible pent up aggression.

Carl believes other areas could benefit from a similar gym, and is more than willing to help set up new buildings.