Collaborating with the police to tackle serious ASB
How can partnerships between police and housing associations be used to achieve positive outcomes for the community on anti-social behaviour? Sonia Sharma-Karia speaks to Hannah Hulse, a tenancy specialist at Clarion Housing Group, and Sergeant Chris Arnold at Cambridgeshire Constabulary, to find out
Key learnings
- Understanding the law: stay informed on the latest updates to anti-social behaviour (ASB) law, and what tools it gives to housing providers and police
Act early: encourage people to talk to their housing provider about potential ASB issues before enforcement is needed, and act on those issues
Sharing information: housing associations can be a bridge between tenants and the police, gathering useful information and statements
Teamwork and turnaround times: responding quickly and being available can get things over the line in a fluid environment
Fenland is a small area with big-city problems, agree Hannah Hulse, a tenancy specialist at Clarion Housing Group and Chris Arnold, a sergeant at Cambridgeshire Constabulary. Those ‘big-city problems’ are what Cambridgeshire Police and Clarion are collaborating on, to bring about lasting change.
The district in Cambridgeshire is home to Wisbech town, where Ms Hulse and her team are working with neighbourhood policing groups to try to eliminate anti-social behaviour and safeguard vulnerable residents. They are doing this by targeting ASB caused by drug users and violent perpetrators who cause frequent disruption to the community, Ms Hulse says.
“It is not Clarion’s goal to evict residents; we want to house as many people as we can and we believe everyone has the right to live somewhere, so long as the impact of their behaviour isn’t detrimental to the surrounding community.”
Tools to tackle ASB
Factors such as social isolation, substance misuse and a breakdown in support are all contributing to serious ASB, Sergeant Arnold states, and with agencies such as mental health services, housing, social workers and police stretched thin, “people are at a loss of what to do”. Economic pressure and the increasing costs of living are also adding financial stress to people, causing frustration which can lead to unemployment and ASB.
It was first reported in May 2024 that one centrally based Clarion estate in Wisbech had a serious issue with drug users, vandalism and noise nuisance, with residents reporting being threatened by these individuals. After receiving complaints from residents, a thorough investigation was conducted including witness statements, CCTV footage, increased foot patrols and out of hours security.
“Using tools from the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, we try to eradicate ASB and try to protect vulnerable residents as best as we can,” Ms Hulse explains. Working with the neighbourhood policing team, the police serve a Community Protection Warning (CPW), and Clarion serves tenancy warnings alongside this. CPWs can be escalated to a Community Protection Notice (CPN) by the police, and partnered with a final tenancy warning.
Clarion and the police can share evidence to support each other in taking action: police statements and disclosures can be used for Clarion’s injunctions and exclusion orders, and supporting statements gathered by Clarion can be used for partial closure orders by the police. The police can also support with management transfers. The same process applies for full closure orders, and Clarion will subsequently serve a notice seeking possession on mandatory grounds and will take possession of the property in question if required.
One of the main challenges was ensuring the safety of residents while collating evidence. “We wouldn’t jump straight to enforcement action,” comments Ms Hulse. “Although exploring this avenue was challenging as we had to manage expectations of both the victims and neighbours, by keeping communication channels open, the victims and residents who were impacted felt that we were all working together.”
There are now no issues at the estate and the perpetrators haven’t come to light in any other area.
Key terms
- Community Protection Warning: a written warning issued by the police or local authority to an individual, business or organisation to modify a pattern of behaviour that is negatively impacting the community. It is the first stage before a community protection notice can be issued
Community Protection Notice: issued after a CPW, when the police or local authority sets a timescale for the behaviour to stop or be fixed. Breach of a CPN is a criminal offence
Civil injunction: a civil court order which orders the behaviour to cease. It can be applied for by a range of agencies, including a housing provider. A power of arrest can be attached to an injunction
- Exclusion notice or order: prohibits a person from entering a specific place or area for a specified period
Closure notice or order: closes a premises for a specified period
Tenancy warning: a written warning by the landlord or housing provider to the ASB perpetrator
Notice seeking possession: informing the tenant that the landlord intends to evict. On mandatory grounds means the court can order possession
Management transfers: an urgent transfer of households to another home
Police and housing association in partnership
Sergeant Arnold explains that managing expectations when dealing with serious ASB would not be possible without Ms Hulse and her team. Nominated by Cambridgeshire Police for its ‘One More Step’ awards recognising police and partner agencies for their problem-solving and prevention work, Ms Hulse and her team provide crucial support to the police with compliance checks.
“We’re finding that the information the public want to give us as the police can sometimes be minimal, so we often use Ms Hulse and her team to gather information, such as impact statements from neighbours where they may be more willing to talk to a housing officer. This then gets fed back to us as we apply for the court order,” he states. “We can then use this circle of information to obtain the closure order.”
As a housing association and police force, Ms Hulse explains that as soon as a concern is flagged, partner and support agencies are involved in discussions. Multi-agency meetings and complex action group reviews take place, and Ms Hulse and her team also work closely with the local authority, attending monthly problem-solving meetings. Easy communication routes and protocols around information-sharing are also in place, as well as a collaborative effort to attend joint training sessions to ensure all partners are up to date with any law changes to address ASB effectively.
Communication is the fundamental link between partner agencies.
“There are so many problems that we can’t police ourselves out of; we rely on the local authority, and we rely on housing,” Sergeant Arnold explains.
By using proactive engagement, relationships within the community are built through joint visits. “If a police officer knocks on your door, you don’t get the same results, and what is of interest to housing is also of interest to the police,” he states.
Striking the balance between enforcement and support is crucial, as reaching the community before an issue rises to the next level makes all the difference. Ms Hulse explains: “Being on the ground and getting people to open up about what’s happening, so that we can address the issues before it comes to enforcement and criminalisation, is key.”
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