Report anti social behaviour (ASB)

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is behaviour that causes, or is likely to cause:

• harassment
• alarm or
• distress.

Reporting ASB helps us protect people from behaviour that unreasonably impacts their quality of life.

Types of ASB we can deal with

The types of ASB we deal with include:

• violence or threats of violence
• abusive or foul language
• hate crimes
• damage to property
• loud music from a residential property

Noise nuisance

The law on noise nuisance is different from other types of ASB. Find out how to deal with noise nuisance.

What we cannot deal with

Some behaviour, even though it may cause nuisance, may not be regarded as ASB. This can include:

• one-off parties and barbecues
• infrequent and occasional noise or disturbances
• children’s play
• occasional dog barking
• excessive noise from domestic appliances (e.g. washing machines, vacuum cleaners)
• minor vehicle repairs
• gossip
• escalated disputes.

We can only take action where we legally can. There are some issues we cannot help with:

• Neighbour disputes: we can only offer mediation or restorative intervention work, where appropriate.
• Low level nuisance complaints: we cannot always take action against unreasonable behaviour. Enforcement is not always possible or not proportionate to the level of nuisance. Communicating with the person can often help resolve the problem. We can offer mediation, if appropriate.
• Complaints about people living in Registered Social Landlord housing: please contact the landlord directly.
• Rough sleeping: rough sleeping is not an anti-social behaviour or a crime. It is a need for housing. We can only deal with situations where a rough sleeper's behaviour causes harassment, alarm or distress. If you see someone sleeping rough , please call 01803 217890 and provide information about their location. This allows outreach teams to help them. For more information please visit our homelessness page.
• Parking regulations: please report any parking problems to Parking Enforcement.
• Parking on pavements: although the Highway Code discourages parking on pavements, it is not a crime. The Police may take action if pavements are completely blocked.
• Cannabis (weed) odours: the smell from cannabis can be unpleasant, but owning and using cannabis is a criminal matter. The Police deal with these potential criminal offences.
• Assaults and criminal damage: please contact the police to report assaults or criminal damage.
• Complaints without enough evidence: we cannot deal with complaints where there is either no or not enough evidence.

How to report ASB

You can report ASB online or call Community Protection on 01803 208025.

You will need to register or log in to our customer portal to report ASB online:

What happens next

We usually work in partnership with other agencies like the police when dealing with anti social behaviour.

If we need more information, we may ask you to complete a nuisance diary to record what you are experiencing. We will send you the diary sheets and explain how to fill them in.

If your report hasn’t given you the result you had hoped for, you might be able to use a Community Trigger.

How we handle ASB complaints

When you make a complaint, we assess it based on:

• the level of potential threat
• the level of risk
• the level of harm to you or your property.

We prioritise cases where the most vulnerable people are at the highest risk.

Watch our short video to see what happens if you report ASB in Torbay.

Read the film’s transcript.

Confidentiality

We will treat your complain in strict confidence. We won't give your details to the people you have complained, unless you allow us to do this. Sometimes we cannot tackle complaints and keep you completely anonymous. We will discuss these cases with you to decide how to move forward.