George is sat comfortably, reading a newspaper in his living room. All is peaceful, until...
An unexpected bang is heard. George looks up in surprise. He looks around. He cannot source where the sound had come from. The bangs then forms a rhyme and becomes a steady techno beat..
George puts his hands over his ears
A picture bounces on his wall. The camera zooms in on the clock and the time speeds up from 5pm to 1am
The camera zooms back out from the clock and the sunny day has turned to night. The music is still blaring and George looks very stressed!
George suddenly stands up and faces the wall, which is the direction from where the music is coming from.
Thought bubbles emit from Georges mind
The first image to appear in the thought bubble shows George shouting really loud, but he can't be heard over the music. Shouting at your neighbour won’t solve it.
This image is replaced with him once again shouting, but now thumping on the wall, but again, his action proves fruitless
The third image shows George giving up.
None of these are acceptable options and so Bob, the council officer, enters the scene.
Bob: “An inconsiderate neighbour can be awkward to deal with, and whilst these reactions are understandable, they won’t solve the problem. You could try approaching your neighbour calmly and explain how their actions are affecting you”
We see a new thought bubble. George knocks on a door and the door is answered. George begins to talk and the pair engage in inaudible conversation.
The scene fades out and the focus returns to Bob
Bob: “If the problem is not resolved and carries on, then there are certain things you can do. You can report it to the Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Team by telephone or online” Shows contact phone number 01803 208025 and web address www.torbay.gov.uk/ASB behind Bob.
“If things don’t improve, you will be asked to provide some evidence”
Bob produces a calendar, pen and diary sheet.
“Keep a record of dates, times and what types of things are happening in as much detail as possible. Record how the behaviour makes you feel”.
The calendar fills the screen
The camera pans along the dates and we see notes beginning to appear, such as
3rd 2-6pm : People banging on my door. I’m afraid to go outside.
6th 5pm: Neighbour gave me verbal abuse, being very nasty. It’s really getting me down.
16th 1pm: Neighbour’s kids kicking ball at my front door and shouting abuse. I’m at the end of my tether.
“You’ve provided some evidence, but the problem has not been resolved by talking to your neighbour, so now it is time to ask the Council to take things further.
Bob explains how the process will work… “We are going to approach your neighbour. Hopefully we can sort this out amicably. We can offer mediation. This is where both sides sit down together with a trained third party to talk about how the problem is affecting people. If that doesn’t work, we may need to give an official warning to your neighbour.
If the problem persists, we will need to ask you to carry on completing diary sheets to provide as much on-going evidence as you can. I must tell you that there is a possibility this may go to court. If convicted, there are a number of potential outcomes, one of which could be your neighbour having a criminal record. You may need to go to court. We hope it doesn't come to that, but we will support you through that process. Are you prepared to follow this through?”
Text: A few weeks later
Fade in
We see George once again reading his paper peacefully.
The camera zooms in to a calendar on the table.
1st: No knocking on the door lately. Feeling more relaxed.
11th Noticed children now playing in park. Feeling relieved.
14th: Got funny look from neighbour but no verbal abuse.
24th Things have settled down lately. Feeling more relaxed.
Bob: “Each case involving anti-social behaviour is very different and there are a variety of solutions and outcomes, all of which depend on your involvement throughout the process. Where appropriate, and depending on each situation, there may be additional support that can be offered to you too. Our investigation officers are aware of the complex needs of some of our residents and take into account issues around equality and diversity and vulnerability”
To make a report of anti-social behaviour here: www.torbay.gov.uk/ASB
Or by telephone: 01803 208025
Video ends.