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Policing Anti-Social Behaviour

NCJ Number
185599
Author(s)
Nick Bland; Tim Read
Editor(s)
Barry Webb
Date Published
2000
Length
62 pages
Annotation
Public concern about anti-social behavior and crime in the United Kingdom has been highlighted in recent years by police surveys and in reports on police-community relations.
Abstract
The report describes research in nine police forces in the United Kingdom between November 1997 and April 1998 on the policing of anti-social behavior. The research involved meetings and interviews with middle and senior police managers and the collection of relevant documentation on specific police initiatives to deal with anti-social behavior. Findings revealed two police forces had identified a range of incident types of anti-social behavior, although no police force had a formal definition of anti-social behavior. Police officers generally had a pragmatic view of anti-social behavior, based primarily on the operational realities they faced daily. The absence of a common definition of anti-social behavior created practical difficulties for police officers in their efforts to deal with such behavior. Methods used by police officers to prevent anti-social behavior are described. The use of street-level police enforcement is discussed, but the report also highlights the role of other agencies both in enforcement and in the development of diversionary initiatives. The report emphasizes the need for police forces to consider the overall impact of any mix of responses to anti-social behavior as well as the importance of a strategic approach to preventing anti-social behavior and crime. An appendix contains provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act of 1998. 25 references and 2 tables