Councillors hope major investigation into antisocial behaviour will 'make life better' for people of Hartlepool

Councillors have praised the findings of an investigation into anti-social behaviour in Hartlepool, claiming it will help ‘make life better for residents’.
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During 2019/20 Hartlepool Borough Council Audit and Governance Committee completed an extensive piece of work looking at anti-social behaviour in the town.

The aim of the investigation was to understand the true impact and cost of anti-social behaviour on communities and explore where and how prevention and intervention services could potentially be improved.

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Cllr Ged Hall, chair of the audit and governance committee, presented the report to a full council meeting of all councillors following the ‘massive’ investigation.

Hartlepool Civic CentreHartlepool Civic Centre
Hartlepool Civic Centre

He said key points highlighted in the investigation include the continuing work of the ‘groundbreaking’ partnership arrangements of the integrated Community Safety Team, made up of police, council staff, firefighters and more.

He also urged residents in Hartlepool to continue to report incidents of anti-social behaviour and to report to the community safety team on 01429 523100, as well as using 101 for the police.

He said: “It’s a hot topic, and I know we’ve got a lot of issues with Covid-19 at the moment, but I think it’s ongoing.

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“My appeal to residents and councillors is to use the phone and report, report, report, and then we can take some action after that.”

Work for the investigation was carried out by collaborating with partners, receiving presentations from a variety of organisations and experts, drop-in sessions, town wide surveys and more.

Councillors from across the council praised the effort and findings from the investigation and report.

Cllr Mike Young, deputy council leader, praised the report for highlighting how third party organisations can be used to report incidents, allowing residents to remain anonymous yet still report issues.

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Cllr Brenda Loynes, who sits on the audit and governance committee and took part in a ride along with police as part of the investigation, highlighted the importance of Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Days held with schools.

Cllr Brenda Harrison echoed the importance of educating young people at an early stage about anti-social behaviour, although noted it is hard to get a slot in schools due to the curriculum.

She said: “Education is key.

“We really need to try and get some more of this kind of thing, going into our school at an early age to use it as prevention, rather than then dealing with it further down the road.”

Cllr Marjorie James called for the awareness of loan sharks as part of the topic, and overall praised the investigation for the benefits it could have for the town.

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She said: “I think this is one of the best reports that has been presented to council for some considerable time, and it’s so far reaching it will hopefully make life better for our residents.”

In carrying out the investigation councillors were ‘shocked’ to find over the period between April 2016 and March 2019 the rate of anti-social behaviour per 1,000 population in Hartlepool was 61.

This represented a ‘significant increase’ on the North East rate and was ‘distressingly’ three times the national figure.

However findings did note antisocial behaviour reports across all categories had fallen during this period.

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