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A new online tool has been launched in partnership with Durham Constabulary, Livin and Durham County Council to help victims of anti-social behaviour in Aycliffe access support to resolve the issue.
The web resource has been developed by Aycliffe IT firm Optimum Skills and provides everything residents and businesses in the town need to know to report anti-social behaviour (ASB) and receive the help they need.
The County Durham and Darlington PCC has prioritised ASB since first being elected in 2021 and has vowed to continue taking a hardline approach to the issue over her next four years in office, exploring further opportunities to boost support for victims.
The new tool follows the launch of ‘Act Now!’ – a countywide interactive resource that guides people through a series of questions to explain who they should contact to report the ASB they are experiencing.
The Aycliffe resource will also provide a direct route of support specific to the town while also updating residents on work underway to improve their safety.
Launching the new facility, Commissioner Allen said: “Anti-social behaviour is not a low-level problem, it destroys community life and can have a damaging impact on confidence and mental health.
“People consistently tell me ASB remains their number one priority, and I have listened. This new tool will direct victims of ASB to the most appropriate agency to report their problem, ensuring they receive support at the earliest opportunity.
“Nobody should feel like they are fighting this issue on their own. The longer ASB continues, the worse the impact on mental wellbeing which is why it is vital we eliminate any confusion on how people can report or access the help they deserve.”
The PCC has been at the forefront of national efforts to improve the response to ASB, jointly funding an array of diversionary projects to educate young people on the consequences of ASB through interactive performances in schools.
Andrew Boyd Neighbourhood Policing Team Sergeant for Newton Aycliffe, who has been instrumental in the development of the padlet, said; “As a Neighbourhood Team, we are always looking to improve how we work with partners to reduce Anti-Social Behaviour.
“Aycliffe ImPACT has been created to call all partners together to problem solve collectively around community issues when a spike in ASB is noted. We’ve got a commitment from all partners to revisit hotspot areas in the town more rapidly and put measures in place to reduce the problem, making it safer for our residents. The community will also be able to use a QR code to find out where they should report differing types of ASB and find more information on the teams covering their area.
“We’ve also just taken delivery of our very own Drone which will go some way to capturing evidence of many types of ASB, including Off Road Bikes. I’d like to thank Cllrs Eddy Adam, Nev Jones and Tony Stubbs, as well as Livin for providing the funds to make this valuable purchase.”
Since last summer, thousands of extra policing patrols have been taking place across 34 ‘hotspot’ locations as part of the Government’s ‘hotspot’ policing pilot.
Overall, ASB incidents have fallen 11% across County Durham and Darlington but honouring her original Police and Crime Plan commitments, the PCC is determined to invest in further work to prevent young people from engaging in ASB which could escalate to more serious offending if left unchallenged.
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The PCC was personally invited by Baroness Newlove to join the advisory group
The state-of-the-art Investigative Hub, located near Spennymoor, will accept its first detainees on December 12.
The PCC for Durham and Darlington, Joy Allen, has said that she will write to the Government to raise concerns about police funding.
