ASB – or anti-social behaviour – is always high on the list of things that blight the lives of the people. 

For many of us, ASB is all about unreasonable behaviour. For example, next-door neighbours playing loud music, excessively noisy cars and motorbikes, youths behaving threateningly or unreasonably in the local park, and so on. 

More serious ASB is drinking on the street (and any resulting aggressive behaviour) and local businesses creating unreasonable noise or nuisance. 

These are all a problem, and can affect the wellbeing of the honest citizens of Woking.

Much ASB is managed by Woking Borough Council and does not get recorded by the police as it is not in any way a “crime”. 

If the police are involved, ASB is often recorded as an “incident” but can be upgraded to a public order offence (which is a crime). 

So what can we all do about it?

The first step is to make sure you are being reasonable. For example, if you live close to a children’s playground and the children laugh and shout as they play, that is not ASB. 

Nor is it ASB to park legally in the road outside your home.

The second step is not easy, but can make a big difference: try to resolve the problem by talking to the offender. 

Some local youths were congregating in a playground after dark near me. When approached, they had no idea their behaviour was stressing the neighbours. They apologised and moved elsewhere. 

You can do this, too. If a car is abandoned and taking up other people’s parking space, try speaking politely with the owner. 

Bear in mind the police and council will often respond to reports of ASB by asking you if you have actually spoken with the perpetrator first. 

The next stage is to identify who to contact. If the ASB is on private land, as is often the case, the police can’t really do anything and you need to approach the landowners or Woking Borough Council. If you aren’t sure who to contact, the police will tell you.

Most importantly, help to resolve the ASB yourself. Report, report, report! Contact Woking BC using the link below, or call the police on 101 or “live chat” them via website below.

If the ASB continues and you believe it has not been resolved through the usual channels, there are steps you can take to escalate the problem. 

The best option is to go to www.asbhelp.co.uk – this charitable organisation helps ASB victims. 

You can trigger an ASB case review which engages a set of procedures to ensure that your problem is dealt with correctly. 

Hopefully your issue should not reach that stage, but some ASB, particularly involving unreasonable neighbours or local businesses, may have to resort to this escalation.

Remember that neither Woking Borough Council nor the police will know about the problem unless you report it. 

Useful links: