Incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB) are taking longer to tackle due to inconsistent and insufficient information sharing between agencies, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).
It has commissioned a survey on the issue with community safety charity Resolve which identified the problem is particularly acute in the relationship between housing providers and community safety partnerships (CSPs).
The survey, which drew responses from 126 local authorities in England and Wales, highlighted that the current poor quality and inconsistent information sharing arrangements can cause delays in addressing instances of ASB.
It found that 80% of councils reported that current information sharing agreements between agencies cause delays in their investigations and taking action against perpetrators.
Other findings include that 94% thought that to a great or moderate extent a closer relationship between housing providers and CSPs leads to improved outcomes relating to ASB; and that 83% believed housing providers should get full access to CSPs, meaning sharing of all information both ways and help with informing remedies.
Single agreement
The LGA said best way to address the problem would be to standardise information sharing across agencies. 85% of councils said they would support a single information sharing agreement, standardising the process across the country, and bringing more organisations in to access the data.
In response, the LGA and Resolve have called on the Government to standardise the sharing of ASB information and bringing housing providers to work more closely with CSPs to improve ASB intervention outcomes.
Cllr Heather Kidd, chair of the LGA’s safer and stronger communities board, said: “Tackling anti-social behaviour is a key priority not just for government, councils and the police, but our residents too – this survey shows very clearly what councils want and need to be more effective in tackling ASB.
“Often residents will first report incidents of ASB to their housing provider. Councils want this information more consistently shared with councils and the police so proportionate action can be taken. It does not help residents if we see a delay in taking action due to poor information sharing and duplicate reports to partner agencies that should be working together.
“We urge the Government to learn from this survey as councils are an integral partner to meeting its ambitions to tackle ASB.”
Speed is crucial
Rebecca Bryant, chief executive of Resolve, said: “This research highlights the importance of having efficient processes and mechanisms in place for agencies to access information when they are responding to anti-social behaviour.
“We know speed is crucial when resolving anti-social behaviour, but without access to key information, it often becomes impossible for any agency to resolve a case quickly. As a result, the issue is left to potentially escalate, and further harm may be caused.”
