Anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour covers a wide range of activities from graffiti, dumped rubbish and abandoned cars to relentless noise, nuisance neighbours and intimidation. It is any kind of repeated behaviour that is likely to cause harm, harassment or distress, and is often carried out by individuals who live near to you.

Remember – if you have been a victim or witness of a crime you should contact the police.

• In an emergency always dial 999.
• If your call is a non-emergency dial 0845 60 70 999.

What you can do about it

If you are experiencing anti-social behaviour there are some things you can do to help resolve the situation.

• Keep a record of all acts of anti-social behaviour, including times, dates and details of the activity. This can be sent to any organisation you report the problem to and is one of the best ways of gathering evidence.
• Speak to the person responsible for the nuisance if you feel confident to do so. This is best done when you are calm.
• Contact a third party to help resolve the matter. Below is a guide to reporting specific types of anti-social behaviour.

How to report anti-social behaviour

Contact the police about:

• intimidation and harassment
• using and selling drugs
• damage to property
• unprovoked assault
• repeated unauthorised use of premises.

Any of the anti-social behaviour listed above should be reported directly to the Police. Call 999 if it is an emergency or 0845 60 70 999 for non-emergencies.

Find out more about reporting racist incidents and homophobic incidents in our section about hate crime.

Contact district and borough councils about:

• graffiti and vandalism
• fly tipping
• litter and rubbish
• dog fouling bins.

To let your district and borough council know about an anti-social behaviour problem, you can:

• use the official reporting tool, or
• contact your District or Borough Council.

Contact East Sussex Trading Standards to report:

• doorstep sellers
• rogue traders, see our section about how to complain about a consumer problem
• underage sales of drink, fireworks and other age related items.

Reporting other types of anti-social behaviour, including:

• nuisance neighbours
• rowdy behaviour
• groups hanging around
• street drinking
• aggressive begging.

Where you report these problems depends on which district or borough of East Sussex that the incidents occurs in.

• Eastbourne – call the police on 0845 60 70 999. Get more details from the Eastbourne Borough Council website.
• Hastings – call the anti-social behaviour co-ordinator on 08000 854 5000. More details are available on the Safer Hastings Partnership website.
• Lewes – call the police on 0845 60 70 999. Get more details from the Lewes District Council website.
• Rother – use the online anti-social behaviour form or call 01424 456160.
• Wealden – call the police on 0845 60 70 999. Get more details from the Wealden District Council website.

Remember, if the incident requires immediate attention you should contact the police on 0845 60 70 999 in the first instance.