Posted on 27 June 2025
Bolsover District Council Community Safety
In 2023, following numerous reports from residents and road users in the Doe Lea area, Bolsover District Council implemented a district-wide Nuisance Vehicle Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to tackle anti-social driving and organised car meets. It includes clauses which ban performing stunts, racing a vehicle, obstructing the highway, playing loud music, revving engines and promoting car cruising events.
In the 20 months since the PSPO was implemented, 260 Fixed Penalty Notices have been issued and Bolsover District Council has installed a fully monitored ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) camera on the A617 at Doe Lea, to ensure the best evidence for prosecution is captured.
The number of organised car cruises has now dramatically reduced, making the area quieter for local residents and the road much safer for all road users.
Chesterfield Borough Council Community Safety
Chesterfield Market Place had become a hub for street drinking and homelessness. Residents, visitors and local businesses reported feeling intimidated and unsafe. Many said they were too scared to come into the town centre, and as a result, the number of people coming in to the town centre dropped significantly. The area felt neglected and had lost its sense of community.
In response, the Community Safety Department launched a co-ordinated and robust approach to tackle the issues head on. Working closely with partner agencies, they undertook extensive evidence gathering and enforcement on individuals responsible for anti-social behaviour. This included:-
- Regular street patrols by their enforcement team
- The use of Public Space Protection Orders to give the police and council extra powers to deal with anti-social behaviour, such as homelessness, rough sleeping, begging
- Issuing Community Protection Warnings and Community Protection Notices to manage the behaviour of individuals causing problems
- Using CCTV and body worn video footage to support enforcement action
- Producing detailed court files that resulted in over 10 civil injunctions being granted, many with powers of arrest and strict exclusion zones from the town centre.
Their efforts have had a significant and visible impact. The individuals who were causing the most disruption are no longer present in the town centre. Businesses have reported improvements, and the Chesterfield Market Place is once again a welcoming and pleasant space for all.
Derby City Council Community Safety and Derby Homes
During Anti-social Behaviour Awareness Week, in November 2024, Derby City Council and Derby Homes carried out surveys and spoke to members of the community to get their feedback on how they, and other partners, deal with anti-social behaviour.
Residents said they found it confusing to know whether to report anti-social behaviour to the Council, the Police or their housing provider and what information they needed to provide. In response to this, the Council and Derby Homes updated their anti-social behaviour webpages to clearly outline what anti-social behaviour is, who can help, and how best to report it. The webpage also includes a new online reporting form to enable the public to raise concerns and also report anonymously, if they want. To help residents report anti-social behaviour, the Council and Derby Homes have also produced a leaflet with a QR code to link directly to the online reporting form. Most new cases are now received through the online form.
These changes have resulted in the Council and Derby Homes receiving better information from residents about the anti-social behaviour they are experiencing. This means they can better understand resident concerns and the issues they are facing, so they and their partners can start investigating, and dealing with, cases much quicker and encourage further public confidence in their service.
Derbyshire Dales District Council Community Safety
In October 2024, Derbyshire Dales District Council Community Safety received reports that a group of young people had tried to set fire to the benches in a local park. These benches were part of a club and were the original ones, almost 100 years old, and had only just been refurbished and painted.
Council CCTV cameras captured footage of two teenage girls setting fire to chip wrappers on the benches, so the footage was sent to the police to identify the girls. The council’s Community Safety Officer wrote to the parent/guardians offering the chance for the girls to make reparation through the Immediate Justice scheme.
Both mothers who were very concerned and upset by the actions of their children. One girl successfully completed Immediate Justice, doing some litter picks and has not been in trouble since. The other family asked for more support and were referred to Children’s Services, who are now working with the family.
Derbyshire Police
When Amber Valley Borough Council started work to improve Heanor Market Place, there were multiple reports of anti-social behaviour around the building works, causing concern for the local community. Young people from the local area were using balaclavas and bandanas to hide their identity, whilst behaving anti-socially and causing damage in and around the Market Place.
The police worked with partners to take a problem-solving approach, to understand the causes of the anti-social behaviour and develop a range of solutions to resolve the problems. A lack of local youth provision was identified as an issue, so partners worked together, with the voluntary sector, to increase the activities and support available for young people in the Heanor area.
The Police Safer Neighbourhood Team increased their high visibility patrols and there were also officers in plain clothes patrolling the area to identify who was involved. The young people who were identified as causing problems were dealt with by using either Immediate Justice, a program where they undertake reparative work to repay the community, or Acceptable Behaviour Contracts, where clear boundaries are set to improve their behaviour. As a result of these interventions, 73% of the young people have not continued to be involved in anti-social behaviour.
The police also worked with Amber Valley Borough Council, who, in 2024, introduced a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to tackle the anti-social behaviour in Heanor Market Place and immediate area. It included a ban on people wearing face coverings in an attempt to conceal their identity to cause 'harassment, alarm or distress to any person'.
Two years on, Heanor residents are seeing an improvement in their town centre, with 47% fewer calls for police attendance, in the area, than in 2022.
Derbyshire Victim Services
Here are two examples of feedback from victims of anti-social behaviour, before and after they received support from Derbyshire Victim Services:-
Before - "I don't feel heard by any agency"
After - "You are an angel. The only person over the last 2 years who I felt never turned their back on my family and has stuck by us through it all. Even when things were not going to turn out the way we hoped you have been honest and supportive and been like a ray of sunshine when you call. I will miss your support when it ends"
Before - "I don't feel supported"
After - "Thank you for listening and being supportive as, for a while, I thought that the anti-social behaviour was never going to end".
emh
Residents in Draycott reported anti-social behaviour, over a prolonged period, from a property managed by emh. There were numerous incidents of noise, fly tipping, suspected drug activity, with people ‘coming and going’ at various times of the day and night.
Emh investigated the reports of anti-social behaviour, in partnership with the police, and evidence was collated from various sources to build up a robust case, so that positive action could be taken against the perpetrators. Residents were contacted and updated on the progress of the case, including the proposed enforcement action.
As a result of the evidence collated, a closure order was obtained from the magistrates court, which prohibited anyone from entering the nuisance property and an injunction was also granted against the perpetrator. This action, taken by emh, stopped any further anti-social behaviour and noise nuisance. Emh then started possession proceedings to take back the property, however, the perpetrator decided to surrender his tenancy, so emh took possession of the property.
The action taken by emh, and its partners, improved the residents’ quality of life and allowed them to enjoy the area where they live.
Futures Housing
In public consultation, Futures Housing tenants in Amber Valley requested more responsiveness to their reports of anti-social behaviour.
To address this, Futures Housing recruited three new Assistant Community Housing Officers to support the team of existing Community Housing Officers. The new staff provide additional support for tenants in the early stages of their tenancy to help prevent any anti-social behaviour, get involved in public events and estate walkabouts, deal with issues relating to garden conditions or boundaries and investigate cases, such as abandoned vehicles, fly tipping, graffiti, and abandoned homes.
In the five months, since December 2024, the three new staff have managed around 600 cases, resolving almost 500 of them. This new approach means the existing Community Housing Officers can focus on resolving complex cases, resulting in more community presence and better support for residents experiencing anti-social behaviour.
North East Derbyshire District Council Community Safety
An elderly man was subjected to eggs / jam and other food items being put on his car, which had been happening for several weeks. North East Derbyshire District Council’s Community Safety Team contacted the police, who did visible and undercover patrols. Community Safety placed several temporary CCTV cameras on his land, which resulted in other members of the community coming forward and confirming what the cameras recorded.
The individual was arrested and admitted his anti-social behaviour. As this was his first criminal offence, he was referred to a course to help him understand the impact and consequences of his behaviour. He has also been given a Community Protection Notice Warning, with a condition not to have any contact with the victim.
The victim sent a letter of thanks to the council's Community Safety Team and the police for their hard work.
South Derbyshire District Council Community Safety
A resident living close to Gresley Rovers Football Club contacted South Derbyshire District Council as they were concerned about speeding on the road to the club, match day parking, people driving the wrong way along the one-way street, littering and ‘ball boys’ entering gardens to collect balls that had gone over the nets. The Community Safety Officer visited the resident to hear their concerns and agree what action could be taken.
When told about the resident’s concerns, the football club immediately made some changes, such as talking to the ‘ball boys’ and players about respecting their neighbours, ensuring signage about the one way system, and parking, was used match days and using stewards to collect plastic ‘glasses’ and food wrappers from spectators as they were leaving.
Safer South Derbyshire Partnership, which is led by the council, has bought signs for the club to put at the exits, which say “Please respect our neighbours and refrain from excessive noise or strong language” and “Do not litter, please. Help keep your community clean”.
The resident has said they are happy with the outcome and look more favourably on the club, because they have seen a very positive response from them.
South Derbyshire District Council Community Safety and Derbyshire Police
The South Derbyshire District Council and the police received numerous complaints from the public about nuisance vehicles gathering on a privately owned car park, in the middle of a new housing estate, off Bolsover Road in Mickleover. This was happening late evening and in the early hours of the morning, disturbing nearby residents with music and anti-social driving.
The police Safer Neighbourhood Team and the council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Officer did a leaflet drop and spoke to local residents to better understand the level and persistence of the problem and the vehicles involved.
Additional police patrols were used to act as a deterrent and to speak to the drivers of the vehicles. One vehicle owner was dealt with for the manner of their driving and possession of cannabis. This enforcement action was promoted locally to encourage residents to report any further incidents.
Meetings took place with Taylor Wimpey, Miller Homes and Greenbelt, who owned and managed the car park. They agreed to extend fencing on the car park and install warning signage in relation to nuisance vehicles.
No further incidents at the location have been reported, since this work has been undertaken.