North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin has given his backing to an initiative aiming to tackle anti-social behaviour.

July 3 to 9 is Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week, the national campaign from Resolve, which aims to raise awareness of ASB, offer advice on how and who to report it, and to understand people’s rights as victims of ASB. 

ASB is defined as behaviour where a person’s or group’s actions causes annoyance, suffering or trouble to a specific person or group or to the wider community, and examples can include vandalism, vehicle nuisance, street drinking and inappropriate behaviour by neighbours.

The issue forms a key part of the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan for the region, which includes commitments to supporting victims and communities and to delivering safer neighbourhoods. 

Since being elected, the Mr Dunbobbin has introduced several new and innovate measures to combat ASB and foster a safer North Wales for everyone.

Towns across North Wales have also benefitted from £1.5m of funding from the Home Office Safer Streets project, with shares going towards improving street lighting, the installation of CCTV cameras and ASB intervention projects in Holyhead, Wrexham and the Shotton and Queensferry areas in a bid to combat neighbourhood crime, reinforced by dedicated advertising campaigns.

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The PCC has recently visited areas affected by cases of ASB to learn first-hand from people affected and to look at what future measures can be put in place across North Wales, from Bangor to Barmouth and Rhyl to Wrexham. 

He has also joined local police officers and community initiatives across North Wales that aim to counter ASB and support young people and victims of crime, through the Your Community, Your Choice fund, which helps to support local initiatives, such as sporting and social activities to keep young people occupied and out of trouble.

Since the pandemic, there has been a notable rise in ASB among young people in schools and in the wider community, alongside a rise in young people noting that they are suffering from low mental health.

An innovative project in the Wrexham area is seeking to address the root causes of youth ASB through partnership working with local schools and organisations. 

Schools taking part in the programme include Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Ysgol Clywedog and Ysgol Rhosnesni.

The PCC’s commissioning of services also helps support the work of Youth Offending Teams across North Wales, by funding roles and activities within the teams, who work with young people on the many issues that might be a factor in driving ASB such as substance misuse and an unstable home environment. 

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Mr Dunbobbin said: “I am pleased to show my support for ASB Awareness Week 2023 and to share the message with the people of North Wales that I have their interests at heart. We all have the right to feel secure in our communities.

“I believe passionately both in dealing with the root causes of ASB, such as substance misuse and the lack of diversionary activities for young people, but also in offering support and delivering justice to those experiencing ASB.

“Delivering safer neighbourhoods, and supporting victims and communities are cornerstones of my Police and Crime Plan and it is my job to hold North Wales Police to account to ensure they are meeting these aims. I’d urge anyone who has a crime to report or any suspicions to report it to the police or CrimeStoppers, so we can work together to combat ASB wherever it happens.”