Anti-social Behaviour Awareness Week — [Mr Virendra Sharma in the Chair]

Agrees with the hon. Member on the importance of common-sense policing and increasing police presence. Supports local initiatives such as mural projects but highlights the need for sustained action beyond one-off events.

Mr Evans highlighted the significant rise in antisocial behaviour reports post-lockdown, affecting his constituency. He detailed issues such as graffiti, off-road biking, drug use, and threatening behaviour which have escalated with summer months bringing worse conditions. Constituents struggle to report these crimes due to slow response times on non-emergency lines like 101. Mr Evans emphasized the need for timely reporting systems and cross-party collaboration to address issues including illegal off-road biking and intimidation of high street businesses, impacting their viability. He stressed the importance of youth services and community sports clubs as prevention measures against antisocial behaviour.

Ms Ferrier congratulated the hon. Member on securing the debate, highlighting an increase in youth disorder issues causing frustration among constituents and businesses. She acknowledged local police efforts but pointed out barriers to tackling these problems. In her constituency, Margaret Ferrier highlights the issue of graffiti which upsets residents and mentions Cambuslang Community Council's initiative to brighten up their community with murals. There is a link between the soaring cost of living and an increase in antisocial behaviour. With more people pushed into poverty, mental health deteriorates and individuals become disillusioned, leading to a rise in antisocial acts.

Mr Amesbury thanked the hon. Member for securing the debate and mentioned similar issues with off-road bikes in his constituency, involving partnerships such as Weaver Vale Housing Trust and Cheshire's fire service. He noted that police resources are under pressure and suggested a need for more neighbourhood policing.

In the north-east of my constituency, we have very poor public transport. People committing antisocial behaviour often do so in neighbouring villages or nearby areas. I also noted an incident where a constituent's property was set on fire after waving at a quad biker. Groups of young schoolchildren in Ferryhill, part of the Sedgefield constituency, are acting as ambassadors to raise awareness about low-level antisocial behaviour affecting town centre and primary-to-senior school routes. Paul Howell encourages consideration of rural areas affected by fly-tipping, noting its serious impact on farmers' access and crop destruction.

I want to point out that off-road bikes cause problems on streets and roads in urban constituencies, not necessarily requiring a patch of grass. He highlighted the problem of off-road bikes in Darlington, which cause noise pollution and pose a danger to pedestrians. Operation Endurance by Durham Constabulary has issued numerous fixed penalty notices and seized vehicles since February 2022. He proposed compulsory insurance and registration for off-road bikes and manufacturers installing immobilisers. Gibson also discussed the need for funding to crush seized vehicles permanently. Mr Peter Gibson is concerned about the lack of national statistics on anti-social behaviour and highlights the importance of PCSOs, noting that in Darlington, 136 new officers were recruited to Durham constabulary, with some directly coming from existing PCSOs. Section 59 notices are having an appreciable impact in Darlington. However, there is a specific issue with the cost of disposing of vehicles seized by local forces, which results in a cycle where the perpetrator ends up getting their vehicle back and continuing to perpetrate antisocial acts.

She highlighted the lack of a coordinated approach to tackling antisocial behaviour and emphasised that it is not low-level crime but underprioritised in policing. She mentioned YouGov polling showing one-third of the UK public had experienced an increase in antisocial behaviour, with just 1% believing it had decreased. The number of neighbourhood police officers has dropped by over 7,000 since 2010, and there is only one officer for every 2,400 people now compared to 1,600 ten years ago. She called on the Minister to restore numbers of PCSOs as they are crucial for addressing antisocial behaviour.