Community trigger: Anti-social behaviour case review

Responding to, and tackling, anti-social behaviour is a priority for all community safety partners in Derbyshire. Derby Homes is part of Derby City Community Safety Partnership, which is made up of a number of organisations brought together to bring those causing anti-social behaviour to justice and to provide support for those affected by it.

Derby Homes strive to provide a high level of service, but recognise that there may be times when, we don’t get it right. This is where the community trigger comes in.

What is the ‘community trigger’?

The community trigger gives anyone who has reported anti-social behaviour the right to request a review of their case. It is also known as an ‘anti-social behaviour case review’.  This review can be requested if someone doesn't feel their concerns have been dealt with, acted upon, or that organisations have been unable to resolve the serious persistent, or targeted, anti-social behaviour successfully.

The aim of the review is to see whether anything else can be done and possibly find solutions that may not have been considered.

In Derbyshire, the community trigger process is managed by the local council on behalf of the other organisations that will be involved in the review, such as the police, local health teams and housing providers. For Derby, this is Derby City Council.

When to use the community trigger

You can use the community trigger if you have reported three or more related incidents of anti-social behaviour, within the last six months.

It doesn’t matter who the anti-social behaviour has been reported to. It could be the council, the police or your landlord.

You can also apply for the community trigger on behalf of someone else, but you must provide their consent along with the application form.

A detailed explanation of the threshold for the community trigger is contained within the guidance notes for the application form, which is also on the council’s website.

When not to use the community trigger

If you haven’t already reported the anti-social behaviour, you should first report it to the appropriate organisation. For more information, see the how to report anti-social behaviour tool on the Safer Derbyshire website, or report it to us using our webform: Report Anti-Social Behaviour.

The community trigger is not intended to be an alternative to our complaints procedure, which is designed to deal with complaints about individual officers, or services.

For example, our complaints procedure is appropriate for concerns such as:

• where staff have been rude or disrespectful to you
• where staff have given inaccurate or misleading information
• where staff have promised things, such as telephone calls or meetings, and have not delivered on these
• where you feel we have failed to follow our policy and/or procedures.

 If you have followed our complaints procedure and you are still dissatisfied, you will be given information about the Housing Ombudsman.

How to use the community trigger

To use the community trigger to request an anti-social behaviour case review, you must complete the application form on Derby City Council’s website.

You can request a printed copy of the application form or get help completing it by using the contact details on the council’s webpage.

What happens when you submit the application form?

The local council will confirm they have received your completed form within five working days.

The council will review the information you have provided to determine whether your case meets the community trigger threshold. If it does, an anti-social behaviour case review will take place. This will involve agencies sharing information, such as with the police, housing, environmental health, social care and health providers, depending on the nature of the case. The anti-social behaviour case review will involve discussing the issues you raise, considering what action has already been taken and determining any recommendations for additional action to resolve the problem.

The council will inform you of the outcome and recommendations.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can lodge an appeal with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire.

As part of Derby City Community Safety Partnership, we welcome the opportunity to review cases of anti-social behaviour, but the council may reject community trigger applications if they are thought to be prejudicial, discriminatory, malicious, unreasonable, or vexatious.

Read more about the community trigger process for all authorities within Derbyshire on the Safer Derbyshire website.