Reporting anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour can have a significant impact on individuals, communities and neighbourhoods. Knowing who to report concerns to helps ensure the right agency can take action as quickly as possible.

Call 999 immediately if:

• someone is in immediate danger
• violence or threats of violence are taking place
• a crime is happening now
• there is an immediate risk to life or property

When to report anti-social behaviour to Dorset Police

You should report incidents to Dorset Police if the behaviour is a crime or criminal offence, including:

• assault
• criminal damage or vandalism
• drug dealing or suspected drug activity
• hate crime or hate incidents
• harassment, threats or intimidation
• public order offences
• stalking
• criminal behaviour causing fear, alarm or distress

You can report it online or call 101 for non-emergency enquiries.

If the incident is criminal, always report it to Dorset Police first. Crime reports provide evidence, incident logs and intelligence that can support further action.

When to report anti-social behaviour to us

You should report concerns to Dorset Council when the behaviour is:

• ongoing or repeated
• happening regularly over a period of time
• affecting your quality of life
• causing alarm, harassment or distress
• impacting your local community

Examples include:

• persistent neighbour-related anti-social behaviour
• repeated nuisance caused by groups gathering
• ongoing verbal abuse or intimidation
• recurring disorder in public places
• behaviour affecting residents, businesses or communities

The sooner you report ongoing issues, the sooner we can consider support, intervention and enforcement options.

When to report anti-social behaviour to both Dorset Police and us

Some incidents are both criminal offences and anti-social behaviour.

You should report the issue to both Dorset Police and us if it involves criminal behaviour and is persistent, recurring or affecting your community.

Examples may include:

• repeated criminal damage
• ongoing harassment or intimidation
• drug-related activity causing community concerns
• persistent disorder associated with criminal behaviour
• repeated public order incidents

Reporting the issue to both Dorset Police and us helps ensure you get the right support and that all available options can be considered.

How information is shared between Dorset Police and us

We work closely with Dorset Police and other partner organisations to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Where lawful and necessary, information may be shared between agencies to:

• protect victims and communities
• prevent crime and anti-social behaviour
• support investigations
• identify repeat offenders
• safeguard vulnerable people

This means that Dorset Police may share information reported to them with us. Similarly, information reported to us may help support police investigations or wider partnership work. This allows agencies to build a complete picture of the issues affecting a person, location or community and coordinate an appropriate response.

Check who you should contact

Use this simple guide to find out whether you should contact Dorset Police, us, or both.

Report to Dorset Police if:

• a crime has occurred
• you witnessed criminal behaviour
• criminal activity is taking place now
• you need a crime reference number

Report to us if:

• the issue is ongoing or recurring
• the behaviour is affecting your daily life
• previous attempts to resolve the issue have failed
• you are experiencing ongoing alarm, distress or harassment

Report to both if:

• the behaviour is criminal and
• the issue is ongoing, repeated or causing wider community harm