Cases of anti-social behaviour in Gateshead have shot up compared to last year.
Reports of anti-social behaviour increased by nine per cent in April – July this year compared to the same period last year and recruitment is now under way for a new prevention team.
Reported incidents of adult anti-social behaviour have seen an additional 68 cases reported, taking the April to July 2023 total to 1,543. Reported cases of youth-related anti-social behaviour have seen an additional 96 cases reported, generating a total of 544.
In addition, 38% of Gateshead residents feel that their neighbourhood has worsened because of anti-social behaviour over the last year.
However, Gateshead Council is now recruiting a new team, dedicated to countering anti-social incidents negatively impacting the environment. The funding for this will come from a £2m fund from the council, originally set up to preserve the area’s health and wellbeing.
Kevin Scarlett, services director at Gateshead Council, said: “We do have the tools to tackle anti-social behaviour, not just around the home but habitual and environmental. The issue is often the resources and the capacity to apply those tools and year-on-year budgetary pressures resources are not what they were.
“That being said, this year, members made a decision to invest in a range of environmental services one of them being a new environmental anti-social behaviour team who will give us some more capacity than we have done previously.
“This is not immediate, we have got to recruit”.
The team, once allocated, will consist of a 10-person workforce.
The local authority has also applied to the Government ‘Safer Street Fund’ to finance. The fund specialises in helping councils to combat neighbourhood crime, violence against women and anti-social behaviour. Funding has also been secured from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to help improve local youth outreach programmes.
The council’s report into local crime has shown there has been a general increase in crime of four per cent from last year. This is however lower than the regional average of seven per cent.
