NCJ Number
206810
Date Published
2004
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This report identifies the benefits of collecting data on anti-social behavior in Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships and Community Safety Partnerships in the United Kingdom and attempts to set out the types of data that might be readily available locally and the types of methods of collecting information on anti-social behavior.
Abstract
Within the United Kingdom, there is an increasingly high emphasis being placed by the government on anti-social behavior (ASB) and those methods to tackle it. In order to tackle the problem of ASB effectively, it is important that practitioners with responsibility for addressing the problem have a clear knowledge and understanding of the behaviors occurring in their locality. However, methods must first be set out for defining and measuring anti-social behavior at local levels. This report sets out a range of approaches and some of the potential strengths and weaknesses of each. In addition, it presents a series of issues for practitioners to consider when identifying the most appropriate approach. The report consists of three main sections. The first section focuses on definitions of anti-social behavior, describing definitions widely used by crime and disorder reduction practitioners and the typology of anti-social behaviors from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS). In the second section, the report considers the benefits and purpose of collecting anti-social behavior data and examines the types of data that can be collected. The final section of the report is concerned with approaches to collecting anti-social behavior data, how different methods can be most appropriately used and the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Sources utilized for this report were the Anti-Social Behavior Unit (ASBU) 1-day count of reported ASB 2003, ASB typology from the RDS, and a RDS follow-up study to the 1-day count based on interviews with a sample of respondents to the 1-day count including Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRP's), Community Safety Partnerships (CSP's) and others. In summary, data collection should enable partnerships to better plan their program of anti-social behavior work and target their resources appropriately. It should also allow partnerships to determine whether initiatives implemented to tackle anti-social behavior are effective.