Fall in criminal and anti-social behaviour in BCP

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) and crime is reducing across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, thanks to extra funding from BCP Council and collaborative intelligence-led working with agencies. There was a 25.59 per cent reduction of reported crime rates in Bournemouth town centre, during the peak summer season of April to August 2022 compared to the same time in 2021, according to last October’s Seasonal Response Review.

ASB also dropped by 11.3 per cent during April to December 2022 across the three towns, compared to the previous year.

The reduction was partly thanks to a total of £2 million investments from BCP Council over 2022/23. The funding has brought in increased street lighting and CCTV across the three towns, particularly in bus stops and subways and new 24/7 CCTV coverage in Christchurch. It has also led to a greater security presence from Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) officers, with a focus on ASB hotspots.

Behind-the-scenes follow up work by council youth, family and homeless services have also helped to reduce repeat offending.

Do you have a concern about ASB?

Always call 999 if someone’s life or property is at risk. For non-emergencies, you can call the police on 101, email 101@dorset.pnn. police.uk or visit www.dorset.police.uk.

If you’re experiencing any ongoing issues with antisocial behaviour or have any concerns, you can contact the council’s ASB team for advice and guidance. Contact asbteam@bcpcouncil.gov.uk or 01202 128883.

Meet the ASB team

The council has a dedicated ASB team who work in partnership with other agencies to prevent, tackle and investigate anti-social behaviour to improve the quality of life for communities, businesses and visitors. The teams collect evidence and use enforcement tools when informal interventions don’t work. In 2022 the team helped bring about ten Premises Closure Orders for properties associated with serious ASB and disorder. The court orders resulted in restricted access to properties to help protect the safety of the community.

A key area of work is preventing young people from becoming involved in ASB. The ASB team undertake youth engagement work which can include working with families and alongside uniformed security to patrol parks and other summer nuisance hotspots. In 2022 early intervention into youth related ASB cases led to 94% of these young people not engaging in further anti-social behaviour.

National funding to bring local travel benefits

BCP Council have ambitious plans to improve the local travel infrastructure with its largest ever investment in sustainable travel, thanks to government funding. The idea is to make it easier for residents to make green, healthy and sustainable travel choices.

BCP and Dorset Councils were jointly awarded the multi-million-pound grant from the Department for Transport which is now being used to invest in a network of new cycle and walking routes and bus improvements across the region.

Sustainable travel improvements have already been completed or are under construction at ten locations.

The council are also helping schools and businesses to install vital facilities like bike storage and showers and improving safety with new crossings on busy roads near to schools, business parks and public facilities.

Part of the funding will go towards supporting the Beryl bike, e-bike and e-scooter hire scheme, which since its launch has seen 1.3 million journeys covering over 4.8 million kilometres across our area. Of these journeys, 33% have replaced a car, van or taxi journey, cutting down on emissions and congestion.

Did you know?

46% of users report cycling more often after joining Beryl