Your weekly ASB update & Our Christmas Office Hours
In this week’s edition:
- Supporting victims of ASB over the festive period
- Government announces winter of action
- Top tip managing fly tipping over the festive period
- Christmas opening hours
- Darren & Janine’s Weekly Round Up
Supporting Victims Of ASB During The Festive Season
As we head into the Christmas period, it is worth pausing to recognise that this can be one of the most challenging times of year for people experiencing anti-social behaviour.
For victims, heightened emotions are common. Routines change, neighbours are home more often, noise levels increase, and expectations around peace, safety and family time can amplify stress and anxiety. Behaviour that might feel manageable at other points in the year can quickly feel overwhelming in December.
Supporting victims at this time is not always about immediate enforcement. Often, it is about reassurance, visibility and consistency.
Things to keep in mind when supporting victims of ASB over the Christmas period include:
Proactive contact
Where possible, check in with known victims before offices close. A brief call or message can help reduce anxiety and show that they have not been forgotten.
Clear information about support
Be explicit about what support remains available over the festive period, including emergency contacts and out-of-hours arrangements. Uncertainty often heightens distress.
Managing expectations sensitively
Being honest about response times while explaining what will happen if a situation escalates helps people feel informed rather than dismissed.
Acknowledging emotional impact
Christmas can intensify feelings of fear, frustration and isolation. Calm, empathetic language that recognises this can help victims feel believed and taken seriously.
Consistency in approach
Sticking to clear processes and agreed actions provides stability at a time when everything else may feel disrupted.
Trauma-informed practice
Recognising that some victims may have previous experiences that resurface at this time of year can help shape more compassionate and effective responses.
For many victims, feeling seen, heard and supported is just as important as the outcome itself. Maintaining a steady, thoughtful approach over the Christmas period can make a meaningful difference when emotions are running high.
Thank you to partner Darren Burton, The Social Housing Academy Amy Stirton, ASB Help Charlie Hamilton Kay and ADR Mediation & Training C.I.C Emma Goddard for compiling this helpful post for the upcoming festive season.
Government announces Winter of Action
The Home Office has launched a nationwide Winter of Action, bringing police, councils and local businesses together to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour over the busy Christmas period. The focus is on hotspot patrols, quick visible enforcement, and locally tailored activity aimed at reducing shop theft, street crime, and persistent ASB in town centres.
The initiative builds on the Safer Streets Summer programme, which ran across nearly 650 town centres and led to more than 16,000 arrests and fines, with a reported fall in witnessed or experienced ASB according to IPSOS polling.
A new element this winter is the introduction of HEX zones hyperlocal areas identified through police intelligence where knife crime is most concentrated. Pilots are already under way in cities including Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham, with forces using targeted problem solving and increased patrols to prevent violence in high risk locations.
The government has positioned this as part of its wider neighbourhood policing agenda, with additional officers expected next spring and new powers proposed through the Crime and Policing Bill, including a specific offence for assaulting retail workers, changes to low value shop theft, and the introduction of Respect Orders.
For ASB practitioners, the announcement reinforces the importance of close partnership working, clear information sharing and visible responses during a period when town centre activity typically spikes.
Read the full press release here.
This Weeks Top Tip: Early action avoids January backlogs when it comes to WASTE.
With waste volumes rising over the Christmas period, taking simple steps now with your area and community can prevent avoidable fly tipping and the operational impact that follows. Sarah Bradley from Consilium Training and Support offers this practical reminder as this weeks top tip:
“Christmas is a time where people create more rubbish, but it is important this is managed effectively. In order to reduce fly tipping over the Christmas period, make sure that your tenants are aware of their responsibilities in relation to waste disposal.
Share information through newsletters, leaflets, visits, and social media. Highlight the consequences of fly tipping. It is also a good idea to double check any bin stores you are responsible for and ensure tenants know what can and cannot be deposited.”
If a fly tip does occur, Sarah also highlights the importance of acting quickly.
“Report it to the local authority, or to the Environment Agency for larger or hazardous deposits, so that evidence can be secured. Photograph the waste in situ before anything is moved and arrange prompt removal once the scene has been signed off. Sadly, rubbish accumulates rubbish.”
Making reporting easy for tenants supports earlier intervention and builds a clearer picture of patterns and potential perpetrators. Insight shared at the right time can protect communities and reduce long term costs.
If you would like support reviewing an approach or sense checking a complex case, we are here to help – and reach out to Consilium Training & Support for all things waste management, environmental responsibility, and investigative guidance.
Darren and Janine’s weekly round up
As we head into the final stretch before Christmas, we know many teams are working hard to close off ongoing cases and put clear arrangements in place for the holiday period. Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been spending time with clients to help shape their plans for 2026, looking at where demand is shifting, what teams need, and how partnership working can be strengthened in the new year. It has been a genuinely positive way to round off what has been a busy period for the sector.
We’ll be taking a pause from 23 December to 5 January, and anything you send through during that time will be picked up once we return. If there is anything you want us to be aware of before we close, just let us know.
Next week’s newsletter will be a 2025 highlight reel, celebrating the work achieved across the sector and the progress our clients have made. There is a lot to recognise and be thankful for as we head into a new year.
Have a great week
Darren & Janine