The Crime & Policing Bill Progresses & Final Call For ASB Awareness Week…
In This Week’s Edition:
- Crime & Policing Bill Update
- ASB Awareness Week Final Call For Registrations
- ASB Careers Series – Rochelle Largan
- New Legal Insight From Clarke Willmott – Sentencing Guidelines
- The Big Issue Opinion Piece On The Vagrancy Act
- This Weeks Top Tip
- Janine & Darren’s Weekly Round Up
Crime and Policing Bill – Where Are We Now?
The Crime and Policing Bill continues to move through Parliament, with recent attention on its broad-ranging implications for community safety, particularly around civil orders, cuckooing, and child criminal exploitation.
The Bill has completed its Commons stages and is now in the House of Lords, with Committee Stage expected to conclude in early July. Some of the key areas of focus in recent discussions include:
- New offence of Child Criminal Exploitation: Designed to help tackle grooming and coercion of children into criminal activity.
- Civil Prevention Orders Reform: Introduction of Respect Orders, changes to the ASB injunction and updates to existing orders like Closure powers to improve consistency and enforcement.
- Recognition of ‘cuckooing’ as a distinct offence: A significant step in protecting vulnerable tenants and individuals whose homes are taken over for criminal purposes.
- Increased powers for frontline professionals: There is an emphasis on enabling more flexible, localised responses, though some concerns remain about proportionality and oversight.
The Bill has drawn cross-party interest, with amendments being tabled to ensure that new powers are applied fairly and are accompanied by appropriate safeguarding measures. As ever, the detail in the statutory guidance and training will be crucial once the Bill becomes law.
We’ll continue to monitor progress and provide updates as the Bill approaches Report Stage and Third Reading in the Lords. You can read the full document here.
Final Call: Last Chance to Register for ASB Awareness Week Events
ASB Awareness Week 2025 kicks off on Monday 30th June – and we’ve got a full line-up of free, expert-led online sessions running all week. Designed for professionals across housing, law, enforcement and beyond, these sessions tackle some of the most topical and practical issues in the ASB space.
If you haven’t booked your place yet, now’s the time. Here’s what’s coming up:
🎬 Tackling ASB in Cinemas
Monday 30th June | 9.30 – 10.30am
A dedicated session for the cinema industry, delivered in partnership with the UK Cinema Association. Featuring Darren Burton, Sharon Murphy, and Jess Thomas.
🏘️ Social Housing Round Table
Tuesday 1st July | 11.00am – 12.00pm
Sector-wide discussion hosted by Matt Baird from The Social Housing Round Table with Jack Madge and Sharon Murphy joining the panel.
🧠 Fact or Fiction? ASB Beliefs Debunked
Wednesday 2nd July | 9.30 – 10.30am
Janine Green and Lindsay Felstead from Clarke Willmott Solicitors explore some of the most commonly held beliefs about ASB.
🚪 Practical Use of Closure Powers
Thursday 3rd July | 9.30 – 10.30am
Darren Burton is joined by solicitor Paul Gorton at Stockton Council to break down how housing providers can prepare for closure powers in practice. This session will also be relevant for policing and Local Authorities who wish to refresh or update their knowledge on how to most effectively use these powers.
⚖️ Preparing for Respect Orders
Friday 4th July | 9.30 – 10.30am
A forward-looking session with Janine Green and Sarah Bradley from Consilium Training & Support on what’s needed to get ready for the new civil-criminal hybrid Respect Orders.
These sessions are free, accessible, and packed with practical insight. Don’t miss out – register today and join the conversation.
ASB Career Series - From Reception to Resolution: Rochelle’s Story
This week, we’re excited to share the latest feature in our ASB Careers Series, this time from Rochelle Largan, who shares her journey from an apprenticeship on the front desk of a busy housing office to acting services manager overseeing complex ASB work.
Rochelle’s career path is a brilliant example of progression through practical experience, a willingness to learn, and a genuine passion for problem-solving. Her reflections are refreshingly honest and full of insight – from the importance of solid training to the need for resilience and adaptability in frontline roles.
Whether you’re new to ASB or supporting colleagues in their development, this is a great read.
Legal Insight: Understanding Sentencing for Injunction Breaches
What happens when an ASB injunction is breached? This week, Clarke Willmott Solicitors share a practical overview of how the courts approach sentencing under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act (2014) – and what social landlords need to know.
From how harm and culpability are assessed, to the key aggravating and mitigating factors courts consider, this article breaks down the core elements of the sentencing framework in clear and accessible terms.
Whether you’re supporting enforcement proceedings or simply want to feel more confident about the legal process, this is a valuable read… check out the full article here.
The Big Issue Opinion Piece On The Vagrancy Act
This month’s announcement that the Vagrancy Act 1824 will finally be repealed has been welcomed by many as a long-overdue step in ending the criminalisation of rough sleeping. But as Dr Benjamin Archer of Sheffield Hallam University explores in his latest article for The Big Issue, the picture may be more complex.
Drawing on research into the use of anti-social behaviour powers, the piece raises concerns that, while the Act itself may disappear, the enforcement of rough sleeping could continue under other measures – such as PSPOs – with even less scrutiny.
With changes to the Crime and Policing Bill also on the horizon, this article offers a useful prompt to reflect on how law, policy, and practice intersect in responses to street homelessness.
This Weeks Top Tip– Youth-Focused Approaches That Make a Difference
Youth violence and early intervention have featured heavily in our email newsletter this week, with academic insights, legislative updates and practice-based resources all exploring how we respond to harm involving young people.
To build on that theme, this weeks top tip is comes from Julian Robertson, Youth Justice ASB Reduction Officer, who shares some practical advice for anyone working with children and young people in the context of ASB:
- Work in partnership – make relevant and appropriate referrals to youth agencies as soon as you can.
- Jargon buster – use an easy read approach to warning letters, ABCs and civil orders, make conditions appropriate and proportionate.
- Child first focus – remember these are young minds that can be easily swayed, so fill their lives with positivity to counteract negativity.
- Trauma aware – negative childhood experiences can define a young person’s future, be mindful of this.
- Victim focus – young victims can go on to be offenders, break that cycle.
A really helpful reminder that when it comes to youth-related ASB, the most effective responses are those that combine boundaries with belief in a better future.
Do you have experience with youth related ASB and violence and have a tip to share? Send it to us at info@greenandburtonasb.co.uk for an opportunity to create a case study.
Janine & Darren’s Weekly Round-Up
It’s all systems go behind the scenes this week as we gear up for ASB Awareness Week, kicking off this coming Monday. The team’s been putting the final touches on what promises to be a powerful and practical series of free sessions – and we’re really looking forward to connecting with so many of you throughout the week.
The line-up reflects a real range of topics, voices and sectors… From cinema to closure powers, and it’s exactly the kind of collaborative learning space we need more of in ASB and community safety. If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time – visit our website for more info.
We’re also absolutely thrilled that general sale tickets have now gone live for the #ASB11 Conference this October. It’s shaping up to be our biggest and boldest conference yet, and we can’t wait to share more over the coming weeks when the official countdown starts at the strike of 12 (weeks!). If you haven’t seen it yet – check out the programme here.
If your organisation is looking for training, consultancy, or practical support with ASB, don’t hesitate to get in touch, we’re always happy to have a conversation about how we can support you and your team.
Hope to see you next week!
Janine & Darren