Team tackles anti-social activity

People living in Rose Hill have reported a recent rise in the number of incidents of anti-social behaviour on the estate.

But Oxford City Council's Crime and Nuisance Action Team (CANAct) is poised to step in and help tackle the problem.

The team was set up last November to tackle problems caused by nuisance neighbours, especially in cases where the police felt unable to bring a criminal prosecution.

The team's main weapon is in helping communities attain Anti-Social Behaviour Orders to keep offenders in check.

The orders are difficult to get and rely on witnesses being willing to come forward and give evidence, so the team has devised alternative methods. Before resorting to Anti-Social Behaviour orders, the team aims to set up case conferences, where nuisance neighbours meet with police, housing officers, and other agencies to assess the problem and decide what action to take.

CANAct manager Steve Kilsby said: "Case conferencing is a big tool we have. We get all parties around the table to talk about the case. Often other agencies such as the youth offending team are more appropriate to deal with the case and we make that clear where necessary.

"We are not looking specifically at crime issues, but the grey area where police cannot necessarily get a conviction and housing officers do not necessarily want to evict.

"Anti Social Behaviour Orders are a key tool. So far we have only one in place in Blackbird Leys, but it has worked splendidly in preventing the person concerned behaving badly. "It's a very powerful injunction lasting a minimum of two years. If you breach it you can go to jail. But we are confident that case conferencing is also a powerful tool."

The team responds to problems referred from the city council housing office and police. In Rose Hill there has been a small rise in anti-social behaviour which the team hopes is temporary.

Mr Kilsby said the team could make a difference in Rose Hill and other areas.