A LOCAL council has successfully secured anti-social behaviour injunctions against youths who had been engaging in sustained periods of violent and threatening behaviour. 

Blaenau Gwent Council, working as part of a new taskforce, secured the injunctions against five male youths who have engaged in sustained violent and threatening behaviour in the Brynmawr and Tredegar areas.

This has followed numerous complaints from residents and businesses in the affected areas about the behaviour of the youths aged between 14 and 17.

The injunctions are designed to prevent the individuals responsible from entering identified exclusion areas and causing further issues, and carry power of arrest for any breach of the court order.

A new Anti-Social Behaviour Taskforce made up of Blaenau Gwent Council, Gwent Police, Tai Calon Community Housing and BG Youth Service, has been working together to provide a rapid, co-ordinated, and proportionate response to anti-social behaviour.

As part of the Council’s Talk2gether engagement programme, the Taskforce has been out listening to people’s real concerns about behaviour in their communities and making them aware of the ways in which to report any worrying behaviour.

The Council now has a team of Community Safety Wardens who regularly patrol ‘hotspot’ locations, together with Gwent Police’s local Neighbourhood Policing Team and the Community Safety Officers.

The Council’s Youth Service also works in these key locations, providing children and young people with positive opportunities and activities to try to prevent the path into anti-social behaviour.

Councillor Helen Cunningham, Blaenau Gwent Council’s Cabinet Member for Place & Environment, with responsibility for Community Safety said:

“Everyone has the right to feel safe and secure going about their daily lives. We know from talking to residents that this isn’t always the case, due to pockets of persistent anti-social behaviour.

"We are pleased to have worked with Tai Calon and Gwent Police to secure these injunctions and pleased that the Court has recognised the distress and alarm caused by the actions of those involved. 

“An injunction of this kind will always be a last resort when other avenues have been exhausted. The Taskforce’s primary aim is to take an early intervention approach, looking to stop the escalation of such behaviours, reduce the impact on residents and maintain community safety.   

“Tackling anti-social behaviour requires partnership working, and this includes local councillors, residents, and local businesses. It’s important that as the eyes and ears of their communities, they report incidents appropriately so that the relevant agencies are aware and can act”.

Chief Inspector Stevie Warden said: 

"One of the key aims of Gwent Police, and our community safety partnership in Blaenau Gwent, is to reduce anti-social behaviour (ASB) and protect residents from associated harm and nuisance.

"Anti-social behaviour, in all of its forms, is completely unacceptable. It can significantly and negatively impact our residents and those working in the area.

"With partners, we carry out a number of proactive operations and deliver engagement initiatives to combat the issue.

When offending becomes persistent, however, one of the things we consider is applying for anti-social behaviour injunctions (ASBI), which impose specific conditions on individuals who've acted disorderly in the past.

"I’m pleased with the ongoing enforcement action taken by the partnership to apply for injunctions at court.

"These processes enable us to intervene and speak to offenders about how their behaviour negatively impacts their community – in the hope of improving their behaviour, stopping further acts of disorder and preventing them from entering the criminal justice system."

Reporting Anti-Social Behaviour

To report anti-social behaviour to Gwent Police, contact 101 for a non-emergency, send them a direct message on social media (@gwentpolice) or report online: https://www.gwent.police.uk/

If the person you are complaining about is a tenant/contract holder of a registered social housing provider reports of anti-social behaviour should be reported to the relevant Housing Association.

You can also report some anti-social behaviour to Blaenau Gwent Council for example, dealing with noisy neighbours, civil parking enforcement, fly-tipping, dog fouling or straying animals.

You can report to the Council in the following ways:

  • Via the Council’s Contact Centre on 01495 311556
  • Via email at info@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk The information will be shared with the relevant department of the council to respond accordingly.
  • Via My Council Services https://www.blaenau-gwent.gov.uk/en/my-services/
  • Download the Blaenau Gwent mobile App

More on Blaenau Gwent Council's taskforce against ASB can be found on the website.