Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Department are taking to tackle anti-social behaviour in coastal communities.

The Government is committed to tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour (ASB) wherever it may take place. We know the serious impact that persistent ASB can have on both individuals and the wider community.

We provided the police, local authorities, and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to ASB through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances. They are best placed to understand what is driving the behaviour in question, the impact that it is having, and to determine the most appropriate response.

The Home Office published statutory guidance to support local areas to make effective use of these powers. The guidance sets out the importance of focusing on the needs of the victim and the local community, as well as ensuring that the relevant legal tests are met. This guidance was updated in June 2022 to ensure a victim-centred approach to tackling ASB as well as stronger use of the powers and tools in the 2014 Act.

The Home Office announced in March 2022 that ASB would be one of the primary crime and issue types being targeted in the next round of the Safer Streets Fund. This funding goes towards local projects aimed at increasing the safety of public spaces for all with a particular focus on addressing neighbourhood crime, anti-social behaviour and tackling violence against women and girls. At the end of July last year, we announced the outcome of Round Four of the Safer Streets Fund, investing an additional £50 million and supporting 111 projects across England and Wales.

We are on target to recruit the 20,000 additional officers by March 2023, taking us for the first time to over 148,400 officers across England and Wales. This will be the highest number of officers serving communities across England and Wales on record.

As at 31 December 2022, 16,753 additional uplift officers have been recruited in England and Wales through the Police Uplift Programme, 84% of the target of 20,000 additional officers by March 2023.