ASB reduces in Welwyn Hatfield

Today marks the start of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week and officers are pleased to announce that levels of ASB have fallen in Welwyn Hatfield.

ASB is defined as 'behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to persons not of the same household as the person'.

Since April 2023, the borough has seen a 23 per cent reduction in reports of ASB.

The Welwyn Hatfield Neighbourhood Policing Team and the Community Safety Unit have been working hard to achieve these results, supported by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council.

One of the many steps they have taken has involved implementing Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs). A PSPO places restrictions on certain activities giving rise to ASB, including street drinking, begging, and public urination. It also gives officers additional powers to issue fixed penalty notices and prosecute those responsible for ASB.

Police and the council have implemented PSPOs in both Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield town centre, as well as at the Hilltop shops in Hatfield. Officers are regularly working with the council’s anti-social behaviour team and street wardens to enforce the PSPOs.

Dedicated patrols and operations are also being used to ensure that ASB levels reduce.

Operation Brillo sees the Neighbourhood Policing Team carrying increased patrols in Welwyn Garden City town centre. The operation focuses on ASB carried out by young people during the school holidays.

Operation Hotspot is also in place across Welwyn Garden City town centre. The operation is the result of a successful bid by the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office to secure funding for extra foot patrols and increased visibility in identified hotspot areas.

Meanwhile in Hatfield, Operation Oarlock is underway in a number of locations* as part of the wider Safer Streets project. Op Oarlock patrols aim to tackle and deter ASB, drugs and vehicle theft.

Where appropriate officers are using Acceptable Behaviour Agreements, Community Protection Notices and Youth Criminal Behaviour Orders to tackle the most persistent offenders.

Welwyn Hatfield Chief Inspector Pete Frost Said: “We know that ASB has a detrimental effect on communities which is why we are working so hard, alongside the council, to reduce it. I am pleased to see that our efforts are paying off and I hope that residents feel reassured by this.

“We will be raising awareness of ASB all of this week but our work to tackle it will continue all year round.”

Councillor Sandreni Bonfante, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council Executive Member for Environment said: “I am pleased that levels of ASB have fallen in Welwyn Hatfield.  The reduction in reports of ASB is testament to the strong partnership between the Council and Hertfordshire Police and I would like to thank officers for their hard work in tackling this issue. Reducing ASB in our borough will continue to be a priority for us and I would encourage anyone that witnesses ASB incidents to report them directly to the Police or through Crimestoppers.”

You can report information online about anti-social behaviour online, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat or call the non-emergency number 101.

Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form.

Not all ASB is dealt with by police. More information about what ASB is and who best to report it to can be found on our website. 

*Patrols focus on Goldings House, Goldings Crescent, Link Close, Wood Close, Wood Vale, Deerswood Avenue, Northdown Road, Garden Avenue, Roe Green Lane and St Albans Road West.