Asbo Team

We all know that Anti Social Behaviour is increasing in all parts of the Country, We at ISS formed a task force group to help Local Authority’s combat this increase, and we carried out a Pilot Programme with West Dunbartonshire Council and Strathclyde Police in November 2006 for a month. In this programme we worked with emergency services and the council, while we would patrol a problem area on foot and check for vandalism, faults, and criminal acts (arson, fights etc) acts of loud music or problem neighbours. We would submit evening reports to the council so they could act on them the next working day, our shifts times varied from day to day to help us be at problem areas when we or the council felt extra attention was needed. While we carried out this pilot programme we ran another pilot programme in another part of the burgh carrying out the same duties. The local warden service backed us up as did the police if we needed any help, we also had access to the cctv trust unit that watch over the councils cctv cameras in our area, this was a excellent tool and helped gather information to pass on for the council to work with.

Although my staff and I were met with many angry tenants who didn’t want us there invading their space or reporting them to the police etc, within a few weeks we had many of them helping us by sending their kids down with soups, tea and coffee. Sadly we did see in most areas kids out playing in all weathers past 2 am and some of these youths where part of gangs and fought with other gangs in the areas, we also had youths who set fire to various area of multi-storey flats, this trapping other tenants in their homes while we helped the fire crews by protecting the pumps while the fought the fire, other problems we came across were mindless thugs who smashed windows within the flats ( some times over 20 a night) we ourselves were attacked after a woman came to our van for help she had been kicked out of a friends house after moving to the area and was now homeless we contacted the services who helped out for one night. The following evening the same lady was back at her friends and approached us, thinking she was going to thank us we asked if she was ok, she turned and sprayed us with hair spray we later calmed her down and found out she been drugged and her drink was spiked, again with the help of us we contacted the services we got her to safety. We gathered a lot of information and passed this on to the council but we also helped many local people feel safe and some even made the walk to the shop knowing we were patrolling nearby.

During the programme we dealt with over 8 assaults, 2 falls by elderly people, 3 stair well fires, over 60 smashed windows or doors, 2 police assaults, 2 council workers attacked and verbally abused and over 30 items of household rubbish left in lifts, stairwells and other areas and a vulnerable male whose home had been broken into and he had been attacked with a sword.

We spoke to the police during and after the programme we received a thank you from the police the Scottish ambulance crews that attended calls in our area, and Strathclyde Fire Brigade, and the CCTV trust.

I would like to thank all the emergency services; especially the police and CCTV trust also to Stewart and Chris the wardens.

We are available to help local authority’s with there ASBO problems for free advice or hands on services.