Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is behaviour that causes harassment, alarm or distress to other people, such as noise, verbal abuse, threats, vandalism, graffiti, drug use or fly-tipping. In England and Wales you report it to the police if you feel threatened or think a law is being broken, to your council if it affects your local area, or to your landlord if you rent from a council or housing association. Since 26 October 2026 courts in England and Wales can also make Respect Orders against adults, and breaking one is a criminal offence. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own routes.
Updated 26 October 2026 · Sources: GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk (Crime and Policing Act 2026 and its commencement regulations), Home Office statutory guidance, mygov.scot, nidirect · Next review: January 2027
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or a crime is happening right now, call 999. If you can’t speak, see how to make a silent 999 call. Don’t confront people yourself.
What counts as anti-social behaviour?
GOV.UK defines antisocial behaviour as behaviour that causes harassment, alarm or distress to other people. Common examples are noise, verbal abuse, harassment and threats, drug use, nuisance neighbours, vandalism, graffiti, fly-tipping, littering and dumped needles. In England and Wales the legal definition is in section 2 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
Examples from GOV.UK. GOV.UK also says some problems may not be classed as antisocial behaviour, such as neighbour disputes, bin or parking problems and one-off incidents. You can still report them to your council, landlord or the police.
Is anti-social behaviour a crime?
Not always. Some anti-social behaviour is a crime, such as criminal damage, assault, theft, intimidation, harassment or drug dealing, and the police deal with it. Other behaviour, like persistent noise or rubbish, is a nuisance rather than a crime, so councils and landlords use civil powers such as warnings, notices and court orders. Repeated messages or threats may be harassment under the law.
Who do I report anti-social behaviour to?
It depends on what is happening. GOV.UK says: report to the police if you feel threatened or think the behaviour could be breaking the law; to your council if it affects your local area; and to your landlord if you live in a council or housing association home and it happens in or near your building. These four cards help you choose.
Not sure which police number to use? See 999 or 101: how to report a crime, or every official reporting route by type of crime, including hate crime.
How do I report anti-social behaviour?
Keep yourself safe, write down what happens, and report each incident to the right body as soon as you can. Ask for a reference number every time. If the problem carries on after several reports, you can ask for an ASB Case Review. Start with the official GOV.UK page: report antisocial behaviour.
1. Stay safe first
2. Keep a diary
3. Report it to the right place
4. Report every incident within a month
5. Ask for an ASB Case Review
What is an ASB Case Review and how do I ask for one?
An ASB Case Review (once called the community trigger) makes the council, police, health bodies and social landlords look again at your case together. In England and Wales, section 104 of the 2014 Act says the threshold is met if you made at least three qualifying complaints, unless your area sets a lower number. Search your council’s website for “ASB Case Review” to apply.
Each report must be made within one month of the behaviour, and you apply within six months of the report. Home Office guidance (revised October 2026) says the threshold is at least three complaints in six months, and areas may set a lower one but not a higher one. You, or someone acting with your consent such as a relative, carer, councillor or MP, can apply. Businesses and community groups can apply too.
A further step is planned but not yet in force: section 6 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 adds a review by the local policing body (the Police and Crime Commissioner or equivalent). It was due to start on 26 October 2026, but on 21 October 2026 the government postponed it (SI 2026/1111) to a date still to be set, so for now the existing ASB Case Review rules above still apply.
What is a Respect Order?
A Respect Order is a civil court order against an adult aged 18 or over who has engaged in or threatens anti-social behaviour, in force in England and Wales since 26 October 2026. It was created by section 1 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which adds a new Part A1 to the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The High Court or county court can make one if it is satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that the person has engaged in or threatens anti-social behaviour and that the order is just and convenient to prevent it.
The order can ban the person from doing things or require them to do things, and it runs for a set period or until further order. Breaking it without a reasonable excuse is a criminal offence, with up to 2 years in prison, a fine or both on indictment. Our guide to what Respect Orders can require, breach and appeals goes into the detail. Only bodies such as councils, housing providers, the police, British Transport Police and Transport for London can apply, not members of the public, so if you are affected, keep reporting to them. From the same date, new ASB injunctions under section 1 of the 2014 Act are for people aged 10 to 17, with a separate housing injunction for adults; injunctions granted or applied for before 26 October 2026 carry on as before.
Sources: Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 s1; Crime and Policing Act 2026 ss1–2 and Sch 1; commencement on 26 October 2026 by SI 2026/960 reg 4 (all checked on legislation.gov.uk on 26 October 2026); Home Office ASB powers statutory guidance revised in October 2026. Respect Orders apply in England and Wales only, not in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Is it different in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Yes. The 2014 Act, the ASB Case Review and Respect Orders apply in England and Wales only. In Scotland you contact Police Scotland on 101 or 999, your council’s antisocial behaviour team, or your landlord; councils can arrange mediation, issue fines or apply for an Antisocial Behaviour Order. In Northern Ireland you contact your council, the Housing Executive or the PSNI.
Key: ▲ available or the same as England and Wales · ▬ similar, but a different route · ▼ not available or a different approach. Checked on GOV.UK, mygov.scot and nidirect on 13 October 2026. PCSP = Policing and Community Safety Partnership.
Is noise from neighbours anti-social behaviour?
It can be. In England, councils must look into noise that could be a statutory nuisance, meaning it unreasonably and substantially interferes with the use of your home or harms health, such as loud music or barking dogs. If it is, the council must serve an abatement notice. Councils can also issue warning notices for night noise between 11pm and 7am.
Frequently asked questions
For criminal behaviour such as drug dealing or criminal damage you can tell Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers can’t take noise, dumped vehicles or one-off fly-tipping: those go to your council. Reports in your own name help more if you later want an ASB Case Review, and some councils don’t accept anonymous case review applications.
No. Since Respect Orders started in England and Wales on 26 October 2026, only listed bodies can apply for one, such as the council, a housing provider, the police, British Transport Police or Transport for London. Report each incident to them, keep a diary and ask whether they will consider a Respect Order. Your evidence can support their application.
It is rarely a good idea. A private person’s power of arrest in England and Wales only covers indictable offences and only when the police can’t act in time, and confronting a group can put you at risk. Read what the law allows on citizen’s arrest, and call 999 or 101 instead.
Keep reporting each incident and keep your diary. In England and Wales, after three reports in six months you can ask for an ASB Case Review. You can also use the council’s or the police force’s complaints process. In Scotland, mygov.scot points to complaints processes, Citizens Advice Scotland and Victim Support Scotland.
Sources
- GOV.UK: report antisocial behaviour
- Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, s1 (injunctions)
- s2 (meaning of anti-social behaviour)
- s104 (ASB Case Review)
- Crime and Policing Act 2026, s1 (Respect Orders) and s2 (youth and housing injunctions)
- SI 2026/960 (commencement on 26 October 2026) and SI 2026/1111 (local policing body review postponed)
- Home Office: anti-social behaviour powers statutory guidance (revised October 2026, PDF)
- GOV.UK: noise nuisances, how councils deal with complaints (England)
- mygov.scot: antisocial behaviour (Scotland)
- nidirect: antisocial behaviour (Northern Ireland)
- police.uk: contact the police · Police Scotland
General information for the UK, not legal advice. Laws change: check GOV.UK or a solicitor for your situation. In an emergency, always call 999.
Keep reading
Feel safer on your own street
If anti-social behaviour makes the walk home feel tense, Safety App UK can help you plan and stay connected. It shows a live safety map from police data and community reports, police stations and Ask for Angela venues, and safer routes. You can share your live location with a trusted circle, get Safe Zone alerts when you arrive or leave, and send an SOS by button or shake (or automatically in higher-crime zones) with live location and live video. It does not call the emergency services. Android only, on Google Play: free for 7 days, then £2.99 a month or £29.99 a year, cancel any time. For ages 16+.