Keeping you safe – Jenny’s story
This year's ASB Awareness Week theme is 'Know your rights', which stresses the importance of recognising, recording, and reporting anti-social behaviour ASB.
Published: 05/07/2023
Noise disturbance is the most common problem reported to our Resident Safety Hub. It can be loud music and parties, lots of banging, construction, or DIY in the middle of the night, but sometimes what seems like a noise nuisance can be signs of something else.
The story below is real, but the names have been changed.
A Peabody resident, Sandra, noticed a lot more noise than usual coming from her neighbour Jenny's, like shouting and arguing, and sometimes it sounded particularly violent.
Sandra wasn't sure what to do. She knew the noise was getting worse, but should she report it – was it her business after all?
Sandra saw Jenny a few days after a particularly aggressive-sounding argument, and she asked her whether she was OK. She mentioned that she'd heard a lot of noise and wanted to check in. Jenny hesitated and said she was OK, but Sandra felt she was just saying this.
Sandra contacted our Resident Safety Hub to let them know her concerns. The team had also received complaints from other neighbours about ongoing noise nuisance coming from Jenny's home and felt they needed to pass this on to the Community Safety team. They thanked Sandra for contacting them and reassured her they'd investigate.
What did our Community Safety team do?
Our Community Safety team contacted Jenny and asked – are you OK? One of our Community Safety leads asked whether they could come to her home to talk to her about the noise as it was bothering her neighbours. Initially, Jenny was hesitant but then agreed to meet them in a nearby café.
They asked what the noise was, and she told them it was her partner arguing and shouting at her. He would then hit her, and she would scream in pain.
They then asked her whether she would like their support in getting out of this relationship. Jenny said all she wanted was help.
The team supported Jenny in reporting her partner to the police. They tried to arrest him, but he fled. In the meantime, the Community Safety team got an injunction against him so he could no longer visit Jenny's home.
The Community Safety team also worked with the police to put additional security features in Jenny's home in case her ex-partner returned. This included a security alarm, bars inside the front door, a fireproof letterbox, and extra locks. They also worked with Jenny and helped her plan an escape route so she could get to safety quickly should she need to.
Jenny feels safe in her home again and knows how to contact our Community Safety team if she needs them.
Contact our Resident Safety Hub
Please don't suffer in silence if you're experiencing ASB. You can report any concerns or incidents to us, your local council, or the police if you're in immediate danger.
Our Resident Safety Hub is available to offer advice, guidance, and support. They'll discuss the situation with you to find out more details and assess whether they think it needs further investigation.
If they need to escalate the matter, they'll pass it over to your Neighbourhood Customer Specialist or our Community Safety team, who'll contact you.
You can get in touch with the team using our ASB online form or by contacting the customer hub on 0300 123 3456.