Policing Anti-social Behaviour in England

This project attempts to shed new light onto a multi-faceted and rather complex concept of anti-social behaviour (ASB) by looking into its different definitions, briefly explaining its historical background and taking into account external factors (political, economic and social) which have shaped it. Therefore, the project consists of literature review, methodology, results, and conclusion. In the literature review, the evolution of deviant and /or disorderly behaviour is briefly explained, and criminological theories such as the Labelling Theory, Broken Windows Theory, Rational Choice Theory are briefly introduced as they help to understand the mechanism behind a public perception of ASB (own personal experience, media effect, and political discourse) and highlight its sociological constructions. Also, a definition of ASB is discussed in more details, while other ASB interventions; Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs), Anti-social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs), Closure Notices, Designated Public Place Orders, Fixed Penalty Notices and Penalty Notices (fines), Dispersal Orders, Court Penalties and Community Triggers are briefly mentioned. However, in order to discuss the effectiveness of ASBOs, the Routine Activity Theory is briefly introduced as it is linked to the concept of repeated victimization; the ideology of crime prevention and the neighbourhood policing approach. In the methodology section, the research strategy, research design, data collection tools and analysis are explained, taking into account the ethical considerations. Next, the collected data is analysed (the findings and discussion) to provide an overview of ASB represented by the participants. Finally, the ‘effectiveness’ of current ASB policy such as Anti-social Behaviour Order is questioned, while the project is finished with a conclusion (the results of the research).