About ASB Help

ASB Case Review

About ASB Help

ASB Help is a registered charity in England and Wales set up to provide advice and support to victims of anti-social behaviour.

Baroness Newlove, Victims’ Commissioner, gave the following endorsement on 14 November 2023:

“As I know only too well, anti-social behaviour (ASB) can have a devastating impact on people’s lives, yet it is all too often labelled ‘low-level crime’, when it can be anything but. Victims are often treated as second class victims, unable to access the support and resolution that victims of crime can expect. ASB is not taken seriously and that must change.

That’s why for the past 5 years, I have been calling for victims of persistent anti-social behaviour to be afforded the same rights under the Victims’ Code as those of victims of crime and have the same access to support services.

I also want to see the ASB Case Review effectively promoted and embraced by professionals to ensure that the victim is placed at the heart of their work – and so we can achieve the best possible outcome for them.

It was my great pleasure to work with ASB Help in producing our joint report “Living a Nightmare” in 2019. I know ASB Help work tirelessly to empower victims of ASB and continue to provide support and guidance to victims and practitioners across England and Wales.

I urge you to keep up all your good work in making sure ASB victims’ voices are being heard.”

Fiona Pilkington

This website is dedicated to the memory of Fiona Pilkington from Leicester who in 2007 killed herself and her 18 year old disabled daughter Francecca after Leicester police failed to investigate her 33 complaints to them about harassment.

The jury at the inquest into her death 2 years later ruled that Fiona and her family had been failed by the local councils in the area, as well as the police, and that those failings had contributed to her death.

Fiona Pilkington’s experience is not an isolated case and given the number of suspected cases of unreported crime and anti-social behaviour, there could be many vulnerable people whose lives are being blighted by persistent anti-social behaviour and who do not know where to turn, are too scared to formally report it, or suspect reporting it will not make any difference or could even make things worse.

The Charity’s Activities

ASB Help aims to provide information and advice to interested parties and members of the public involved with and suffering from anti-social behaviour. Following such high-profile cases of vulnerable victims who did not receive any help from the authorities, we believe there is a clear need for coordinated information and advice that is readily accessible to those who need it.

We do this primarily through our informative website particularly focusing on equipping victims of anti-social behaviour with the necessary tools to effectively report it. At the same time, we have a practitioner hub which offers guidance, templates and advice to practitioners working within the field. We believe this is important because ultimately victims of anti-social behaviour will receive a better response where ASB practitioners are well-informed through sharing best practice, updates in the sector and opportunities to be innovative to get results for victims.

We have a particular interest in the ASB Case Review, introduced in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. We hope that we can assist victims in accessing their local ASB Case Review and undertake lobbying at a national level to ensure it is fit for purpose.

As we grow and understand more about the needs, we seek to tailor our response accordingly. As such, we welcome any feedback to ensure our website is up-to-date and appropriate in all areas of anti-social behaviour.