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Thanks to everyone who took part in our ‘Anti-social Behaviour’ survey. It was a really interesting survey and we gained a lot of information that the police, council and community safety partnerships can use to make your area a safer, more pleasant place to live.
 
In the survey we asked you about your views on how much your perceptions of ASB are influenced by the media, how much of a problem you think ASB really is in your local area and gathered opinions on what those problems are, what you think the police and council should be doing to tackle ASB and how best to inform you about what is being done.
 
Perceptions of ASB: Media versus reality
 
This section was interesting in terms of results as it seems that what you see, hear and read in the media has a bigger influence on your perceptions of ASB than any type of direct personal experience of ASB.  
 
The key messages which you pick up from the media are the negative ones which suggest that ASB is a problem that is spreading and increasing, that it is not being effectively tackled and that those involved are not being punished. However, the reality in Lancashire based on what you have told us from results based on your personal experience and perceptions of where you live is that ASB is not considered much of a problem locally- a different view to the one that the media portrays.
 
It would therefore seem that if media messages were more positive and reflective of ‘local level’ perceptions then your overall perceptions of levels of ASB may improve as negative perceptions are being driven more by media than by direct experience.
 
Main problems of ASB:
 
The top three problems you associated with ASB were:
Groups/gangs of young people hanging around,
The general behaviour of young people
Alcohol abuse/underage drinking leading to ASB
 
The top three problems of ASB witnessed in your area were:
Dog fouling,
Irresponsible driving and joy riding
Littering
 
What this tells us is that the more frequently witnessed types of ASB are the ‘tolerated’ incidents-you perceive them as having a minor impact on your quality of life and no direct personal threat, whereas groups of young people hanging around and drunken behaviour are ‘less tolerated’ as they are likely to result in feelings of intimidation and fear and be perceived as a direct threat, thus impacting much more on quality of life.
 
When we asked about what events have the most negative impact on ASB, the top three answers related to:
The opening of licensed premises
Extension to hours
New landlord changing clientele
 
Solutions to tackling ASB
 
Nearly half of you agreed that the police and other public services were successfully dealing with ASB.
 
The main suggestions for police tackling ASB were:
More police on foot patrol in local communities – police visibility appears to be considered the most effective and efficient deterrent, though PCSO presence and the work undertaken by PCSO’s to  engage in positive relationships with local young people
be seen to take action against ASB/zero tolerance and introduce tougher/more severe/immediate punishments/name and shame
 
The main suggestions for councils tackling ASB were:
More council provision of facilities and activities for young people in local communities to remove them from the streets
Work more closely with police and partners/share funds/resources
Clean up areas quickly/zero tolerance of vandalism/graffiti etc.
 
However, it is acknowledged by large numbers of you that budget and resource restraints are an issue in providing these solutions.
 
Keeping kept informed
 
In terms of communication and being informed, although you say that the media has the biggest impact on your perceptions of ASB, you say that your preferred method of communication and being kept informed about ASB is via the local media.
 
As such, it makes sense to utilise this form of communication in order to inform you, though it is obviously a challenge to promote the positive messages via a channel that you consider to promote predominantly negative messages in relation to this area currently.
 
The second most preferred method was information directly through your door and using a mixture of online channels (websites and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.