Community trigger

What is the community trigger?

The community trigger aims to improve the way in which partner agencies work together to tackle anti-social behaviour and, in doing so, support the communities they serve. If you have reported anti-social behaviour, but no action has been taken, it gives you, or someone acting on your behalf, the right to request a review of your case.

What is anti-social behaviour (ASB)?

Behaviour that has caused, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm, or distress to members of the public. It is a broad term describing day-to-day incidents of crime, nuisance and disorder that can make the lives of those that suffer it a misery. The broad nature of ASB means that responsibility for dealing with it rests across a number of agencies and the review will help to ensure that those agencies are working effectively together to reduce the harm persistent ASB can cause.

The reporting threshold is:

• You have reported 3, or more incidents relating to the same problem in the past 6 months to the Council, Police, or their Registered Social Landlord, and no action has been taken; or

• Different complainants have made 5 reports about the same problem in the past 6 months to the Council, Police, or their Registered Social Landlord and no action has been taken; or

• 1 incident or crime motivated by hate on the basis of protected characteristics (for example, age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, sex and sexual orientation) in the last 3 months and no action has been taken.

What is meant by no action taken?

• The reported problems have not been acknowledged, that is, no-one contacted you to advise what action would be taken.

• The reported problems have not been appropriately investigated.

• Your vulnerability and/or the potential for harm has not been considered and this has affected potential service delivery.

• No action has been taken because information has not been shared between partners and this has affected potential service delivery.

What is not suitable for a community trigger?

• If you have reported anti-social behaviour and received a service but the problems are ongoing: 
  You will be advised to contact the agency you are working with to tell them what is happening.

• If you have reported ASB and received a service but you are unhappy with the service you received or action taken: 
  You will be advised to submit a complaint under the agency's complaints procedures.

• If you have reported complaints of ASB that are over six months old:
  You cannot activate a community trigger.

• If you do not report the ASB within 1 month of the ASB taking place:  
  You cannot activate a community trigger.

• If applications are considered to be prejudicial, discriminatory, malicious, unreasonable, vexatious or frivolous, they may be rejected.

How do I start a community trigger?

Request Community Trigger referral online complete the online form with as much detail as possible.

Download the Community Trigger form (PDF: 153Kb / 7 pages), complete and return to the following address to start a community trigger.

Assistance Director Legal and Democratic Services (Monitoring Officer)
Eden District Council
Town Hall
Corney Square
Penrith
Cumbria CA11 7QF

Having difficulty completing the form?

Telephone 01768 212490 if you experience any problems in completing the form.

Further incidents of anti-social behaviour

If any further incidents of anti-social behaviour that meet the criteria above, and which have taken place after you have submitted your form, please write to us at the above address.

Community trigger process

What happens once I have requested a review under the community trigger process?

Once you have completed the Community Trigger form and returned it to us at the address below, we will record and acknowledge receipt of the form within 2 working days.

We have a designated officer who will review all the requests that we receive for a community trigger. We may also request additional information from partner agencies, like the Police, registered housing providers and Carlisle and Eden Community Safety Partnership, relating to your experiences. The designated officer will review the information you have submitted to see whether the trigger criteria has been met. The designated officer will then contact you to advise whether a Review Panel is to be arranged to consider the action that has been taken to date and/or give you appropriate advice within 10 working days. In the event of any further incident(s) of ASB occurring that relate to your case, they should be reported and logged as new enquiries. If there is an immediate threat to your personal safety, please call the Police on 999.

Community trigger review panel

Once all the information has been collated, the designated officer will set a panel review date and the designated officers from the partnership agencies will be notified of the date. The Review Panel will be chaired by an independent partner, the Chair of the Carlisle and Eden Community Safety Partnership. The Review Panel will meet within 10 working days to review all actions already taken and agree a response. The designated officer will contact you within 5 working days of the panel meeting to feedback the response and recommendations that have been agreed. If you are unhappy or disagree with the Review Panel response, you can request an appeal of the decision by a neighbouring Review Panel. The Appeal Panel will meet within 10 working days of the appeal being received. You will then be informed of the appeal decision within 5 working days of the appeal hearing.

More details on the community trigger

Go to the Government's policy on crime prevention on GOV.UK to find out more on the community trigger.