Anti-Social Behaviour and Policing in Yorkshire - Essay Example

The Pennine Housing 2000 association is a statutory group that has been the social landlord in Calderdale since 2001; voted in by tenants to own and manage the Council's rented housing units, dealing with all aspects of the Council community and housing (Pennine Housing). The Pennine Housing staff is dedicated to ensuring a positive experience for their tenants, even when this means dealing with conflict between neighbors and complaints about certain tenants. This organisation is responsible for the assessment of community crime as well as the administration of justice for all parties involved.

The Anti-Social Behaviour Team was set up as a vital part of the Pennine Housing 2000 organisation specifically to deal with community disturbances that involved people whose actions can be classified as anti-social; in other words, people who have trouble integrating into the community in a positive way. Anti-social behaviour spans from disturbing neighbours with loud music to allowing your children to run around the community unsupervised; many different actions are covered under the umbrella of the Anti-Social Behaviour Team.

The Team vows firm action against any people who "choose to make their neighbours lives a misery" (Pennine Housing 2000 website). Social exclusion. This alienation can affect virtually all aspects of life, including income, employment, social standing and the availability of other opportunities (Pierson, 2002, 26). Although it is the aim of the Pennine Housing 2000 organisation to eliminate any kind of social exclusion from their jurisdiction, the stigma of Council housing perseveres and often leads to a feeling of national exclusion on the part of the tenants.

The West Yorkshire Police Force is working together with Pennine Housing to address anti-social behaviour and youth crimes; the Police Force recognizes the fact that it cannot give the matter the full attention it requires due to other responsibilities; Pennine Housing is therefore essentially keeping track of anti-social trends in troubled council neighborhoods and is responsible for offering effective solutions to the crime problems in West Yorkshire. Due to Pennine Housing recommendations, the West Yorkshire Police are sending letters to the parents of children who engage in anti-social activities, patrolling extra hours and arresting more youths for crimes that have been overlooked in the past (West Yorkshire Police online).

Community Groups, Statutory Groups and Effects on PolicingA Guardian article suggests that the key to defeating crime in certain neighbourhoods, such as Council housing estates, is to promote social cohesion (Reiner 2004). Social cohesion - what happens when a community is close, bonded and working together for common goals and a better future for subsequent generations (Barchas and Mendoza, 1984, pp.3-4) - is something that other Yorkshire groups are working towards as well as Pennine Housing.