I Was Sick of Reporting It…Then This Happened!

Why continuing to report antisocial behaviour helps us gather the evidence needed to take action and keep communities safe.

When antisocial behaviour is reported, it can sometimes feel like nothing is happening. And we get why that can feel frustrating.

But behind the scenes, a lot of careful work takes place to protect residents, gather evidence and make sure any action taken will stand up in court. Cases can take time, but every report plays an important role in building the evidence needed to make communities safer.

Here’s one example of how tenant reports helped bring about real change.

For months, tenants in one of our neighbourhoods were living with the impact of ongoing antisocial behaviour and domestic abuse linked to a single address.

Neighbours told us they felt anxious about the situation. There were regular incidents, police call outs and disruption spilling out into the street. For the people living nearby, it wasn’t just one problem. It was something they had to think about every day.

They kept reporting what was happening to us. They kept speaking to us. And that information helped us build a clear picture of what the community was dealing with.

Our Community Safety Team at Trivallis began working with South Wales Police (SWP) and safeguarding services early on. Support was offered to those affected, including practical steps to help neighbours feel safer in their homes, and referrals were made to specialist agencies.

We also tried to engage the tenant responsible and offer support through our Community Safety Team referrals to our SAFE Early Intervention & Prevention Team to help better their behaviour.

Unfortunately, this support wasn’t accepted.

A steady step by step process

Complex cases like these take time and have to be handled carefully.

Over nine months, the Community Safety Team gathered evidence, spoke regularly with tenants and residents, worked closely with SWP and prepared legal action. Each step had to be done properly to protect the people involved and make sure any action would stand up in court.

A civil injunction was secured to restrict the tenant’s behaviour and prevent attending a nearby property and intimidating neighbours who were at risk. This included a power of arrest if the order was breached.

There were several court hearings. The civil injunction was breached multiple times. Arrests were made. Some hearings were delayed when the tenant failed to attend.

Following repeated breaches of the court order, the individual was later sentenced to time at Cardiff Prison. The injunction remains in place to provide ongoing protection to the individuals involved and the wider community.

At the same time, the case was brought to the Senior Management at Trivallis to discuss whether to take legal action to end the tenancy. A possession application was made and approved by the Judge. The tenant did not leave on the date set by the courts and it was further decided that the best decision would be to get an eviction warrant so the home could be made safe for those involved and the wider community.

When the eviction goes ahead, it will involve bailiffs, locksmiths, engineers and police officers to make sure it will be carried out safely for everyone nearby.

Behind the scenes, this took a significant amount of time and coordination between services and other stakeholders.

The difference tenants made!

This outcome didn’t happen because of one action or one day in court.

It happened because tenants kept coming forward.

They logged incidents. They spoke to officers. They supported each other. That consistency gave us the evidence we needed to act and helped protect others in the community.

It takes patience, and it takes people being willing to speak up.

When something isn’t right, let us know

If you’re experiencing antisocial behaviour or feel unsafe where you live, please tell us.

We will look at every report, offer support where it’s needed and take further steps when necessary. The earlier we know, the sooner we can start working with you.

Creating safer communities is something we can only achieve when working alongside our tenants, community members and neighbours.