• Why do you ask me to fill in diary sheets?

We may send you diary sheets when you report a complaint to us. These are used to record any incidents which you experience and will provide evidence to help us deal with your complaint. We can give you advice and help if you are having difficulty filling your diary sheets in.

• What happens when I report anti social behaviour?

When you report a complaint to us, we will try to deal with it as quickly as possible. In many cases we will be able to resolve the situation quickly, for example by removing an abandoned car or getting the person concerned to clear their garden up.

If your complaint is more serious or you are experiencing noise or harassment, we will speak to you to discuss the way forward.

Your complaint will be dealt with by our anti social behaviour team. We will assign a named officer who will work closely with you to find out what your complaint is about and what action we can take. We will keep you informed about how your complaint is progressing by writing to you, telephoning you or visiting you regularly. We will agree with you which method you prefer.

• I’m being harassed because of my race. What can you do to help me?

Hate Crime can be defined as behaviour that deliberately seeks to intimidate, harass or threaten individuals on the basis of them belonging to a vulnerable or a minority group that the person causing the harassment considers is different to theirs. Victims of hate crime can include members of ethnic minorities, disabled people, elderly people, gay men and women and people with learning difficulties, but this is not a complete list. Anyone can be a victim of hate crime at anytime.

We are committed to tackling hate crime and will take action to support victims and deal with people carrying out hate crime.

• What kinds of legal action can you take against someone?

In cases which can't be resolved by negotiation on more serious cases such as racial harassment or serious nuisance, we will take action to deal with the problem. This can be anything from a final warning to legal action in Court. If we go to Court, we can ask the Court to grant an injunction, Anti Social Behaviour Order (ASBO), demotion order or to evict.

• I’ve fallen out with my neighbour. What should I do?

Sometimes neighbours find it hard to talk to each other. Mediation Bury will help you find solutions together without judging who is right or wrong. The service is free, independent, impartial and confidential.

We use experienced, independent mediators who will:

• Visit everyone involved to find out more.
• Listen to each neighbour without taking sides.
• Look at ways of solving problems .
• Help everyone reach an agreement.

• Children play football outside my home. What can you do about it?

Playing football in itself is not necessarily classed as anti social behaviour. If it is deliberately being done to cause nuisance, we can take action against the people concerned if we know who they are. Bear in mind that neighbours should have a degree of tolerance of each others lifestyle. Our mediation service may also be able to help.

• How can I be a good neighbour?

Some examples of how you can be a good neighbour are:

• Not playing music loudly or late at night.
• Not banging doors or shouting, especially late at night.
• Not keeping dogs tied up all day, as they can bark and annoy neighbours.
• Carrying out DIY in the day time rather than at night.
• Telling neighbours if you are planning to have a party or if work is being done to your home.
• Laying carpet if you live in an upstairs flat. This will help reduce the noise of your footsteps.
• Keeping your garden neat and tidy.
• Having a friendly word with your neighbour if they do something that offends you. Most people will respond well to this as they often don't realise that they are causing a problem.
• If you have children, telling them not to play ball games where it is likely to cause a nuisance to neighbours.
• Being considerate and understanding that older and younger people often have different lifestyles.

• I reported anti social behaviour to you, but you haven’t done anything to stop it. Why not?

Individual residents experience anti-social behaviour first hand and provide much of the evidence on which we can take action. Our approach to tackling anti social behaviour is based on a partnership approach. We will take responsibility for solving the problem but you must work with us by providing evidence to help us do so. If we ask you to provide evidence, it is important that you do so to help us build a case against the person causing the problems.

If you are in fear or apprehensive about doing this, please speak in confidence to a member of staff who will discuss with you what options are available to support you.