Silent Crime: Report lays bare tragic impact that 'downplayed' and 'poorly understood' anti-social behaviour has on innocent victims

The newly published report, titled ‘Still living a nightmare: Understanding the experiences of victims of anti-social behaviour’, focuses on the impact that unresolved anti-social behaviour has on normal people. It comes as NationalWorld launches its new Silent Crime campaign.

Throughout the campaign, NationalWorld titles will aim to highlight the lack of justice and progress for reports of low-level and under-reported crimes which have a huge impact on everyday lives by telling the story of victims. Anti-social behaviour is just one of the crimes which often goes overlooked by police forces across the country.

The report has laid bare just how much our Silent Crime campaign is needed, with shocking statistics that represent those who are on the consistent end of unresolved anti-social behaviour. According to the new report, which spoke to more than 500 victims, 63% of respondents persistently experience anti-social behaviour despite making previous reports to police in England and Wales. 

Anti-social behaviours most commonly experienced by those asked include: 

• Noise nuisance
• Verbal abuse
• Harassment and Intimidation 
• Threatening behaviour
• Criminal damage/vandalism
• Drug dealing/using
• Street drinking
• Animal nuisance 

Around four out of five victims (83%) reported these issues to the police, but for a majority of cases, the abuse has gone unresolved or dismissed. Many have had their daily lives turned upside down by perpetrators who have as of yet gone unpunished, with some even frightened to live in their own home.

One victim quoted in the report said: “I hate my house…. I hate coming here so I just stay at friend's houses or whatever…Sometimes I'll be sitting in McDonald's or somewhere else, so that I can avoid coming to my property.”

Another added: “I've lived here 23 years. I would not have moved if it wasn't for her…I'm actually waiting to move. We're just waiting on an exchange date. That's the only way I'm able to get out of it.” 

Not only is the lack of progress in quelling these crimes making life difficult for victims, but some are experiencing serious mental health issues as a result. One victim even said that their experience of continual anti-social behaviour led to suicidal thoughts. 

He said: “I suffered with really bad anxiety through it. It got to the point where I felt my mental health got that low, that I felt the only way out was the inevitable, you know. I didn’t want to be here anymore. That’s how bad it got.”

Another victim added: “Mental health issues. What about ours? We didn't have any before this but we're all now shadows of ourselves. He's robbed us of oh, so much. So it's not over for us.”

Baroness Newlove, said: “Anti-social behaviour blights lives and communities. All too often it is not addressed effectively, often downplayed, and poorly understood. Despite my previous report setting out clear recommendations, I am disappointed that so little meaningful progress has been made. 

“Too many victims continue to suffer, with many stuck in the same patterns of anti-social behaviour and facing the same perpetrators as five years ago. The time for empty promises is over – we now need real, tangible progress.”

Barroness Newlove’s work in giving a voice to victims is part of her 17-year campaign, which was sparked following the relentless harassment of her husband Garry and his subsequent death. Garry’s death came in August 2007 at the hand of a gang of youths who plagued him with anti-social behaviour that had begun several years before. 

A senseless attack after he attempted to confront them over alleged vandalism of his wife’s car put him in hospital, where he later died. Baroness Newlove said that the “tragic outcome” was just an example of the “grim reality” victims of unresolved anti-social crimes face every day. 

She said: “For me, anti-social behaviour is not a statistic. It is a lived experience; one I share with countless victims up and down the country. In 2007, a campaign of anti-social behaviour tore apart my family’s ordinary life and culminated with the senseless murder of my husband, Garry. My story is only unique in its tragic outcome. The relentless harassment, the ignored pleas for help, the sense of powerlessness – these are the grim realities countless ordinary families face every day.

“Garry’s death should have been a turning point. Yet, 17 years later, I fear too little has changed. Victims are being failed and pushed to the brink. We urgently need a system that not only protects victims but also restores communities and transforms homes from places of fear into places of sanctuary.”

In 2012, Baroness Newlove was appointed as the Victims’ Commissioner due to her work following her husband’s death in 2007 and her pressure to get the government to tackle youth disorder. She was in the role until 2019, before returning as interim Commissioner in 2023.

Earlier this year, Baroness Newlove stated that “Britain is broken”, saying: "Anti-social behaviour used to be just the young people in gangs, now we've got a lot of the older generation who are causing problems.

"I do think Britain's broken but I don't think it's just a government issue. I think it's a society problem. People are very angry. People treat people terribly so I think we have to go back to basics."

As part of our Silent Crime campaign, we want to hear directly from you about incidents that have happened to you, your family or your friends in your neighbourhood, how it impacted you and what justice was served - or not. To tell us your story click here.