The victims' commissioner has challenged the Thames Valley policing approach to anti-social behaviour (ASB), which she says is "all too often underestimated".

Baroness Newlove delivered a speech on Thursday (November 28) at the Thames Valley Police (TVP) Restoring Trust Together conference in Oxford.

In her speech, she presented findings from her recently released report which examined the experiences of ASB victims.

Speaking at the conference, Ms Newlove said: "For me, ASB is the Cinderella of policing – viewed as rather mundane and all too often underestimated to the view of being ignored."

In 2007, her and her family were targeted by a group of youths who subjected them to persistent harassment and abuse.

This led to the murder of her husband, Garry, outside their family home in front of their three young daughters. 

Ms Newlove said despite "repeatedly" turning to the police, she was either "ignored or patronised".

"It increasingly struck me that the police had no actual concept of the damage being caused to us as families and as a community," she said at the conference. 

"Seventeen years later, I am not sure much has changed."

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Her report published in September this year - which more than 500 ASB victims participated in - found that almost two thirds of victims are still facing abuse despite reporting to the authorities, and that 40 per cent have been dealing with their ordeal for more than five years.  

"This is not acceptable," she said.

Ms Newlove is calling for more to be done to help victims of ASB.

A spokesperson for TVP told us that ASB is a "priority" for Neighbourhood Policing Teams and that the force "appreciates" the impact these incidents have on victims.

“Neighbourhood Policing teams carry out regular patrols and preventative work including targeted operations in areas known to have anti-social behaviour," said the spokesperson.

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“Neighbourhood officers also undergo training which specifically covers ASB and effective partnership working which is vital in tackling ASB.

“We continue to work with partners using multiple different tactics and activities to tackle ASB across the Thames Valley."

The spokesperson added that the force continues to encourage the public to report ASB incidents.

Thames Valley police and crime commissioner, Matthew Barber, told us that Ms Newlove's speech was "really powerful" and that it emphasised the "huge impact" ASB has on individuals and communities.

Matthew BarberMatthew Barber (Image: Thames Valley Police) "We hosted the conference in Oxford exactly because we recognise how important tackling anti-social behaviour is," he said. 

"In my own speech I talked about how vital it is that the police - and other agencies - get the basics right to build confidence."

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However, Mr Barber said that tackling ASB is not just an issue for the police and that councils and housing associations "have a role to play".

"It's not about passing the buck between councils and the police, but genuinely working together.

"Working with the Chief Constable, I have already ensured that TVP have significantly increased resources in neighbourhood policing, and I am determined to see this continue into the future.

"ASB can take many forms, including what can be long running neighbour disputes.

"I have recently launched a new mediation service across Thames Valley which was showcased at today's conference to allow the police, councils and housing associations to refer people to access the service free of charge."

City councillor Susanna Pressel told us that in her experience, the police do take ASB seriously.

Councillor Susanna PresselCouncillor Susanna Pressel (Image: Contributed) "Our wonderful neighbourhood police and and our PCSOs often know their area well and are particularly good at dealing with it," said Cllr Pressel. 

"However, their numbers were cut drastically during the last 14 years of Conservative and Lib Dem government.

"Fortunately, Oxford City Council have an excellent 'community response team' that specialises in tackling anti-social behaviour.

"They deal with things like noise nuisance, neighbour disputes, fly-tipping, drug-dealing and many more."

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