Report Summary
This is the Scottish Police Authority's first topical webinar on 29th May 2025 on the theme of tackling antisocial behaviour. This was supported by colleagues from the Scottish Community Safety Network.
During the session, attendees interrogated what is known, or what is thought to be known, about the current picture on antisocial behaviour in Scotland in terms of both current data trends, public opinion and its strategic positioning within the partnership landscape.
The findings and recommendations from the recently commissioned Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour in Scotland were also explored and looked specifically at questions around data and information sharing and the need for national strategic governance.
Key Messages from the Webinar
A number of key messages and discussion points formed the overall focus of the webinar, summarised as follows:
- The report published by the Independent Working Group (IWG) has provided some valuable,
independent clarity on antisocial behaviour to inform discussion and next steps. - The data picture on antisocial behaviour in Scotland is rich yet disparate, owing to the numerous ways in which antisocial behaviour is experienced, defined and reported. A systematic review of data sources and analytical arrangements from around the country
would be a welcome development. - From the data known to be available regarding prevalence, it can be inferred that antisocial behaviour has been reducing over the last two decades albeit (1) there was an uptick in reported antisocial behaviour between 2020-2022 linked to COVID-19 and (2) underreporting is likely to be playing a role in exaggerating the scale of reduction, although the reasons for underreporting are not very well understood.
- In practice there is no definitive measure of antisocial behaviour and it may be equally productive to reframe the effort to ‘tackle antisocial behaviour’ instead as the aspiration to further ‘promote pro-social behaviour’, in recognition that the evidence base (and public opinion) is supportive of investing in preventative, upstream interventions rather than repeating a cycle of reactive, short-term, punitive measures.
- In terms of prioritising the suggested actions contained within the IWG report, establishment of a national oversight group to provide good governance would be beneficial. There would also be merit in reviewing existing local authority strategies on antisocial behaviour.
- In relation to good practice examples, both the example from Ayrshire and Inverness highlighted the importance of partnership working; intelligence sharing and risk assessment; a focus on creating safe, positive spaces for people; clear and regular engagement and communication with communities; focussing on harm, vulnerability and safeguarding.
