What is Antisocial Behaviour?
The Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004 states that:
A person engages in antisocial behaviour if they act in a manner that causes or is likely to cause alarm or distress or pursues a course of conduct that causes or is likely to cause alarm or distress to at least one person not of the same household as them.
The term ‘Antisocial Behaviour’ covers a wide range of acts some more serious than others, for example:
- Domestic noise (such as shouting and swearing)
- Amplified noise/noisy parties
- Dumping litter and rubbish
- Abandoned vehicles
- Vandalism and graffiti
- Verbal abuse
- Threatening or violent behaviour
- Drinking in a public place
- Criminal behaviour such as drug dealing
What is not Antisocial Behaviour?
There are a number of considerations when determining what doesn’t count as antisocial behaviour:
- Behaviour regarded as acceptable by some can be seen as antisocial and completely unacceptable to others.
- Expectations of standards of behaviour can vary between communities, groups within communities and individuals.
This means that many problems simply result from differences in the way that people live their lives.
Examples of this could be:
- Children playing in the street
- Your next door neighbour using a washing machine or vacuum cleaner early in the evening
- The sound of your neighbour walking across the floor in the flat above you