Legal options
There are several legal options that are open to you, the police and your local authority to help to deal with issues around anti-social behaviour and violence. These mainly involve banning anti-social individuals from your premises or local area, or preventing alcohol being consumed in specific areas. Some towns and cities have found using such measures to be successful in reducing crime and Anti-social behaviour.
Legal options include:
- Local authority bye-laws which make it an offence to consume alcohol in designated street areas, for example 'Designated Public Places Orders'.
- Bans, such as exclusion orders, restraining orders, trespass notices and Anti-social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) ban troublemakers from specific premises, among other things. Managers can also order someone off their premises, and ask them not to return, but make sure you have appropriate support when doing this.
- Fines or fixed penalty notices (FPNs) can be issued by the police for anti-social behaviour and criminal activity.
In order to implement some of these legal options, the police or local authority may need evidence of the extent of the violence or anti-social behaviour problem, or examples of incidents involving perpetrators. This is why regular and consistent recording and reporting of work-related violence is important, together with keeping CCTV data for evidence purposes.
