Eight out of 10 calls to Cambridgeshire Police about anti-social behaviour are not attended

New figures have shown eight out of 10 calls to Cambridgeshire Police about anti-social behaviour go unattended.

A freedom of information request from the Liberal Democrats showed that the force was one of the worst in the country for attending such incidents.

The data showed that of the 38 police forces who submitted full responses to the request (out of 45), the worst performers in 2022 were Avon & Somerset and Cambridgeshire - with 81% and 80% of anti-social behaviour reports going unattended respectively in 2022.

The figures show that there were 11,758 calls to anti-social behaviour incidents last year, with just 2,321 attended. In 2021, 28 per cent of anti social behaviour incidents in the county were attended by police, and in 2020, 34 per cent were attended – this is despite the number of calls about anti-social behaviour falling each year in the county.

Across the country, 37 per cent of anti-social behaviour calls were attended by officers.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: “Too many communities are being plagued by anti-social behaviour, with criminals being allowed to act with impunity while victims are left afraid to walk down their own street. People should be able to feel that if they fall victim to anti-social behaviour, it will be taken seriously and police will attend."

Residents in the Ortons have been critical of police not attending, or not taking action, against anti-social driving taking place in the area at car cruise meets.

Supt Neil Billany, North Area Commander for Cambridgeshire Police said; “Anti-social behaviour is a priority for my teams across Peterborough and they are working hard to tackle it. We are having ongoing conversations with our communities to identify their main concerns and put in place longer-term plans to remove and reduce their impact.

“We meet regularly with community groups, partner agencies and elected representatives to discuss hotspots and use our social media channels to publicise the work we are doing.

“Over recent months we have secured criminal behaviour orders against those causing anti-social behaviour, closure notices at properties and dispersal orders to tackle anti-social behaviour the city centre area.

“Regarding these stats, it’s also important to note that not all reports require our attendance and when demand is high, we have to make difficult decisions about what to prioritise.

“Someone may be reporting an incident that has already concluded or officers may be committed on multiple other incidents, including crimes in progress or serious road incidents. The reports could also be of noise or rowdiness, that some would see as normal while others deem it necessary to call police.

“All calls are taken seriously and are monitored by our dedicated neighbourhood teams, to map problem locations and times and direct future patrols. We also overlay data with reported crimes to understand exactly what is happening.

“We would urge the public to report incidents to us, either online or via 101.”