Derbyshire leading the way in stopping anti-social behaviour across the county

The Immediate Justice scheme sees those who behave anti-socially undertake work such as litter picking, volunteering in charity shops and cleaning graffiti, to pay for their behaviour.

Since July 2023 263 people have been referred to the scheme, which is run by partner agency Remedi, 89% of those who undertook the work have not reoffended again.

On average the force saw 11 referrals a week since the scheme launched as part of Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster’s Derbyshire Action Against Anti-Social Behaviour Plan.

Immediate Justice Manager, Becky Clough, said: “The work that officers have done to push through the scheme has been absolutely fantastic.
“Anti-social behaviour has a massive impact on our communities and this scheme tackles not only the immediate behaviour but also to work with them to stop reoffending. The fact that Derbyshire is leading the way in referrals into the Immediate Justice scheme is testament to the hard work of the officers and our partner agencies."

“The causes of anti-social behaviour are complex and are often rooted far beyond the criminal justice system – but the work that is ongoing is clearly making a significant difference for those who take part in the scheme.”

The Immediate Justice scheme has run hand in hand with the force’s hotspot patrols – both of which have been underpinned by £2.4m worth of Home Office funding secured by the Police and Crime Commissioner.

These guaranteed patrols have focused on 20 areas of the county that saw the worst rates of anti-social behaviour.
Since the launch these areas have seen a total of 3,080 patrols which has coincided with a decrease in incidents of 44% from July 2023 to February 2024.

Immediate Justice Manager, Becky Clough, said: “The hotspot policing patrols that we have seen have made a clear difference to our communities and ensured that those areas that were seeing the worst occurrences have been given particular attention.

“But we do rely on the public to make us aware of incidents that are happening to inform the areas that we are targeting, and I would urge anyone who witnesses incidents to contact the force so that we have a true picture of where incidents are taking place meaning that we can place our resources where they are needed most.”