Domestic abuse and hate-fuelled incidents have been added to City of York Council’s proposed approach to tackling antisocial behaviour.
The council’s draft antisocial behaviour policy sets out responses up to and including recovering possession of properties if its tenants commit domestic abuse offences while prioritising victims’ safety.
Authorities including North Yorkshire Police would also step in to try and stop hate incidents, including those linked to race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, escalating into crimes.
The council’s draft policy stated it would aim to respond to reports of domestic abuse or hate incidents and crimes within 24 hours on working days.
It comes as the proposed antisocial behaviour policy is set to go before a council meeting for a decision next Tuesday, 27 January.
The policy was last updated ten years ago and the inclusion of domestic abuse and hate-fuelled behaviour follows laws which have come into force since.
Domestic abuse or hate-related incidents would be classed as urgent.
The council would take the housing needs of domestic abuse victims into account as part of their response.
Action taken following hate crime reports could include removing racist graffiti or provided council tenants with extra security measures.
The council would aim to respond to reports of antiosocial behaviour incidents within three days.
Perpetrators of antisocial behaviour would be contacted by the council who would try to work with them to resolve issues, including taking their mental health into account.
Legal action could be taken if efforts to resolve antisocial behaviour by talking to perpetrators does not succeed.
