Anti Social Behaviour and CANAcT

Oxford City Council formed CANAcT (Crime And Nuisance Action Team) in November 2001 in the light of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, with a specific remit to address issues of anti social behaviour in the community.  CANAcT was initially funded by the Housing Revenue Account, but is currently funded by the General Fund of Oxford City Council and is able to work across all tenures and tenancies.

What is anti-social behaviour?

Anti social behaviour is described in it's broadest terms is defined as;

• "Acting in a manner that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household as themselves" (Crime and Disorder Act 1998)
• "Conduct causing or likely to cause a nuisance or annoyance to a person residing, visiting or otherwise engaged in a lawful activity in the locality" (Housing Act 1996)

It may seem that anti social behaviour has become a "flavour of the month" issue over the past few years.  However, it is nothing new, and issues such as vandalism, graffiti, neighbour nuisance and "hanging around" have caused concern to communities to varying degrees for many years.  Only recently, has the term anti social behaviour been applied to them.

Who are CANAcT?

CANAcT are an investigative team with an aim to preventing anti social behaviour through support and enforcement.  CANAcT are made up of the following:

Neighbourhood Action Officers

There are six investigating officers, each responding to complaints made to the team about anti social behaviour in Oxford.  The six officers include a Police Liaison Officer and a Drugs Casework Officer.  Each of the six officers has an area for which they are responsible for gathering evidence and investigating complaints.  They all have a great deal of experience in dealing with anti social behaviour and are very successful in making Oxford a more peaceful place to live.

Family Support Co-Ordinator

CANAcT's Family Support Co-Coordinator's primary role is to work with families where children or parents are being investigated for anti-social behaviour and who may be at risk of eviction, or youths who are at risk becoming perpetrators of anti-social behaviour.  This is intensive work and deals effectively with a small number of high-risk families.  The Family Support Co-Ordinator also runs CANAcT's intervention scheme for young people (PAYP - Positive Activities for Young People).

Inter-Agency Co-Ordinator

CANAcT's Inter-Agency Co-Ordinator is a member of the Multi-Agency Group on Domestic Violence, the Agencies and Communities Tackling Racial Harassment Group, and the Homophobia Awareness Liaison Team, amongst others. Through this work, the Inter-Agency Co-Ordinator records incidents of harassment that occur throughout the city, and, although not a caseworker, they ensure that CANAcT officers and other officers of the City Council are aware of any other such issues as the need arises.

Solicitor

CANAcT's work has been considerably enhanced and expedited by the presence of the solicitor in the team. This role has been driven into the heart of the work, ensuring that the team is in court regularly, supporting witnesses and achieving results for them. Whilst it must be made clear that only the worst cases go to court, this cannot happen without the attention given by the solicitor.

Police Liaison Officer

The Police Liaison Officer who is based at CANAcT acts as the point of contact between the two agencies. The police have the power to invoke the Protection from Harrassment Act, which is very successful in resolving one-to-one complaints (usually beyond CANAcT's remit) and our Police Officer has successfully invoked this legislation, and regularly recommends that his colleagues do the same.

Page last reviewed 15 May 2008