Anti-social behaviour may range in severity from minor annoyance to major concern, but no matter what its form, it's one of the Holy Trinity of public concerns – bogs, dogs and yobs. So, you can imagine our sense of achievement when Teignbridge hit national headlines in December for attaining a ground-breaking anti-social behaviour order against a father and three sons – one of the first of its kind. This was a great result for local people and a highly-visible outcome of effective partnership working. Teignbridge is integral to a partnership which takes in multiple agencies across south Devon. The South Devon and Dartmoor Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) has been in operation for just over 12 months, and works as an enhancement of the statutory partnership work required in districts by the Crime and Disorder Act 1984. Rather than limit this partnership work within individual districts, Teignbridge joined with district partners South Hams and West Devon, together with the police, county council, primary care trust, youth offending team, probation service, fire and rescue service, and various voluntary organisations to form the CDRP. Following a highly-successful 12-month pilot of collaborative work, a formal merger of these crime-reduction services is now under way. The CDRP enables multiple agencies to communicate effectively, and is managed by a council-based, full-time, dedicated crime and disorder officer. This close working between agencies ensures problems are tackled more quickly and co-operatively than in the past. Our ASB officer is funded by the Home Office, and such a collaborative approach enables joint briefing and tasking of community safety wardens, uniformed police, strategic managers and operational staff. This keeps everybody in the loop, and the success of our joined-up approach is evidenced by positive outcomes in tackling ASB and reducing crime. The family's ASBO in the national spotlight is just one of many success stories making a real difference to local people across south Devon. Crime rates are lower here than in some other locations, but fear of crime is evident, and perception is reality in these circumstances. Both can have a devastating effect on people's lives. That's why the CDRP approach is crucial to making south Devon safer and recognised as such, as well as ensuring quick and effective solutions when problems do occur. So, when neighbours from Hell cause problems for the community, they do not get away with it because of inefficient buck-passing, unproductive busyness or bureaucracy. While the media description of the family as the ‘Buckfastleigh Mafia' might have raised a few smiles in urban areas with really serious crime problems, it was no joke for neighbours who were subjected to months of abuse. In 2007, there were 69 complaints to police about them. The comprehensive ASBO secured by the partnership has guaranteed that robust action will be taken if the men breach it. And that's one real measure of how effective collaborative working is having a truly positive effect on the lives of local people. n Nicola Bulbeck is chief executive of Teignbridge DC
