People living in the centre of Birkenhead suffer from more anti-social behaviour than anywhere else in Merseyside.
Hyper-local police figures show that 477 incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB) were recorded in the Birkenhead Central area last year. That could include vandalism, verbal abuse, shouting, swearing, fighting, intimidation and harassment.
When compared to the size of the population, that amounted to the equivalent of 59 incidents of ASB for every 1,000 residents, the highest rate in Merseyside and far higher than the national average of 17 per 1,000 people. You can see how your neighbourhood compares with our interactive map.
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The next highest in Merseyside was the neighbourhood covering part of Liverpool city centre with 49 crimes of ASB per 1,000 residents, and then Central & Islington in Liverpool (42 per 1,000 residents). According to the government map, this city centre area includes along the Waterfront, the Pier Head, the Albert Dock and extends to include parts of the Baltic Triangle and even Mathew Street.
At the other end of the spectrum, Liverpool's West Allerton neighbourhood was the safest in Merseyside for ASB, with two incidents for every 1,000 residents. You can see how much ASB takes place in your neighbourhood using our interactive map, along with how that compares to the national average.
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Across nearly 7,000 neighbourhoods in England and Wales - with the exception of Greater Manchester, where police were unable to provide localised figures due to ongoing computer issues - there were 990,000 incidents of anti-social behaviour last year. But that was a 37% drop from around 1.4 million crimes recorded in 2021. However, that included breaches of pandemic restrictions which police said would not normally be considered ASB.
Last year more ASB took place in Newcastle’s City Centre & Arthur's Hill neighbourhood than anywhere else in England and Wales (2,925). But when compared to the population, King Charles III lives in the neighbourhood with the highest rate of ASB.
Last year there were the equivalent of 370 incidents of ASB in the Strand, St James & Mayfair neighbourhood of Westminster - which includes Buckingham Palace, the official residence of King Charles III. The next highest was the seaside neighbourhood of Central Blackpool, with 297 crimes of ASB per 1,000 residents, and then Fitzrovia West & Soho in Westminster.
Ulverley Green and Langley in Solihull was the safest neighbourhood in England and Wales for ASB, with fewer than one incident for every 1,000 residents. A spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said: “During the pandemic, with many more people at home, there was a significant rise in reporting of anti-social behaviour.
"Since the lifting of restrictions and many people returning to normality we have seen a steady decrease in the number of reports. Everyone should be able to live their lives free from intimidation and harassment.
"It is important to have a multi-agency approach to tackling anti-social behaviour as the police are only one part of the solution.
"The public must continue to report incidents of ASB. The police, and other agencies, will use their powers to deal with persistent offenders who blight local communities."
While some forms of anti-social behaviour can seem relatively trivial, this type of offending can have a major impact on people’s lives in the neighbourhoods where it takes place. Victim Support says many people who experience anti-social behaviour are frightened to go out and don’t feel safe in their own homes.
The charity’s chief executive, Diana Fawcett, said: "Anti-social behaviour is often thought of as low level but it can actually have a devastating impact, destroying people’s sense of safety, taking a huge toll on their mental health and massively disrupting their day to day lives.
"Many victims end up losing serious amounts of money or even needing to move house. It’s vital that the government uses the upcoming Victim’s Bill to strengthen the rights of persistent antisocial behaviour victims and improve the support available to them."
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