Residents in North Tyneside are being urged to have their say on how the council tackles anti-social behaviour.

The council defines anti-social as: “Behaviour by a person which causes, or likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household as the person”.

The consultation also asks locals to share their thoughts on how the local authority deals with environmental crime including dog fouling, litter, fly tipping, damaging trees, abandoned cars and graffiti.

The policy also covers the council’s use of fixed penalty notices, or fines for issues including the “irresponsible” consumption of alcohol in public and dog restriction zones. Respondents to the consultation are able to submit anything they believe the council’s policy is missing, up to 20,000 characters.

According to council documents, in 2024/25 there were 5,680 incidents recorded, at a rate of 15.6 per 1,000 population. In addition, during the same period, 1,375 incidents were reported to the council’s community and public space protection team, marking a 42% decrease from the previous year which peaked at 2,361 cases.

The same report stated: “Residents’ perception is that anti-social behaviour and crime needs to be improved. Feeling safe after dark increased slightly in 2024 with just less than half of residents feeling safe in their local area after dark but remains significantly lower than in 2016.”

The council’s commitment, forming part of the draft policy, reads: “We will strengthen our communications plan to increase confidence in our service, improve the perception of anti-social behaviour in our communities and reduce stigma through effective communication messages. We will also ensure that it includes hard to reach communities.”

Locals have until January 11 to offer their suggestions to the council.