About Community Response

The Community Response Team is part of the Safer Communities Service. They provide a frontline service to prevent and resolve anti-social behaviour in North Somerset.

We have three uniformed Community Response Officers, who each have their own area in North Somerset.

Community Response Officers respond to problems and incidents in the community.  This includes anti-social behaviour, environmental crime and neighbour disputes. They also receive weekly tasks from our Community Safety Team and CCTV Control Room.

Officers spend most of their time out in the community and have a range of prevention, intervention and diversionary activities to help them stop ASB. Examples of the types of actions they carry out include:

• Engaging with communities and acting as the ‘eyes and ears’ in local area by talking to local residents and businesses about their issues and ensuring they know their rights to trigger quick and effective action to tackle anti-social behaviour when required
• Providing a visible presence in ASB hotspots
• Enforcing the Public Space Protection Orders to tackle a wide range of ASB issues in public spaces
• Using early interventions to quickly nip issues in the bud and make it clear that anti-social behaviour is unacceptable
• Investigating ASB reports
• Safeguarding vulnerable individuals
• Issuing warnings and notices for various anti-social and environmental matters

Community Response Officers have a wide range of tools and powers to help them resolve issues. These include:

Early Interventions – e.g. Good Neighbour Agreements, Acceptable Behaviour Contracts, Written Warnings, etc

Public Space Protection Orders – powers to tackle a wide range of ASB and nuisances including confiscating alcohol, aggressive begging, nuisance buskers, irresponsible dog ownership and a lot more

Community Protection Warnings – enables officers to impose restrictions and/or requirements on individuals and businesses to stop them from committing ASB which spoils the community’s quality of life. 

Environmental Crime – Selected council powers to assist other specialist staff if required with tackling fly-tipping and commercial waste issues to help keep the town centre clean and tidy

Community Safety Accreditation Scheme – Our Community Response Officers are accredited by the Avon & Somerset Constabulary under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme. This is granted by the Chief Constable. 

This allows officers to carry out duties more effectively. They also support Avon & Somerset Constabulary to reduce anti-social behaviour and disorder in our neighbourhoods.

Find out who your local Community Response Officer is by entering your address into our interactive map below.