The guidance relates to the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which provides police and local authorities with a range of tools and powers to respond quickly to anti-social behaviour (ASB) and ensure victims have a say in the way that complaints are dealt with.

A key part of this is the Anti-Social Behaviour Case Review (also known as the Community Trigger), which gives victims of persistent anti-social behaviour the ability to demand a formal case review where the local threshold is met – an important safety net in ensuring that victims are fully supported.

The strengthened guidance builds on previous updates to make sure there is a greater focus on the impact of anti-social behaviour on victims. It provides greater clarity on the process of the Anti-Social Behaviour Case Review, highlighting that relevant bodies should always consider inviting the victim or, if more appropriate, their representative to case review meetings to help the panel understand their perspective. It also explains that local areas can have independent chairs at review meetings to provide an external view on the case.

These requirements align with recommendations from the 2019 Victims Commissioner report.

Safeguarding Minister, Victoria Atkins said:

Victims must be front and centre of the approach police and local agencies take when tackling anti-social behaviour.

We know that powers are already being used to good effect and this guidance provides even greater clarity for local agencies.

We are determined to create safe and peaceful communities where people can thrive and perpetrators of anti-social behaviour are robustly dealt with.

The updated guidance also highlights existing requirements on local agencies including that:

• local areas must carry out a review of the response to anti-social behaviour complaints if an application is made and the locally defined threshold for a review is met
• they must respond to the victim at particular milestones in the process, including with the outcome of the review
• they must publish specified information at least every 12 months about the Community Trigger, including the number of reviews that have been carried out
• they must publish details of the Community Trigger procedure in their area to ensure that victims are aware that they can apply in appropriate circumstances

In addition to the guidance for local agencies, there is further information available on the Community Trigger webpage on GOV.UK.

These resources are part of a wider government commitment to ensuring ASB is dealt with effectively.

The Home Office works with partners through the ASB Strategic Board, which brings together the National Policing Lead, the Local Government Association, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, other Government departments and community sector organisations to ensure that the relevant powers are being used robustly, and to learn from examples of good practice.

We have also provided over £12 million funding in 20/21 for the continued development of the Single Online Home – a web platform which enables members of the public to report crimes online 24/7. As it is rolled out, the Single Online Home is making it easier for the public to report a wide range of crimes, including ASB.

Our £45 million Safer Streets Fund is supporting areas that are disproportionately affected by crimes such as burglary and many of these schemes will also help in tackling anti-social behaviour through crime prevention measures like improved street lighting and CCTV. This includes £20 million announced yesterday (28 January) to tackle these crimes and ensure the police have the powers, tools and resources they need to cut crime and make people feel safer in their community.

All this work is in addition to our commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers to provide law enforcement with the resources they need to keep our streets and communities safe.

‘Anti-social behaviour’ is a broad term which includes behaviour which has caused or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to a member or members of the public.

Madame Chair,

I am pleased to give this statement on behalf of Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, USA and my own country Norway.

The International Day of Education was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2019, as a reminder of education’s foundational role for peace and development. On this occasion, two years on, we commemorate the tireless efforts of teachers, school administrators, government officials and other dedicated individuals who have made possible that children and youth continue to learn even against the largest disruption of our education systems due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The closure of schools has affected the lives of 1.6 billion students in more than 190 countries. Education is a human right, independently of any crisis and must therefore be an important part of the response to the covid-19 pandemic. School closures have in many cases stripped children of the opportunity to learn, a safe space and even meals. For girls, the probability of early marriage and early pregnancies has increased. Research also indicates that education inequalities have increased, as schools increasingly have needed to rely on distance education. Access to internet, computers, TV and radios, or a quiet room to study in, is not equal. Children with disabilities are often affected harder than their peers.

COVID-19 has exacerbated further the difficulties faced by those living in crisis-affected regions, where education is one of the first to be impacted by violence and conflict. Today more than ever, we must ensure that schools remain safe places, free of conflict and violence and protected from attack.

Education contributes to the maintenance of peace and security, as it provides stability and hope for a better future for children in conflict and post-conflict settings. Several of our field missions support education as a part of the comprehensive approach to security – and in Central Asia the OSCE Academy delivers high quality higher education to people of the region. The pandemic has also shown us that education systems worldwide need to have the tools and resources suitable for the 21st century. Bridging the digital divide will however be a long-term endeavour. Low-tech and no-tech solutions for distance learning will continue to be important to ensure that the poorest and most marginalised learners remain connected to the education system.

The crisis should also be seen as an opportunity. Increased competence in distance education and new digital solutions may provide exciting opportunities also after the pandemic, and our preparedness is increase should we experience a similar crisis in the future.

Madame Chair,

As Participating States are focusing on the immediate public health, economic and social welfare responses in tackling the impact of the pandemic, it will be important to ensure that learning continues in an equitable way. This is a prerequisite for the long-term stability.

The government has today announced plans to bring forward legislation to prevent the burning of heather and other vegetation on protected blanket bog habitats.

The new regulations will prevent the burning of any specified vegetation on areas of deep peat (over 40cm depth) on a Site of Special Scientific Interest that is also a Special Area of Conservation or a Special Protection Area unless a licence has been granted or the land is steep or rocky.

‘Rotational’ burning is used as a management tool on moorland and blanket bog. Land managers use controlled burning on patches of heather during winter months typically on a 8-12 year rotation.

There is a consensus that burning of vegetation on blanket bog is damaging to peatland formation and habitat condition. It makes it more difficult or impossible to restore these habitats to their natural state and to restore their hydrology.

Restoring England’s peatlands is a priority for the government. It will help achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 as well as protecting our valuable habitats, and the biodiversity those habitats support.

Blanket bog, a type of peatland, is a delicate habitat of international importance, with the UK having 13% of the world’s blanket bog.

The government recognises that if moorland is unmanaged, there is a risk of wildfire which is most damaging of all and that these risks have grown due to climate change. Therefore, the government intends to work with land owners and managers to develop local wildfire control plans.

There will be specific circumstances where the ban does not apply, such as on steep land or where scree makes up half the land area. In addition, the Secretary of State may also issue licences for the burning of heather on blanket bog for the purposes of wildfire prevention, for a conservation purpose or where land is inaccessible to cutting or mowing machinery. These licences may cover several years so that they can be aligned with coherent management plans for sites.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said:

Our peatlands have great potential as a natural store of carbon, as well as protecting habitats, providing a haven for rare wildlife and being a natural provider of water regulation.

We want to work with land owners to restore the natural hydrology of many of these sites through our new agricultural policy to support our ambitions for the environment. The burning of heather on these sites makes it more difficult to restore their natural hydrology which is why we are taking this step today.

Natural England Chair Tony Juniper said:

This is a hugely welcome announcement which will see better protections for our globally important peatlands. Blanket bog is an amazing habitat that provides essential environmental benefits, including carbon storage, a home for wonderful wildlife, clean drinking water and flood mitigation. This is why it is vital we ensure these systems are healthy with peat-forming species, such as Sphagnum mosses, thriving in water-logged conditions.

We will continue to work with Defra and land managers to help with the successful implementation of these measures, including by providing advice on good upland management and leading a new peatland restoration grant scheme as part of the Nature for Climate programme.

This will provide funds to carry out restoration work on these precious ecosystems, ensuring their recovery and protection for the benefit of both present and future generations.

Today’s move marks a key step for meeting the Government’s nature and climate change mitigation and adaptation targets, and part of the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan commitment to bring 75% of SSSIs into favourable condition.

The Government will be setting out further measures to protect England’s peatlands this year as part of a package of measures to protect England’s landscapes and nature-based solutions. The government’s £640m Nature for Climate Fund also includes funding to kick-start a programme of peatland restoration over the next 5 years.

The statutory instrument will be laid before Parliament for its approval before it comes into force.