An officer who was so inspired by working to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) in her local patch is now working county-wide to ensure our response to ASB is the best it can be.
PCSO Meikel Miller is now the ASB Co-ordinator for Derbyshire, after over a decade working as a PCSO on the beat.
Anti-social behaviour is defined as conduct that has caused – or is likely to cause – harassment, alarm or distress to any person.
PCSO Miller explained more about the impact ASB can have: “ASB can completely change a community, I’ve visited victims who have been afraid to leave their house for months.
“Victims have had to visit their doctors for support with anxiety after experiencing ASB, they’ve been unable to work. ASB can impact every area of life.”
In her time as a PCSO working in Amber Valley, PCSO Miller enjoyed the dynamic nature of dealing with ASB: “You’ve got to use your imagination when it comes to tackling ASB, it’s not one size fits all.
“When I was working in a Safer Neighbourhood Team and part of the Youth Engagement Team, I got a passion for ASB, learning every civil power that I could use as a PCSO.”
Meikel then took the opportunity for a county-wide role focussing on ASB, seeing it as a chance to focus in on her passion.
She said: “I’d had cases of people starting to behave antisocially and moving towards crime but by working with them I could help them change their behaviour.
“I’ve met people I’ve worked with five years down the line and they’ve turned their lives around and are making a positive difference in others’ lives. I wanted to use a bit by bit approach to continue this work."
Working as the ASB Co-ordinator, Meikel is a central contact for various teams in Derbyshire Constabulary and partners. She also works closely with other forces to identify good practices in preventing and addressing ASB.
“As the police, it’s very rare that we can deal with ASB on our own, we have to use other partners for various tools and powers to address the causes to make a difference together.”
Superintendent Becky Webster said: "Meikel's experience and expertise of tackling ASB in our communities has been a brilliant asset to the role of ASB Co-ordinator for the force.
"Having this dedicated resource is proving to be a great support to all our Safer Neighbourhood Teams, ensuring we are putting victims first and responding appropriately to reports of ASB, working closely with partner organisations to resolve issues and utilising powers available to us."
As part of an evaluation of the force response to ASB, officials want to hear from victims who have reported it to them in the past 12 months. To complete the survey please visit www.derbyshire.police.uk/asbsurvey.