Anti-social behaviour mediation service launched

The scheme will be led by the team at Alternatives to Conflict

The creation of a new mediation service dedicated to dealing with anti-social behaviour has been announced.

The Thames Valley Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Mediation Service will be available to residents across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

The service will be operated by the not-for-profit organisation Alternatives to Conflict.

Matthew Barber, Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, will provide £60,000 of funding annually to the group to run the scheme for the next three years.

Mediation is a confidential, informal process in which a neutral third party helps those who are in dispute to reach agreement.

Individuals can either refer themselves to the new mediation service, or professionals can complete a referral with the individual's consent.

'More resilient communities'

Announcing the service, Mr Barber said: “The aim of the Thames Valley-wide mediation service is to prevent the escalation of anti-social behaviour by making mediation more widely accessible to our communities.

“Mediation helps to resolve neighbour and community disputes that, if left, can escalate and cause significant harm and distress."

He added that the scheme would help to "alleviate some of the community issues" that police officers come into contact with.

Thames Valley Police said the process could "offer a solution when there is no clear course of action open to a statutory agency", such as the police or local authority.

Phyllida Middlemiss, Chair of Trustees for Alternatives to Conflict, said: “Clashes involving noise, parking, pets and boundaries often lead to challenging and offensive behaviours that can cause significant distress to those involved and divert police resources away from preventing serious crimes."

She added that the scheme hoped to reduce the "impact of anti-social behaviours" and "create healthier and more resilient communities".