Before you report an anti-social problem to another agency, you must first decide whether there is anything you can do to sort out the problem yourself.

Talking to the person causing the nuisance

If the problem is not too serious, talking to the person involved and making them aware that they are causing a nuisance can sometimes be enough to stop the problem. It is possible that the person simply doesn’t realise that what they are doing is disturbing you. When made aware that they are causing a problem, they may be willing to change their behaviour so that the problem stops.

Below are some useful tips to bear in mind when talking to the person causing the problem.

• Try to stay calm and friendly – being aggressive is not going to help
• Explain what the problem is, how you feel and how it affects you
• Listen to the other person and try not to interrupt them when they are talking. Better results can be achieved if people listen as well as talk.
• Try not to shout, even if the other person does
• Try to stay in control and not be abusive
• Having listened to each others views, try to reach an understanding or agreement
• If the person is being unreasonable – leave the discussion

If the problem continues once you have tried speaking to the person responsible OR if the problem is so serious that you don’t want to confront them, you should then report it and seek for further help.