The pressure’s on…

Tackling the root causes of anti-social behaviour

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about mindsets. About the shift from disruptive and destructive behaviour to something more constructive and community led.

That sort of shift could be the turning point in tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB).

But let’s be honest: it’s FAR easier said than done.

You don’t change a mindset in isolation. People – especially young people – are shaped by pressures. Some pressures are positive. Some…not so much. I’ve been thinking about that a lot in the past few weeks.

Positive vs. negative pressures

When I think back to being a kid, I wonder if we had more shame or a greater fear of getting caught. For me, the idea of letting people down was enough to keep me in check. A lot of that comes down to parenting, for sure. But it wasn’t just that.

I was busy. Always doing something. Football. Golf. Martial arts. Theatre. Dance. Here there and everywhere!

But it kept me grounded – and accountable. I had teammates, coaches, parents, clubs. People who’d notice if I wasn’t where I was supposed to be, or I got up to something stupid.

It wasn’t just that I didn’t have time to loiter or mess about. I had something to lose.

And that’s the big difference I’m seeing now: a lot of young people don’t feel like they do. Makes me wonder: have we created a space where kids feel disconnected?

Where their moral compass is less tuned to “what will this cost me” and more to “what can I get away with”?

These are challenging times for families, and children are seemingly being left to their own devices more. And the cost of keeping kids occupied – from sports kits to club fees – can be prohibitive. So where do they go?

Shopping centres have become a kind of playground. You see it all the time – packs of teenagers, bouncing between shops, chasing laughs and cheap thrills. They’re not necessarily there to cause trouble. But the group dynamics, the boredom, the online hype – it’s a perfect cocktail for bad decisions.

Compare that to a football pitch or drama club or boxing gym.

There’s structure. Discipline. A shared purpose. But those things aren’t always easy to access. Maybe that’s the crux: the free options aren’t available enough, and the available options aren’t free enough.

Root causes and why they matter

Pressures, boredom, passing the time – these are all parts of the root system feeding the issue of ASB. And roots are messy. They twist around everything. You can’t just prune the leaves and hope for the best. That’s why enforcement alone will never be enough. We’re not going to police this away.

That said, there are signs of hope. The government’s move to put 13,000 police officers into neighbourhood roles is positive. It creates some breathing room for us in the security world. It gives us a chance to shift our focus away from just responding, and towards being more proactive – driving engagement, building community links, creating those positive pressures from the inside out.

Because it’s not just about summer holiday mischief. Yes, summertime is a peak period – kids out later, lighter nights, school out. We’ve seen it firsthand. But there’s another side to ASB. For people dealing with addiction, illness, or financial strain, the darker nights of winter become equally (if not more) volatile.

So while we can’t change the seasons, we can put things in place year-round to help communities understand each other better, and all pull in the same direction.

That’s exactly what we’re trying to do…

Our STEP UP initiative at ASEL is all about supporting communities affected by anti-social behaviour. We’re not just putting officers on the ground (though we are ramping up intelligence-led patrolling). We’re committed to tackling issues head-on, including closer collaboration with store teams, local police, councils, and youth services educating young people about the consequences and preventing future incidents before they escalate.

Because this isn’t about sending in more boots. It’s about being smarter. More joined-up. More compassionate – without losing control.

And look… we know it won’t be perfect. In fact, we’re prepared to fail. Again and again, if we have to. Because, to borrow the Thomas Edison mindset: every failed attempt is just one more way we now know doesn’t work. And that’s still progress.

We’re underway!

The Durham and Bristol schemes of STEP UP are now live, which is incredibly exciting. Here’s what we’re tackling: 

• Groups causing disturbances in stores
• Loitering at entrances, exits, and car parks
• Persistent, high-impact incidents, particularly in the evenings and after school

These things affect how safe colleagues feel at work. They shape customer confidence. And they interrupt the day-to-day rhythm of operations.

If we get this right, we’ll see safer, more welcoming spaces for retailers and customers. We’ll instil a newfound confidence in teams when it comes to handling tricky behaviour.

But more than that, we’ll help shift the pressures themselves.

Because that’s really the goal: taking those negative aimless, sometimes harmful pressures – boredom, disconnection, group hype – and replacing them with positive ones. Structure. Accountability. Community. Purpose.

Most importantly, by bringing retailers, police, security officers, community organisations, parents and schools around the same table, we’re creating the kind of joined up approach that can sustain those positive pressures over time. That’s what tackling root causes really means. It’s not just about managing behaviour in the moment – it’s about changing the environment that feeds it.

That’s the dream.

Rosie Barron

Account Director