Harassment

Harassment is any deliberate attack suffered by an individual or group because of their race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, illness or appearance.

Harassment may include behaviour such as:

discriminatory behaviour or language
hate crimes
actual or threatened violence
abusive or insulting words or behaviour
actual or threatened damage to another person’s home or possessions
writing threatening, abusive or insulting graffiti or other written material.

Harassment can be one incident or a series of incidents.

I am experiencing harassment. What should I do?

If you are experiencing intimidation, threatened or actual violence contact the Police straight away. You can also contact us to report harassment. Or someone else can contact us to report the harassment for you, if you have asked them to. In an emergency you should contact the emergency services on 999

We are committed to tackling all types of anti-social behaviour, including harassment, and we will be sympathetic and supportive if you tell us that you are being harassed.

You can contact us by phone, email, in person or on our website. We will offer you support and advice when you contact us and can help you to deal with the problem.

What will happen after I report the harassment?

We will agree an action plan with you within two weeks of you reporting the problem. This action plan will include an agreement on how and when we will communicate with you and how we will provide support to you. We will review this action plan once every four weeks. The actions we take will depend on:

the type of behaviour and its impact on you and others
what you would like done
whether the perpetrator is one of our residents
what actions are likely to be most effective.

We will discuss options with you for resolving your particular case. Some options that we will consider are:

providing you with extra security
putting you in contact with other agencies for advice and support
taking legal action against the perpetrator
helping you move home, where this is a realistic option.

What can be done about the harassment?

Committing harassment is a crime and the police are able to take action including:

issuing warnings and cautions against the perpetrator
undertaking criminal prosecutions court action) which may result in a restraining order against the perpetrator or a prison sentence in severe cases.

We will not tolerate harassment. If the perpetrator is a resident of Mole Valley Housing Association, committing harassment is a breach of their tenancy agreement or lease. Some possible legal actions are listed below. We will also consider a range of management interventions or support referrals with the person(s) causing problems before any legal actions.

Injunctions
Anti-social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs)
Possession orders.

If it is necessary to take legal action, we will need good evidence to present to the court. Complainants usually need to attend court and give evidence; we will often ask you to keep a diary of any incidents to use as evidence.

What will happen next?

We will review all open cases after three months and if we feel your case should be closed, we will discuss this with you and explain your options.

If you are a victim of harassment and wish to report it or seek advice on the matter, please contact us:

Tel 01306 505 555
Report Harassment online
Speak to the Neighbourhood Services Team
Speak to the Sheltered Housing Management Team

Confidentiality and Data Protection

Any information you provide to us will remain confidential. We will ask for your permission before discussing the case with other agencies or the perpetrator. In situations where there is a serious risk to you, your family or any other person, we may share information with other organisations such as the Police or the Local Authority.

Useful contacts

Surrey Police

Surrey Police can be contacted on for non emergency incidents on Tel: 0845 125 2222.
If you are being harassed or you have been a victim of a hate crime you should contact the police. You can report a hate crime to Surrey Police on line, in person or anonymously, at the following Surrey Police hate crime support You can also make a third party report if you have witnessed an incident.
If you are suffering harassment and would like to contact your local Police Safer Neighbourhood Team, please click on the following interactive web page for Mole Valley Safer Neighbourhood Police.

Last modified 15/11/11