Reports of anti-social behaviour have dropped across Kent, but is still an issue for some towns.

The latest statistics reveal 15,649 reports were made to the force in 2024, which is 8% down on the previous year.

Tonbridge and Malling had the biggest drop, with offences falling from 1,057 to 705 over the same period, a drop of 353 incidents, or a 33% decrease.

Despite the borough seeming to be tackling the issue the best, Cllr Des Keers assured people they were not resting on their laurels.

The cabinet member for communities said: “We know that there are people out there suffering in silence.

“I can assure anyone affected by ASB that we will use all the resources at our disposal to take action against those responsible and to safeguard our communities.”

During last summer, when most incidents occur, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council employed a specific team of wardens to visit hotspots.

Gravesham and Tunbridge Wells councils also saw big percentage falls.

The official definition of anti-social behaviour is: behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to persons not of the same household.”

That covers a wide-range of offences such as verbal abuse, intimidation, threatening behaviour, vandalism, fly-tipping, uncontrolled animals, nuisance involving vehicles, excessive noise, and others.

This kind of behaviour can have a big impact on people and businesses.

Locals in Thanet have launched a petition to try and stop the drinking and threatening behaviour from people in Northdown Road in Cliftonville.

While the district has seen a drop of 6% over the two years, the story for people living on the road paints a different picture.

One business owner, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, fears the behaviour is going to ruin the high street.

He said: "In the last four to six weeks there's definitely been a decline in the amount of footfall walking down Northdown Road.

"The phone hasn't been ringing as much since this has been broadcasted and people have been begging and living near to our shops.

"I just think that with everything that's been going on, people are just avoiding the area.

"I believe there is plenty of shelter in Thanet, but they won't take addicts in so these people have got nowhere to go.

"They seem to feel that giving them a tent is enough to house them.

"I appreciate not all of them want to be helped, but we can't have them just sleeping rough, on the streets, begging for money, defecating down the street and doing as they wish.

"That just brings the whole area down and people don't want to come here.

"We just won't have a Northdown Road. It will just, just die like most high streets."

Cabinet member for neighbourhoods, Cllr Heather Keen, said: “We recognise that concerns have been raised by residents around issues related to antisocial behaviour in and around Northdown Road. We are working closely with Kent Police, who have stepped up their presence in the area, to tackle these issues.

“The needs of people who are sleeping outside, or in tents can often be complex. The council actively engages with people known to be sleeping rough and works hard to encourage them into safe accommodation and provides additional help through partner services.

“Our Community Safety team can be contacted about ongoing antisocial behaviour using our online form.

“The council can be contacted about fly-tipping, which is illegal and can lead to a £1,000 fixed penalty notice. Streetscene enforcement officers work every day to tackle this illegal activity.

"There is CCTV in known hotspots across the district. Residents can report fly-tipping using our online form: thanet.gov.uk/fly-tipping/ ”

Last November, the campaign group Resolve issued research carried out on its behalf by YouGov.

It found that more than one in four people nationally feel unsafe where they live, while 14% said ASB had impacted their mental health, and 15% said that ASB has made them not want to go to their local shop.

According to Resolve, more than one in 10 people say they experience anti-social behaviour at least once per week.

The chief executive of Resolve, Rebecca Bryant, said: “Left unresolved, anti-social behaviour devastates the lives of victims, wreaks havoc on communities and can often be a precursor to more serious crime.

“It is therefore sadly no surprise that most people think more needs to be done to tackle ASB.”

Maidstone has also seen the biggest rise in reports of anti-social behaviour, which has soared by 28% from 1,374 to 1,766.

Cllr Dave Naghi is the cabinet member for community cohesion at Maidstone council. He said: “Our community protection team and Kent Police work closely together to address issues of ASB.

“The team actively encourages people to report all incidents and the rise in reported cases could reflect this work.”

Chief inspector for Maidstone, Stuart Paul, said: “In Maidstone, my officers and I are very aware of the impact regarding nuisance off-road motorcycles and quad bikes in and around residential areas, and we have adopted a proactive, high visibility policing approach which not only ensures our officers are on hand to enforce the law and effectively deter those intent on causing problems, but also encourages increased reporting of offences.

“We also use intelligence-led information to identify and effectively patrol specific antisocial behaviour hotspots in Maidstone.

“This targeted approach has led to some encouraging results.

“For example, hotspot enforcement in Fant last September led to a reduction in offences of almost 70 per cent, compared with the previous months.

“Challenging antisocial behaviour within our communities remains key to cutting crime and ensuring that residents, and also shopkeepers, feel safe.

“It is also encouraging to see after last year’s statistics that there has been an 8% drop in ASB crime reports for Maidstone in January, compared with January 2024.

“This robust response to offenders is unwavering and we hope to continue creating improvements to the quality of life for people in the communities we serve.’

How have you been affected by anti-social behaviour? Comment below.