Getting to the heart of communities

The ask is part of this week's Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week 2025 and as the City Council prepares to launch three new community safety hubs.

These hubs will help promote partnership working to tackle ASB and bring together the council, Northumbria Police, community groups and others all under one roof.

Hubs are being prepared for:

• Hendon in Sunderland East
• Pennywell in Sunderland West
• Concord and Sulgrave in Washington.

Similar and successful partnership hub projects in Southwick, Hetton and the city centre are already underway.

Residents can give their views about ASB and other community matters to help shape hub priorities at: www.sunderland.gov.uk/get-sunderland

Leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Michael Mordey said: "This is all about continuing to listen to residents - we know that ASB and crime are concerns for residents, and we want to hear of their experiences in their communities. The views we receive help shape the bigger picture in the fight against ASB and crime, and to making residents feel safer when they are at home, at work, or during their leisure time.

"We have already seen successes in Southwick, Hetton and Easington Lane and in the city centre as projects and hubs have improved community safety and reduced ASB. Now, we're preparing these next steps for the Hendon, Pennywell and Washington hubs."

ASB includes verbal abuse and harassment, or threatening behaviour; and other public nuisances such as rowdy behaviour, public drunkenness, noisy neighbours, and environmental crimes such as littering and fly-tipping, graffiti and vandalism.

Over the last year, incidences of ASB have dropped by around a third in the city centre and Southwick areas, and by a fifth in the Hetton and Easington Lane hub area. Dozens of community protection notices, warnings and acceptable behaviour agreements have also been issued across the three areas

Cllr Mordey added: "Residents have seen real benefits from these projects as the issues that matter to them most are tackled. So we would like to hear more from the three newly identified areas on what and where the ASB concerns are."

Each hub in the newly identified areas will have its own community safety officers, community safety specialists and community engagement lead as well as dedicated police and other partner support. Hubs will be open and running in coming months.

Chief Superintendent Mark Hall, of Northumbria Police, said: "Information from residents is absolutely crucial in building up intelligence about crime fighting and how ASB is dealt with. Similar hubs and projects have been working well elsewhere and expanding this multi-agency partnership with three more hubs and information from the public is going to help us all tackle issues that are important for residents.

"No one should have to deal with criminality happening on their doorstep - this is why it's crucial that we work with members of the public to understand the issues that we need to focus our efforts on.

"Our neighbourhood officers spend their days in the heart of the community, building intelligence around crime patterns and ASB hot-spot areas.

"Thank you to those of you that continue to work with us and provide us with information, we really do value your views and opinions."