Being Abused for doing your job? It’s never OK, and it’s never ignored.

Antisocial behaviour (ASB) crime, physical and verbal assaults on customer-facing staff is an unacceptable issue in Manchester city centre.

Following a national trend and asserted by national press coverage, there is a sense that increasingly, staff and business owners are expected to just ‘put up with it’ – suggesting that reporting ASB incidents to the police is ineffective and there is no support or solution available.

CityCo and Manchester City Centre BID (Business Improvement District), along with Greater Manchester Police and Manchester City Council, are committed to working in partnership to tackle ASB and ensure Manchester is a safe place for people who work in the city, residents and visitors.

Authorities would like to reiterate to businesses that there are a number of ways to report workplace abuse and criminality. 

These are issues that no-one working in Manchester city centre should have to experience.

Types of Antisocial Behaviour

An increasing range of Manchester city centre businesses have reported incidents of antisocial behaviour in recent months.

ASB is ‘Conduct that has caused, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to any person.’(ASB, Crime and Policing Act 2014).

For example:

• Repeated abusive language or harassment
• Use or threatened use of violence
• Hate crimes or hate incidents
• Damage to property
• Breaches of Manchester City Centre Public Space Protection Order

Case Study examples of recent ASB incidents at Bar Pop, McDonalds, The Manchester Shop, Nationwide and Primark

How to Report ASB: 1,2,3

Depending on the type of antisocial behaviour and/or workplace crime, there are a 3 actions that all businesses can, and should, take:

1 – Report to the Police (GMP)

2 – Also, report to the Manchester City Council Antisocial Behaviour team (ASBAT)

3 – And, if your business is a member, report to the Manchester Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) 

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1. Report to the Police (GMP)

If an EMERGENCY: Call 999

What is an emergency?

• A serious offence is in progress or just happened
• Someone is in immediate danger of harm
• You need help right away
• The property is in danger of being damaged
• There is the likelihood of a serious disturbance to the public peace

If NOT an EMERGENCY: Report online at gmp.police.uk/ro/report or call 101

What is a non-emergency?

• No threat of harm
• Stable situation and site
• Has happened or might be reoccurring

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2. Also, report to Manchester City Council Antisocial Behaviour Action team (ASBAT)

Call 0161 234 4612, or email asb.action.team@manchester.gov.uk

Case Study examples of ASB reports to ASBAT

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3. And, if your business is a member, report to the Manchester Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP)

Enter on the DISC app, or email bcureporting@cityco.com

Information about the Manchester BCRP

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Details to include in any reporting:

Consider these factors to instruct the appropriate response:

• Name, company name, date, time of incident
• Full details of the incident
• Has violence been used or threatened?
• Is the offender still at the scene or in the immediate area?
• Has anyone been hurt?
• Is anyone vulnerable or at risk of harm at the scene?
• Are drink or drugs involved or suspected?
• Are mental health issues involved or suspected?
• Is there any evidence at the scene?
• Has any stolen property has been recovered or found?

If a person has been detained (by store security for e.g.), the police may also request their name and address. This allows checks to be made, to find out if the person is wanted or a prolific offender.

Inform the agency if the offender is known to your business.

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What happens after you have reported ASB?

By reporting antisocial behaviour and workplace crime in Manchester city centre, a range of actions can take place against perpetrating individuals. These could include:

• Arrest and punishment from the criminal justice system (via Police)
• Offer of Mediation, Restorative Meetings, Warning Interviews and Acceptable Behaviour Agreements (via ASBAT) More details
• Serving of an ASB Civil Injunction, Criminal Behaviour Order or Community Protection Notice (via ASBAT) More details
• Serving of Civil Partnership Exclusion Notices (via BCRP)

Other Support 

If your business is a member of the Manchester Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) there is staff training on offer that could help to assist colleagues:

• Conflict Resolution
• Crime Prevention
• Reducing Loss from Theft

Find out more about the Manchester BCRP and benefits of membership

To enquire about a bespoke staff training session at your workplace, email events@cityco.com

Useful Resources 

Local

• Greater Manchester Police Walk Away campaign
• Transport for Greater Manchester #IsThisOK campaign
• Manchester Women’s Night-Time Safety Charter and training
• Greater Manchester Victims Services

National 

• citizensadvice.org.uk
• tuc.org.uk/harassment-and-abuse
• peoplemanagement.co.uk/protecting-staff
• acas.org.uk/discrimination-and-the-law
• fawcettsociety.org.uk/the-worker-protection-bill-will-become-law

Further Questions

If you have any questions about the above, do email info@cityco.com

Supporting Statements

Sacha Lord, Night-time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, says: “This is a welcome campaign to bring helpful resources together and support teams. Hospitality staff work long and very often, anti-social hours. They are there to serve customers and make sure everyone has a great experience. Please treat all staff the way you’d like to be treated and if you do have that ignorant mate, just tell them…Stop It!”

Greater Manchester Police Superintendent Nicola Williams, says: “GMP fully supports the Stop it! campaign and encourages businesses to make sure staff are aware of all the reporting tools available – calling 999, 101 or using our live chat or online reporting mechanisms. “Community safety and tackling neighbourhood crime are priorities for GMP. Our policing provision in the city centre has grown in recent months, we have more neighbourhood officers on the beat, and are expanding our Neighbourhood Crime Team.”

Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, says: “The Council is committed to working in partnership to tackle anti-social behaviour to ensure Manchester is a safe place for residents, people who work in the city and visitors. The Stop It! campaign is a great way of helping businesses understand how important it is to report incidents and work together to stop unwelcome behaviour.”

Vaughan Allen, Chief Executive of CityCo and Manchester City Centre BID, says: “The rise in antisocial behaviour and aggression towards service staff is causing huge problems in our city centre. The people working in retail, hospitality, banking, and front-of-house are Mancunians – they are our family, our neighbours, our colleagues. They shouldn’t have to face abuse when just doing their jobs.

We want to assure service staff that reporting these issues is important; that it is taken seriously, that action can be taken against perpetrators, and that victims can be supported. We need people to Stop It!”