Mencap responds to HMIC report 'Policing anti-social behaviour: The public perspective'

Thursday 23 September 2010

Mark Goldring, Mencap's chief executive, said:

"The tragic death in 2007 of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter started with anti-social behaviour. This report shows that lessons have not been learnt and sadly this is not an isolated case. At Mencap we frequently hear from people with a learning disability who feel like prisoners in their own homes because they are too scared to leave.

"Tackling anti-social behaviour needs to be seen as a priority and steps must be put in place to ensure that action is taken when people with a disability are repeatedly harassed. Nobody should feel unsafe and under attack in their own home. If anti-social behaviour is taken as seriously as hate crime, and police forces log and analyse calls in a way that flags repeat cases quickly, this would help avoid such tragedies in the future."

ENDS

For more information please contact Jenny Brannan on 020 7696 6017 or 020 7696 5414. Out of hours please call 07770 656 659.

Notes to editor

Key findings from the report relating to disability:

• Anti-social behaviour is more likely to have an impact on the quality of life for people with a disability or long term health condition
• Only 13 out of 43 police forces surveyed were able to identify repeat and vulnerable victims at the time of their call
• Only 17 out of 43 police forces surveyed gathered and analysed data in an effective way

• About Mencap

Mencap supports the 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK and their families and carers. Mencap fights to change laws and improve services and access to education, employment and leisure facilities, supporting thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.

We are also one of the largest providers of services, information and advice for people with a learning disability across England, Northern Ireland and Wales. See http://www.mencap.org.uk/ for more information.

• About learning disability

A learning disability is caused by the way the brain develops before, during or shortly after birth. It is always lifelong and affects someone's intellectual and social development. It used to be called mental handicap but this term is outdated and offensive. Learning disability is NOT a mental illness. The term learning difficulty is often incorrectly used interchangeably with learning disability.