A new initiative to give victims of persistent antisocial behaviour (ASB) a voice is being launched by Dacorum Borough Council.

From October 20 the Community Trigger will give residents a way to ask agencies such as the police, the fire service and the council to review how they have responded to complaints of anti-social behaviour.

If a resident reports the same incident of ASB three times in a six month period, and believes that agencies have not made every effort to address the behaviour, they can activate the trigger, requiring agencies to find a solution to the problem.

Councillor Neil Harden, Portfolio Holder for Residents and Regulatory Services, said: "We take anti-social behaviour very seriously and the new Community Trigger will provide an extra safeguard for our residents.

"It means no single agency will be working in isolation as we'll be working together to consider more creative solutions in tackling anti-social behaviour problems.

"But it is not first port-of-call. It is to be used if a resident believes that there has been a failure to respond to their complaint."

If a resident thinks their issue is relevant to the Community Trigger and meets the criteria found at www.dacorum.gov.uk/communitytrigger they will need to fill out the online referral form.