THE leader of a York charity that supports victims of antisocial behaviour has urged Julia Mulligan to help those who suffer repeated incidents.

Jenny Herrera, CEO of ASB Help, said she encouraged the re-elected North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commission to continue supporting victims and said she has "high hopes that ASB victims will get the focus they deserve".

She said: "From the very early stages of our charity’s development, Julia has shown significant interest in our aims of helping and advising ASB victims.

"We were also encouraged that soon after we published the findings of research undertaken in partnership with Victim Support about the level of support for ASB victims across the country, a Victim Unit opened in York to offer victims of crime a single point of contact. We hope that, under Julia’s authority, greater consideration will be given to how ASB victims can be supported within that unit."

Ms Herrera also said the way in which the Community Trigger - a way of demanding a review of their treatment by authorities following repeated incidents - was being used in North Yorkshire "could be greatly improved".

She said: "Let’s not shy away from letting victims know they have support. We hope, under Julia’s watch, that ASB victims will be given all of the information and support they need. After all, they did not choose to be victims of anti-social behaviour and they should not be left to suffer in silence."

Julia Mulligan said she had been told by many residents that tackling ASB was a high priority, and the work of the Community Safety Hub - a partnership between North Yorkshire Police and City of York Council - was proving to be a success.

She said: "We've seen strong results with anti-social behaviour in the city dropping by three per cent over the past year. While that's pleasing to see, we want to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour still further.

"In my office, we regularly get requests for help from the public and provide support to people in getting the Community Trigger process going. It can be extremely effective, but more needs to be done to let people know it's there. I'd therefore like to thank ASB Help and Jenny Herrera for their work in this area."

More information on the Community Trigger process is available from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner on 01423 569562, or at asbhelp.co.uk