‘It's that antisocial’ anti-social behaviour (ASB) advertisement campaign

The aim of ‘It's that antisocial’ is to:

• provide the public with the trust and confidence to report ASB
• deliver an advertisement campaign that reaches under-reported areas and the wider Thames Valley region

The intended outcomes of ‘It's that antisocial’ are to:

• increase the force’s knowledge of ASB across Thames Valley
• increase the number of reports of ASB in under-reported areas
• improve public trust and confidence in policing

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) PEEL inspection report identified that Thames Valley Police needed to investigate why they had consistently recorded low levels of ASB in comparison to other police forces in England and Wales. This was despite survey data suggesting that there were similar levels of ASB as other forces. To understand how and when ASB was being reported, Thames Valley Police launched the ‘It’s that antisocial’ campaign.

Planning and designing ‘It’s that antisocial’

At the start of the planning stage of the campaign, a neighbourhood communications officer looked at the following research:

• resolve’s YouGov survey
• Thames Valley Police ASB survey conducted by local neighbourhood policing teams
• Thames Valley hotspot data and ASB report data to locate the areas with the lowest number of reports

Once the research was collated, the local neighbourhood policing teams were contacted to discuss if there were issues with ASB in those areas and if so, the most common types. The ASB lead and neighbourhood tactical advisor were also consulted to ensure that the force were 
targeting under-reported areas.

The campaign graphics were designed by Milton Keynes College students. The graphic design students were given a brief to design a campaign encouraging the public to report incidents of ASB. They were given a talk on ASB by the local neighbourhood sergeant. During the design process the students were encouraged to conduct user research with their family, friends as well as other students. The final design was chosen by the neighbourhood communications officer, communication officer, and strategic communication manager. The design was modified by Thames Valley Police’s graphic designer and DigiDeli (agency) to suit different platforms.

'It's that antisocial’ campaign

Phase one of the campaign launched from 1 to 28 February 2025, with a focus on increasing the public’s understanding of ASB. The campaign focused on advertising on advertising on the following platforms:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Snapchat
• Heart radio

Phase two of the campaign launched from 28 July to 15 September 2025 which consisted of advertising on the following platforms:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Snapchat
• TikTok
• Spotify
• buses (internal and external)
• phone boxes
• digital screens local publications

Signage and merchandise (posters, pens and stickers) were also purchased as part of phase two, to enable officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) to promote the campaign at events. The posters were also offered and sent to local community safety teams at councils. 

The following key messages were promoted during both campaigns:

• report to protect your community
• ASB can have a huge impact on lives, the force want you to know what ASB is, how it can affect people, and how to report it
• encourage the reporting of ASB incidents, either by Thames Valley Police’s website or 999 if there is an emergency

The campaign phases have been designed to reach a wide age range. This has encouraged Thames Valley Police to use a range of platforms and approaches that has not been previously used. Snapchat and TikTok were key in delivering communications to younger audiences, which are typically difficult for police forces to reach. Thames Valley Police had not used Snapchat advertising prior to this, it was a completely new approach that proved to be successful in phase one and utilised again in phase two. In phase two, TikTok was added as a trial to see if the force could expand the to reach with a younger audience.

Local publications and traditional media outlets were used to reach audiences who spend less time online. Where local publications were utilised, magazines were delivered directly to residents within the target areas. Both methods were used to share information about the overarching campaign, its aims and reaffirm Thames Valley Police’s commitment to tackling ASB. Through this method, the adverts were directly delivered to approximately 130,000 homes.

Bus and phone box adverts (both internal and external) were designed to reach those driving and on foot within the target areas. Digital screens were utilised in town centres, where there was already high footfall.

Approximately 62% of Spotify listeners worldwide have a standard account which includes advertisement breaks therefore Spotify advertising was used in place of radio advertising during phase two.

The digital and radio aspect of the campaign including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Radio (Global) and Spotify were managed by a digital agency, DigiDeli. The remainder of the advertising was managed in-house, by the neighbourhood communications officer who directly contacted and managed advertisers. The public relations element of the campaign was managed in house by communications officers.

Funding

The campaign was successful in two bids for funding form the Home Office’s Hotspot Action Fund. Phase two received £50,000 of funding from the Home Office for the financial year 2024/25. Phase two received £60,000 of funding from the Home Office for financial year 2025/26.

An evaluation report was published in October 2025 by Thames Valley Police. 

The evaluation used quantitative methods to measure if targets had been reached and the impact of the using the different platforms. 

The aim of the campaign was to see a 10 % increase in ASB reports during phase one and a 15% increase during phase two, compared to the same periods in 2024.

Increase reports across target areas:

• 186 crimes or incidents of ASB were reported in February 2024. During phase one, 195 reports recorded in February 2025, this equated to a 4.8% increase in reports compared to the same period in 2024.
• 231 crimes or incidents of ASB were reported in August 2024. During phase two, 369 reports recorded in August 2025, this equated to a 59.7% increase in reports compared to the same period in 2024.

In phase one the force did not achieve the reporting target. The campaign was initially run in winter, which data shows has the lowest number of incidents of ASB occur, therefore the impact was delayed. During the period from 1 March to 30 June 2025, there was an increase in reports by 31.4% in comparison to the same period in 2024.

In phase two, the force exceeded the reporting target. This was due to the increase in funding, and therefore an increase in advertising in the follow on from phase one.

The overarching aim was to reach half of the population in the targeted areas. The population in target areas is approximately 380,000 and for the whole of region Thames Valley is approximately 2.34 million. During phase one, there were 7.2m impressions on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat as well as approximately 1.06m impacts (308,000 reach) from radio advertisements. In comparison in phase two, there were 8.6m impressions across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat as well as 760,000 impressions on Spotify.

‘It’s that antisocial’ has made a positive impact in raising awareness and encouraging reports of antisocial behaviour across Thames Valley, even beyond the target areas. 

Initial research highlighted a lack of trust in police response and public understanding of what constitutes as ASB. Through targeted messaging and engagement, the campaign has significantly improved awareness, with a 139% increase in web sessions on the reporting form.

This shift in awareness has encouraged behaviour change in the public. There has been a nearly 60% increase in the number of reports in targeted areas compared to the previous year. This indicates that residents feel more confident in both identifying and reporting incidents.

The campaign has not only increased visibility and understanding but has also helped rebuild public trust in Thames Valley Police’s commitment to tackling ASB in partnership with local agencies. The continued engagement from neighbourhood policing teams will be key to building community trust and confidence.

• Thames Valley Police will continue to use a mix of digital and traditional media methods to promote ‘It’s that antisocial’. If the force receive further funding, it will invest the campaign into high-performing platforms such as TikTok and Spotify.
• The force will align future advertising with seasonal trends to maximise relevance and impact. For example, focus on “It’s that risky” during October and November to target fireworks misuse.
• Thames Valley Police will replicate this campaign and where possible scale for other types of crime, utilising the insights from ‘It’s that antisocial’.
• It is essential to sustain engagement using ongoing storytelling and community feedback to maintain momentum and reinforce public trust in police response. It is important to ensure neighbourhood policing teams have confidence to share local good news stories where they have tackled antisocial behaviour effectively.