New information reveals Jesmond’s anti-social behaviour is decreasing yet there remains large amounts of complaints and fines.
Anti-social behaviour in Jesmond: Students collaborating in the street. Image by: Grace Bamforth
Noise complaints are decreasing in North Jesmond significantly more than South Jesmond, according to new data.
A Freedom of Information Act request revealed that between September and October 2022 there was a 39% decrease in noise complaints in North Jesmond, compared with 2023, with only a 12% decrease in South Jesmond.
The data supplied by Public Safety and Regulation at Newcastle City Council showed there was a total of 461 complaints for the last academic year in Jesmond, or around 12 complaints per week. September and October had the highest number of complaints.
Aldo Spagnoli, a permanent North Jesmond resident said: “It might be lower but it’s still too high.”
“I’ve already had two major incidents in the last month and that’s two many more than I should have to put up with,” he added.
Source: PSR Newcastle FOI noise complaints decrease: October and September months students arrive highest for complaints. By: Grace Bamforth
Data requested from Newcastle University under FOI rules revealed there have been 59 student household anti-social behaviour (ASB) complaints made in Jesmond this academic year. Several of these investigations and cases are still ongoing.
Last year the University imposed £4,300 in fines from individual students found to have committed misconduct, the data showed.
Jonathan Scott, a member of the End ASB in Jesmond Facebook group claims students are the main issue. He said: “It’s hard to describe what it’s like but the noise is just relentless.”
“We used to cry before we went to bed because we didn’t know whether we were going to get a full night’s sleep. That affects you mentally,” Scott added.
Information requested from Northumbria Police revealed a total of 4,724 anti-social behaviour incidents occurred in Jesmond over the past three years to October 2023.
In Jesmond and Heaton over the past 12 months there have been a total of 1,364 incidents, with ASB the highest crime.
Spagnoli, the member of Jesmond Life and Leisure group said: “There is a detriment on people. They have to get up to work for the day or take the kids to school whilst the students are partying till four, five in the morning.”
He added: “It’s noise and vomiting in public, broken bottles and glass all over pavements, people urinating in public.”
“We had neighbours from hell. We would have to take our mattress into the front room to sleep because it was so bad” -Scott, resident on Grosvenor Road
Newcastle University fines its students between £30 to £100, depending on levels of misconduct.
Data requested from the university confirmed 140 Jesmond households were subject to complaint about ASB last academic year.
Chris Sutcliffe is a resident on Fern Avenue, the street which holds a welcome party each year for students.
He said: “as a permanent resident you look forward to the quiet spells but then you look forward to it being more active again, so I think we should embrace it.”
Interview with Aldo Spagnoli and Jonathan Scott. Filmed and edited by: Grace Bamforth
The latest month’s data of October 2023 from Northumbria Police showed Jesmond and Heaton have 184 ASB crime reports. Areas which are the worst are HMO concentrated streets.
Sutcliffe explained: “my frustration is more at the people making money out of it. It goes down to at least having a conversation and dialogue with students and trying to overcome and have some sort of means of integrating more.”
Sutcliffe said this integration involves having street parties, but something must be done in the long term to make a difference with students.
Safe Newcastle states ASB can be several things likely to cause nuisance, annoyance, harassment, alarm, or distress to any member of the public which affects someone’s quality of life.
5 Tips to being a better student resident in Jesmond:
- Be quieter and be more aware of your neighbours around you.
- Have common sense: Introduce yourself to other residents and neighbours around you when moving in.
- Think! Would you be anti-social at home and how do you look when doing this behaviour?
- Don’t spoil it for other people around you- Jesmond is not a student campus.
- Turn the noise down in early hours of the morning: people have work so when having parties, close windows, shut doors and turn the music down.
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