More than 3300 anti-social behaviour incidents were recorded in South Lanarkshire last year – an average of nine every day – according to a new report. Police recorded 3347 anti-social behaviour offences in 2025/26, a 17 per cent increase on the previous year.
Report to be presented to councillors
The figure was revealed in the Annual Review of the South Lanarkshire Anti-social Behaviour Strategy 2024 to 2029, which will be presented to councillors at the council’s executive committee next week. The increase is ringing alarm bells, but last year’s stats are still 11 per cent below the baseline figure of 3462 incidents per year when the strategy was first introduced.
The report states: “Police Scotland state the main factors contributing to the rise include an increase in threatening and abusive behaviour, racially aggravated crimes, licensing offences, and drinking in public.
“To tackle the increase, Police Scotland have put in place high-visibility patrols in hotspot areas, delivered licensed premise visits, and ensure daily scrutiny of all hate crimes, most of which are against police officers, to ensure all necessary resources are allocated to investigations.
“Data will continue to be monitored to identify whether this is a short-term increase or the beginning of a longer-term trend.”
Noise complaints and mediation
Noise nuisance is also a persistent problem across the region, with the council receiving 2476 complaints during 2025/26. Of those, 948 required a visit from officers to assess noise levels on the ground. While the number of complaints has risen slightly compared to the previous year, it remains 10 per cent lower than the baseline figure recorded in 2022/23 – and the number requiring an officer visit is 16 per cent lower than that same baseline.
To help resolve disputes without formal enforcement action, the council’s environmental health noise team made 74 referrals for mediation during the year. The approach has proved particularly effective in cases involving unintentional noise in flatted and four-in-a-block properties, where residents have sometimes been unaware of the impact they were having on neighbours.
Performance indicators and other highlights
The anti-social behaviour review covers six key areas and shows that 94 per cent of the 36 performance indicators are on track, up from 91 per cent the previous year. No indicators were rated red, meaning no areas of major concern were identified.
Other highlights from the review include a 13 per cent reduction in deliberate refuse fires and a three per cent fall in fly-tipping. On alcohol and drugs, Police Scotland school liaison officers delivered workshops to 1715 young people on the risks of drug use.
The third annual review of the strategy, covering 2026/27, will be presented to the executive committee in autumn 2027.
