Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour Digital Conference

Tracey Burley is Chief Executive Officer with over 20 years’ experience leading organisations across the charity, public, and not-for-profit sectors. Her work has focused on tackling violence, exploitation, and social injustice—particularly through trauma-informed, preventative approaches. 

Most recently, she was Interim Chief Executive at Redthread and has previously held a number of leadership positions including Chief Operating Officer at Stonewall, Europe’s largest LBGT+ rights charity. She has previously led the National Careers Service for the Southwest as well as diversionary and developmental programmes for people on the edge of the justice system. 

Tracey has worked closely with government departments to influence safeguarding and early intervention policy. She brings a deep understanding of the systemic drivers of anti-social behaviour and a commitment to creating safer, more inclusive communities. 

Tracey joined St Giles as Chief Executive Officer in May 2023.  

Cheryl Spruce is the Head of Membership and Community Engagement for Neighbourhood Watch Network, the umbrella charity for Neighbourhood Watch in England and Wales.  One of her key achievements is the implementation and launch of the Community Safety Charter, helping others prevent, recognise, report and support victims of crimes in public spaces, including ASB.  This now has reached over 100,000 people through the 1,000s of organisations, individuals and businesses pledging to support the Charter.

As an active volunteer for community safety in her home area in London, she chairs the Neighbourhood Watch Association, Safer Neighbourhood Board and vice-chairs the Independent Advisory Group.  Delivering workshops and diversionary activities for residents comes second nature to Cheryl, who prides herself on supporting the local community to take positive actions to reduce risks, improve how people feel about where they live and to tackle issues together.

Cheryl has been affected by ASB especially as she lives in the highest deprived area in her borough but is resolved to support her community and help others to achieve a goal of creating a better place to live.

His career in policing spans 28 years, all in Essex, working in roles ranging from patrol constable to custody sergeant, Detective Inspector and then across a range of leadership positions leading geographical policing teams.

In his current role as DCC, Andy is responsible for overall force performance (preventing and detecting crime as well as building public trust and confidence ), promoting professional standards and delivering strategic change and innovation. Much of his work involves working with other agencies both locally and nationally. Andy is the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) lead for tackling anti-social behaviour – a role he is proud to have held since 2019.

Outside work, Andy enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, playing cricket (by his own admission, increasingly poorly), cheering on Manchester United (tough in recent years), and herding his three mad cats.

Chief Superintendent Barrie Joisce is the Newcastle Area Commander overseeing all aspects of Policing for the city centre and adjacent urban areas. Barrie is also the Force lead for Neighbourhood Policing and ASB. Having undertaken Neighbourhood roles at every rank across his 25 year career he is extremely passionate about the impact that Neighbourhood Policing can have tackling ASB and the issues that matter most to our communities. Barrie has overseen the design and implementation of the Forces new Neighbourhood Policing model which recently received a good grading by HMIC in the 2024/25 PEEL inspection and has been at the forefront of developing Northumbria Polices multiagency collocated neighbourhood hub model. Barrie has overseen the introduction of a direct entry Neighbourhood Policing pathway for new recruits, the first of its kind in the country. As the Force problem solving lead Barrie oversaw the development and introduction of a bespoke ASB training package which upskilled Police and Partners to effectively tackle ASB issues.

Louise is a dedicated professional with over 32 years of experience in local government, currently employed by Cumberland Council. With a strong background in environmental health, Louise has been instrumental in driving community-focused initiatives and improving local services across the region. A key achievement includes setting up the first Local Focus Hub in Cumbria—a pioneering project that brought together multiple agencies to tackle anti-social behaviour and support victims. This initiative gained national recognition as a model of best practice, highlighting Louise’s commitment to innovation and collaboration in public service. Throughout her career, Louise has consistently championed integrated working and community wellbeing. Outside of work, she is a keen cyclist and fell walker, often exploring the beautiful landscapes of the Lake District and beyond. Passionate about both professional and personal growth, Louise continues to contribute actively to shaping resilient and inclusive communities.

Caleb Jackson is Head of Change for the Youth Sector at the Youth Endowment Fund, where he works with youth organisations, funders, commissioners, and policymakers to turn evidence into action and improve outcomes for young people at risk of violence. With a degree in Youth and Community Studies and over 15 years’ experience, Caleb began his career at 16 through sports coaching and founded a grassroots football team in North Kilburn. He has coached senior basketball, American football, and supported teams across youth and women’s categories. His youth work includes mentoring young people involved in gangs, running youth clubs, and holding senior leadership roles at a Queen’s Award-winning charity. He has worked across sectors tackling violence, including the Home Office, local government, police, VRUs, housing associations, and safeguarding hubs. Caleb is passionate about amplifying young voices and championing community-led, child-centred approaches to prevent youth violence and exploitation.

Demi has worked in frontline domestic abuse services for many years, beginning her journey as a volunteer in a domestic abuse outreach service. She went on to work at the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, where she supported survivors as a Helpline Advisor and later coordinated and trained volunteers in trauma-informed practice as a Volunteer Coordinator. These roles involved providing direct emotional and practical support to those in crisis, and ensuring volunteers were equipped to respond with empathy and care.

Now, as the Senior Regional Lead for London at DAHA (Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance), Demi works strategically with housing providers and local authorities to improve their response to domestic abuse, embedding best practice and survivor-centred approaches across the sector.

Jim is a passionate ASB Professional who has been working in this field for 30 years.
He worked as a Police Officer for over 20 years. Jim specialised in Neighbourhood Policing with the aim of improving communities. He worked in some challenging areas within the West Midlands and is very proud of his track record.
In 2016, Jim decided to leave policing and specialise in Community Safety. He worked as a Community Safety Manager with a housing association tackling anti-social behaviour and wider community safety issues.
In 2018, Jim moved to become the Anti-Social Behaviour Operational Lead Manager at Stoke-on-Trent City Council. During his time with the council, he transformed the ASB service and has reduced ASB in some areas by up to 50%.
In 2022, Jim moved into the private sector and became Director of Community Safety with RHE Global.
Jim leads on “The Noise App” an app used by over 400 organisations to assist with tackling noise nuisance.

John leads the Anti-Social Behaviour Project at Hertfordshire Beacon Victim Care, providing specialist emotional and practical support as well as advocacy for victims of ASB within Hertfordshire. He also works in partnership with each of the Community Safety Partnerships across Hertfordshire, helping to improve public engagement around ASB and making ASB remedies such as the ASB Case Review more accessible and victim-friendly. John attends all ASB Case Reviews in Hertfordshire, offering practical assistance in preparing impact statements and acting as a victims’ advocate ensuring victims’ wishes and concerns are meaningfully addressed. The valuable work of Beacon’s ASB Project was recently recognized with shortlisted nominations for the Best Practitioner and Best Project awards at Resolve’s annual ASB Awards.

In response to the publication “Living a Nightmare” by Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Newlove and subsequent recommendations from Dame Vera Baird, the County Durham and Darlington Police and Crime Commissioner, Joy Allen, appointed three Victims Champions in 2021—one for victims of crime, one for anti-social behaviour, and one for domestic abuse. Andrea Patterson became the first ever Anti-Social Behaviour Champion bringing a wealth of experience in collaborative teamwork across Local Government agencies.

Andrea joined the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office having dedicated many years to working with multi-disciplinary teams and strategic partnerships in Local Government before transitioning to manage her own business.  Andrea previously served as the Vice-Chair of the Corporate Overview & Scrutiny Management Board at Durham County Council, where she oversaw all scrutiny functions, including Community Safety, and was a member of the North East Combined Authority Scrutiny Board. Up until 2021, Andrea held the position of Cabinet Member for Corporate Services at Durham County Council, working at the highest strategic levels with Government Ministers and Executive Officers.

In her role as ASB Champion, she collects insights from victims to steer the commissioning of services, working alongside policy officers to ensure that these services effectively meet the needs of those impacted by anti-social behaviour. The Anti-Social Behaviour Champion plays a vital role in key strategic boards and engages directly with senior officers, directors, and partners on behalf of the Police and Crime Commissioner. Through fostering these strategic discussions, she aims to influence and improve service delivery, ultimately making a meaningful difference for victims of anti-social behaviour within community safety partnerships.

In a brief period, new exemplary partnerships have emerged, and Andrea has provided the vision from victims’ lived experience to lead new initiatives and drive forward a new joint ASB Strategy, a three-step approach to tackling anti-social behaviour, and a victim-centred case review process, including essential support from Durham’s award-winning Community Peer Mentor Team.

Harvinder Saimbhi is the CEO at ASB Help, a national charity dedicated to the memory of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter, Francecca. ASB Help champions the victims’ voice and Harvinder is extremely passionate about ensuring the victim is placed at the heart of the response when tackling ASB.

Harvinder has worked in the field of community safety for over 25 years and has held several prominent positions in leading work in the field of housing, CCTV services, hate crime and ASB. This was recognised and Harvinder was awarded a lifetime achievement award for inspirational leadership in the areas

After graduating from Manchester University with a Social Science degree, Paula began her career in Housing in 1987 as a Rent Collector for St Helens Council. She has held a number of Officer , Team Leader and Manager roles in a variety of Housing Associations across the North West region . She has worked for One Vision Housing since 2009 where she joined as Community Safety Manager and has been Director of Housing and Customer Services  for the last 11 years and is responsible for Community Safety , Neighbourhood Management , Customer Access , Independent Living and Leasehold and Commercial Property   management. Paula is passionate about the provision of high quality , affordable homes in clean and safe Neighbourhoods.

Steven has over 18 years experience working in specialist ASB positions and currently manages the Community Safety Team at One Vision Housing, who cover in excess of 13,000 properties in the North West.

I have worked within the Housing sector for the last 12 years in a range of front facing and senior positions, including 10 years spent with Clarion and their anti-social behaviour teams. As National Service Lead for ASB and Fraud I oversee the successful implementation of changes nationally to Improve compliance with internal policy and procedures, streamline working practices and implement best practice within the ASB sector.

Specialism

I am proud to have successfully held the appointment as Domestic Abuse Champion Lead for the last three years, alongside my current role. This role compliments my endless reach to improve the lives of our residents and communities, taking a victim centred approach and striving to enhance customers experiences with the housing sector.

Outside of work

My husband and I enjoy chasing after my one year old son and my spaniel on long country walks (preferably to the local pub).

Tracey Burley is Chief Executive Officer with over 20 years’ experience leading organisations across the charity, public, and not-for-profit sectors. Her work has focused on tackling violence, exploitation, and social injustice—particularly through trauma-informed, preventative approaches. 

Most recently, she was Interim Chief Executive at Redthread and has previously held a number of leadership positions including Chief Operating Officer at Stonewall, Europe’s largest LBGT+ rights charity. She has previously led the National Careers Service for the Southwest as well as diversionary and developmental programmes for people on the edge of the justice system. 

Tracey has worked closely with government departments to influence safeguarding and early intervention policy. She brings a deep understanding of the systemic drivers of anti-social behaviour and a commitment to creating safer, more inclusive communities. 

Tracey joined St Giles as Chief Executive Officer in May 2023.