TODAY Kirklees receives "trailblazer status" to tackle yobbish and other anti-social behaviour.
The council is one of 50 across the country to be named as Together Anti-Social Behaviour Action Areas.
The aim is to get local authorities, police and community groups to work together to take swift action against problems such as intimidation, nuisance neighbours, vandalism, graffiti and rubbish dumping.
Anti-social behaviour co-ordinator Bill Swap said the status was an indication of the hard work which was on-going in the authority to tackle anti-social behaviour.
He said: "There is tremendous goodwill to do all that is possible, although the public may think otherwise."
Mr Swap said Kirklees would now have the support of specialists from across the country to deal with specific subjects.
One area he is particularly keen to address is planning - seeing that housing developments have sufficient amenities within them rather than packing in housing with no green space or recreational space.
Mr Swap works within the Anti-Social Behaviour Unit which was set up in Kirklees 12 months ago.
Its aim is to provide advice, support and guidance to residents of Kirklees and help them with anti-social behaviour issues.
Anti-social behaviour does, of course mean very different things to different people.
Marauding youths in hooded tops causing trouble on the streets is the archetypal image, but Mr Swap said the term could describe anything from dog fouling in rural areas to low-level nuisance by young people on estates.
And as of December last year even loss of light from towering leylandii trees, which have the focus of well-documented neighbour disputes, can be considered anti-social behaviour.
In March 2003, the unit had 87 referrals to deal with and this has risen to 650 cases being looked at to date.
The first Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) in Kirklees was in January 2000 in the Deighton area and this has since expired.
The number of orders made has now risen to 60, but Mr Swap is keen to point out that working between all groups and agencies has helped to stave off more.
Almost 400 complaints have been successfully dealt with, dealing with a whole range of issues from neighbour disputes, young people and dog fouling.
Early intervention is the key with the unit keen to tackle issues at an early stage before it quickly escalates into a full-blown problem and before an ASBO is required.
A range of measures are used including mediation, formal warnings and acceptable behaviour orders before the final step is taken.
Mr Swap said: "A lot of people are crying out for help and they can be the offenders as well as the victims."
FATHER-of-five Stephen Cheshire, was given an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) for playing loud music between 11pm and 7am at his Chickenley home.
It was granted on October 11, 2001, but was discharged this year after his behaviour improved.
His case is believed to be the first in the country to be discharged after a solution was found.
Mr Cheshire, 37, said: "Ours is a noisy household anyway, but I admit to playing my music too loud."
He lives at Syke Ing Close with partner Dawn Bates, 28, and their five children Elisha, 10, Connor, nine, Zack, six, Stevie, three, and six-month-old baby daughter Teana.
Mr Cheshire, a window cleaner, said: "The order was a little bit over the top. I couldn't raise my voice at the children, do noisy car repairs, ride a motorbike on the street, listen to amplified music or watch television in the garden, when the order was made.
"It was only one set of neighbours who complained and they weren't in the adjoining semi to ours.
"They've moved now.
"The situation is a lot better now and there have been no further complaints. The rest of the neighbours are sound."
* Anti-Social behaviour is defined in the Crime and Disorder Act (1998) as:
"Acting in a manner that caused or was likely to cause harrassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household (as the defendant)".
* The Anti-Social Behaviour Unit has an information pack which will help people tackle nuisance, harassment and anti-social behaviour.
Copies can be obtained from the ASB Unit on 01484 416764.
* Do you know who to report your complaint to? Is it the right organisation? Noise nuisance for example should be reported to council environmental health officers not the Anti-Social Behaviour Unit.
* Can you do anything to resolve the issue yourself? Is it possible to talk a problem through with a neighbour?
* Do not put yourself in a confrontational situation.
* The earlier you report an incident the sooner you are likely to achieve an outcome.
* The worst problems to sort out are those that have been going on for years.
* Record the incident for future use - details of an offenders dress, physical description and street name could be useful.
