A new report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary published on Thursday found there were 3.2million incidents of anti-social behaviour recorded in 2011-12 but this was just a "fraction" of the true scale as many people ring the police only as a last resort.

Most people surveyed thought alcohol was to blame for incidents locally, and almost a third thought anti-social behaviour was on the rise.

Four in 10 victims believed they or their families had been targeted personally rather than randomly, on many occasions because of their race, religion, sexuality or disability.

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