Noisy neighbours, vandalism, and physical threats are just a few examples of the types of anti-social behaviour (ASB) that police in Bolton are cracking down this week.
As part of anti-social week of action, Bolton News reporter, Liam Milton, was invited to join the cops' Neighbourhood Team out on the beat, tackling the issue head-on.
Here's what he found out inside the heart of Bolton's neighbourhood force...
"Right, we're off out," the green light had been given and we were heading down one of Bolton Police Station's many corridors.
The plan: get in a marked car, carry out a few notices/warnings at addresses in Bolton, and keep an eye out for any mischief.
I sat in the back of the force's Toyota Corolla - an honour usually only bestowed to people on the wrong side of the law - and we pulled out onto the 'streets' of Bolton.
In the vein of a real hard-hitting reporter, I asked one of the officers if they are allowed to listen to the radio while on shift.
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"Yeah yeah, I'll usually have it on if I'm patrolling on my own," he replied.
After that light-hearted insight into the work life of an officer, it was time to get to serious business.
We were on our way to an address in Farnworth where, allegedly, stones had been thrown at a house and a dispute was active between neighbours.
Officers were heading there to issue a Community Protection Warning, in an attempt to ease the tension.
It was all dealt with calmly and we were on our way again.
The biggest threat so far had turned out to be from kids lining the road contemplating whether to chuck a snowball at us driving past.
Each time we passed a group of schoolchildren walking home, anticipation filled the car as to whether they would take the chance; it provided some joviality to the officers' arduous tasks.
As the patrol around Farnworth continued, the sun began to set - and we were on our way to the next job.
An address at Ellesmere Walk, Farnworth, has been accused of constantly having people entering and leaving, causing distress to neighbours who were being kept up at night.
The plan was to notify the tenant that nobody except him could be inside the property.
The order prohibits anyone other than the sole occupant from being present in the property. This also includes the gated area immediately in front of the address
One by one, around ten people and a Highland terrier were cleared.
There were a few complaints about being kicked out of the home they were at for the evening, and into the cold evening wind.
Although, stood away from the action, I didn't envy the officers one bit.
"I get all the glamourous jobs as you can see," one said while painstakingly clip-tying multiple notices to the person's fence with his freezing fingers.
Hollywood would have you imagine the police are out constantly - but "playing out", as the force calls it, isn't the majority of their work.
For instance, one of the items of paperwork needed to enforce notices was 203 pages long, each needing to be printed back at the station.
Even the admin work needed for one theft can take up a lot of time.
I found a new level of admiration for their work, not only for habitually putting themselves in harm's way on a daily basis but also for having the patience to deal with the sheer paperwork.
To add to that, they require the courtesy and patience of a customer service worker times ten, to carry out their work.
Just spending a few hours in their shoes alters your perception of the job dramatically.
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