EVENTS

crn

MAR 2005
dates
10-11 March
Violence Prevention: from global perspectives
to national action
Location: Liverpool
This major conference, sponsored by the World Health
Previous issue
To obtain copies of back issues of CRN
call 0870 241 4680, fax 0870 241 4786
or email homeoffice@prolog.uk.com
Please give your name, address and job title, as
crime reduction news

Organization and the Violence Prevention Alliance, aims to well as specifying which issue you would like.
promote a multi-agency approach to violence prevention in
the UK. It brings together international and national BEST SUPPORTING ROLE
expertise on a wide range of violence prevention issues.
For further information visit www.preventviolence.info DECEMBER 2004
● Prostitution in focus – finding
Sexual Assault Referral
or call Andrea Hutchinson on 0151 231 4387
solutions to help those involved Centres in focus
in prostitution
15 March ● ISSPs – Intensive Supervision
The Future of Policing: Exploring the
Extended Police Family
and Surveillance Programmes
get tough on causes of crime
THE SPECIALISTS
Location: University of Leicester ● Sporting chances – giving Pushing the boundaries
This conference will focus on the implications of such the youngsters a stake in their
expanding police family, looking at issues such as: the level community through sport of science and technology
of police control; the role the extended police family ● Illegal money lending – tough
partners; use of skills and effective partnerships; the role of measures take the loan sharks
the private security industry. For more information to task
call 0116 2217775, email conferences@perpetuitygroup.com
SEPTEMBER 2004
● Race crime – creating an equal
5 April
Community Cohesion: 1005 and Beyond
society free from racially-
motivated crime
Location: Savoy Place (IEE), London ● Student victimisation –
This one-day conference will examine the Government- Lessons on how to keep
wide Community Cohesion and Race Equality strategy and crime down on campus
the implications of other key developments. It will also ● Violent crime – time to take
consider the development of effective relationships a tough stance on violence
between national and local government. For more ● Persistent offenders – new
information contact www.neilstewartassociates.com/se166 measures to break the cycle of
crime among prolific offenders

7 June
Meeting Drug Treatment Needs: Innovative Strategies
JUNE 2004
● Alcohol and crime – tackling
for Quality, Accessible Services the rise in alcohol-fuelled
Location: London street crime
Drug treatment agencies, healthcare professionals, Drug ● Partnership power – the
Action Teams, commissioners and service providers will importance of working
convene to look at innovative strategies to reduce drug with community partners
addiction and improve treatment. Call 020 7324 4330 ● Organised crime – tough
or email nicole.jackson@neilstewartassociates.co.uk new measures to stamp

Looking ahead
out organised crime

Contact If you have been involved in a project that
other practitioners could learn from, please get in touch.
Email us at: crimereductionnews@justcomm.net or
write to us at: Crime Reduction News,
76-80 Southwark Street,
London SE1 0PN
● Women offenders – the
reduction of female
prisoners in focus
Back issues are also available online. Tackling drugs: cleaning up communities and
Visit www.crimereduction. gov.uk/crn.htm
helping offenders face a drug-free future
CONTENTS UPDATE

Welcome Drugs destroy the lives of users, cause crime

and fear of crime in local communities and
undermine the very fabric of society. It is a global problem that requires tough
international and domestic law enforcement while effective practical solutions are
needed to help users break the destructive habit and communities feel safe. In this
issue’s Special Report we look at the strategies that are in place to tackle drugs and
find out how Drug Testing and Treatment Orders are helping users rebuild their lives.
update
ALSO INSIDE CRIME & DISORDER ACT REVIEW, INTELLIGENCE-LED POLICING
OPERATION CRACK DOWN, AIRWAVE RADIO TECHNOLOGY

Victims of sexual crimes need help to rebuild their lives, too. We hear how the safe
and supportive environment of Sexual Assault Referal Centres (SARCs) is helping
victims face up to their ordeal and bring perpetrators of crime to justice.
In addition, we look at the effective campaigns that are helping youngsters enjoy the
Securing a safer
freedom of mobile phone technology without falling victim to crime and hear about
the cutting-edge work of the Police Scientific Development Branch who help to crack
crime and keep frontline officers one step ahead of criminal activity.
night-time economy NEWS
IN BRIEF
LDMs improve
communication
The Crime Reduction News team Four local delivery
managers were appointed
last spring to improve the

Inside… Plus...
working relationship
between the Home Office
and agencies in four key
areas around the country.
Angela McGuiness

News Features Special report 11-14 (Bradford), Amobi Modu

(Nottingham), Louise
3 Protecting the night-time economy 8 Leading the way Dominian (Hammersmith
and Fulham) and Linda
4 Cleaner, safer communities Sexual Assault Referral Centres Derrick (Manchester and
help victims of sexual crimes
5 Cartoon thieves in PR campaign Salford) spend half of their

6 Sustainable Communities Award

16 Taking stock time in their areas, working
with the agencies that are
A Yorkshire community strikes
7 Operation Crackdown back to prevent cattle rustling
connected to Home Office
projects, such as the police,
8 SOCA takes shape 17 Back to the beat local authorities, the
voluntary sector and crime
22 Volunteering update Effective neighbourhood policing
and disorder reduction
18 We have the technology… partnerships.
How cutting-edge technology is “An important part of it is
communicating better,” said
helping to crack crime
Regulars 20 Safe and sound Tackling drugs The recent extension of late-night drinking laws has The key points give wide-ranging advice, such as
Greg Dyche, the former
project manager. “The
10 How to... Targeted mobile phone initiatives ● Cleaning up communities, improving lives
brought the problem of alcohol-related disorder and using dispersal orders for areas where there are communication needs to
...reduce robbery crime to the public arena, provoking strong reactions persistent anti-social behaviour problems and also go in both directions.”
are helping youngsters stay safe
● Tough new laws and Government action A fifth local delivery
15 Comment 21 A boost for safer communities
from communities and officers on the front line. targeting patrols of Special Constables, CSOs and
manager is being appointed
Counselling helps to prevent ● Long-term solutions to stop reoffending To address the issue, the Home Office announced a wardens at peak demand. It also advises discouraging to work on various Home
New How to Guides and Academy days
drink-related offending ● Case studies of users seeking help
consultation on Responsible Drinking (see www.home premises from running happy hours and irresponsible Office and Office of the
get tough on troubled town centres
office.gov.uk/docs4/consult_alcohol.html), which drink promotions, and says regular visits to licensed Deputy Prime Minister
will result in the introduction of new powers to crack premises running regular promotions like this projects with agencies in
East Lancashire.
down on alcohol-related offences. Conclusions from should be carried out. For more information on A conference was held
FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO CRN SEND YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS BY EMAIL: CRIMEREDUCTIONNEWS@MMCLTD.COM
the consulation process are now being drawn and tackling alcohol-related crime and disorder see the last month to bring the
POST: CRN, PO BOX 102, ALDERSHOT, HAMPSHIRE GU12 4GX FAX: 01252 669670 FOR BACK ISSUES CALL: 0870 241 4680 night-time economy (NTE) guidance will be report Violent Crime – Tackling Violent Crime in managers, Home Office
published at the end of March. the Night-Time Economy at staff and representatives
MANAGING EDITOR LUCY RYAN SUB EDITOR MARY COOCH TEL 020 7324 8089 EMAIL CRIMEREDUCTIONNEWS@JUSTCOMM.NET To help practictioners tackle the problem the Home www.policereform.gov.uk/psu/index.html. from the different agencies
ART DIRECTOR STEVEN PRICE PRODUCTION MANAGER LOUISE MUSTOE ASSOCIATE EDITOR (HOME OFFICE COMMUNICATION in the four areas up to date
Office has also produced a series of key points to help For copies of Lessons from the Summer 2004 on what has happened so
DIRECTORATE) LOUISE BROWN PUBLISHED FOR THE HOME OFFICE COMMUNICATION DIRECTORATE JUST 76-80 SOUTHWARK
STREET, LONDON SE1 0PN WWW.JUSTCOMM.NET crime and disorder reduction partnerships tackle Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign email: far and what the plan is for
NETWORK

crime and disorder problems. amec@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk the future.

ALAMY

2 Crime Reduction News Crime Reduction News 3

UPDATE UPDATE

CRIME Crime keeps falling NEWS

STATISTICS BCS FIGURES REFLECT LONG-TERM TREND IN BRIEF
A better deal
rime in England and Wales continues to fall, KEY FIGURES for victims
C according to the latest findings of the British Crime
Survey published in January. The survey reports
that the the risk of being a victim of crime, at 25 per cent,

Total crime
BCS crime is down 11 per cent.


Gun crime
Fall of five per cent in serious injuries.
Something to shout about and witnesses
Measures to encourage

is the lowest in more than 20 years. Overall, crime fell by Police recorded crime is down six Fall of nine per cent in threats. The Home Office’s Acquisitive Crime Reduction Campaign saw actors victims and witnesses to give
11 per cent in the year ending September 2004, compared per cent.
Fall of 15 per cent in use of handguns. dressed up as cartoon thieves hammering the message home at railway evidence at court were
with the previous year. Police recorded crime figures  Increase of five per cent in overall stations during morning and evening rush hour. Using megaphones announced by Constitutional
Affairs Secretary Lord
dropped six per cent in the period July-September 2004 Domestic burglary firearms offences. they urged commuters to keep the temptations of newly acquired
Falconer in December.
as compared with the same quarter in the previous year.
BCS fell by ten per cent.* Christmas presents (mobiles, laptops, iPods, etc) hidden. The activity They include ensuring that

Police recorded crime fell 23 per cent. Vehicle crime was focused in the ten Street Crime Initiative Areas. by 2008 all Crown Court
Encouraging results
BCS fall of 14 per cent. The leaflet that supports the Acquisitive Crime Reduction Campaign, buildings and 90 per cent of
magistrates’ courts have
The drop in crime figures is part of a long-term trend that Robbery
Police recorded vehicle crime ‘Keep it Hidden. Keep it Safe. Keep it Locked’, is available to order, free
separate witness facilities
began in the mid-1990s. Violent crime, for example, has
Police recorded crime fall of fall of 17 per cent. of charge. It contains advice and tips on how to reduce the risk of
for victims and prosecution
fallen 36 per cent since its peak in 1995. Police recorded 18 per cent. robbery, burglary and vehicle crime. For copies telephone Prolog on witnesses. Video links will
violent crime increased by six per cent over the last year, Victimisation rate 0870 241 4680, quoting ACR1 or ACR1W (Welsh version). also be made available to
reflecting the better recording of domestic violence, sex Violent crime
The BCS shows the risk of being a 75 per cent of magistrates’
offences and ‘low level’ thuggery and the police service’s
BSC fall of nine per cent.* victim of crime remains historically courts and increased to 27
in Crown Court centres.
increased compliance with new recording standards.  Police recorded increase of low at 25 per cent. The use of special measures
There was a five per cent drop in serious injuries caused six per cent. such as video links to protect
by firearms, and a 15 per cent fall in the use of handguns.
However, firearms offences rose by five per cent.
There have been significant
changes to the way violent crime
*Not statistically significant, so stable
Taking crime in hand New offence witnesses in anti-social
behaviour cases will also
Home Office Minister Hazel Blears was encouraged
by the latest figures that show a continuing reduction in
is recorded by the police, with
recording changes in 2002 adding
As part of the Acquisitive Crime Reduction campaign a life-size now in force be extended. The propopals
form part of a broader
mock ‘hand’, was distributed to three million households in 15 high Strategic Plan for Criminal
crime levels and the fear of crime in local communities: 23 per cent to recorded crime burglary areas in January 2005. The impactful style is designed to From March, causing or allowing Justice.
“We know from recent research from business crime figures. Much of what is recorded be a novel way to alert householders to the potential threat of the death of a child or vulnerable For more information visit:
and youth victimisation that patterns of crime reflect as violent crime involves little or thieves ‘fishing’ keys and other valuables through letterboxes adult is an offence under the www.dca.gov.uk/dept/
patterns shown in the British Crime Survey and that the no physical injury to the victim. and to highlight the importance of keeping your home secure. Domestic Violence, Crime & strategy/index.htm
Government’s prolific and priority offender strategy is In response to interest from Crime Reduction Officers (CROs) Victims Act. This new offence
targeting the offenders that cause the most damage to and other regional stakeholders, further copies of The Hand for will ensure that those
their communities.” CROs and crime reduction practitioners are being printed to use co-accused of the death of a
Sustainable
in local door-to-door campaigns. From 11 March copies will be
available from Prolog on 0870 241 4680 (code ACH).To access
child or vulnerable adult do not Communities
escape justice when they remain
Acquisitive Crime Reduction campaign resources visit
silent or blame each other. Awards 2004
www.crimereduction.gov.uk/letskeepcrimedown
CDA review By taking action in this
area the Government aims to
Projects and initiatives
which demonstrate active
In November 2004, the Government provide a valuable enforcement community involvement and
announced a formal review of the tool to ensure offenders can be contribute to making local
communities better places to
partnership provisions of the Crime and brought to justice. This will help live and work have been
Disorder Act 1998. The key aim was to make to raise public confidence in the acknowledged in the Deputy

Cleaner, safer CDRPs the most effective possible vehicle

communities
A raft of measures to clean up local
communities and tackle anti-social
behaviour was set out by the Government
in December during the second reading
of its Clean Neighbourhoods and
Environment Bill. The Bill is an important
part of the Government’s plan to create
cleaner, safer and greener communities.
Low-level offending, such as the daubing
of graffiti, creates neighbourhoods which
become run down and these areas often fall
victim to more serious crime. Dereliction
for tackling crime, anti-social behaviour and
justice system.
Diana Symonds of the Home
Prime Minister’s Award for
Sustainable Communities.
substance misuse in local communities.
The review was carried out jointly with
Office Criminal Policy Unit said:
“The new offence establishes
This year saw a record 256
nominations and Deputy
Prime Minister John Prescott
and anti-social behaviour make people the Association of Chief Police Officers, the a new criminal responsibility said the nominations were of
feel ill-at-ease and unsafe. Association of Police Authorities and the for members of a household a “very high standard”.
Margaret Beckett, Minister for the Local Government Association, with where they know that a child The winner, Grange
Park Community Project
Department of the Environment, Food and substantial stakeholder involvement or vulnerable adult is at in Blackpool, was
Rural Affairs (Defra) said that the measures throughout. Over 450 stakeholders, significant risk of serious announced at the Delivering
were in response to requests from local practitioners and local delivery partners harm. It will help to ensure Sustainable Communities
communities. “This is a practical Bill that attended four workshops held in that offenders who remain Summit in Manchester
in February.
was brought forward following requests Birmingham, Cardiff, London and Sheffield. silent or blame each other
For more information
from local authorities, and will go a long Home Office Ministers will be considering do not escape justice.” about the awards and the
way to help them and other agencies tackle the review’s conclusions in early February. The offence will carry a winning projects visit:
the problem.” Visit: www.defra. gov.uk/ For more details, please see www.crime maximum sentence of 14 www.odpm.gov.uk/awards
news/latest/2005/localenv-0107.htm reduction.gov.uk/partnerships60.htm years’ imprisonment.
ALAMY

4 Crime Reduction News Crime Reduction News 5

 POLICE UPDATE POLICE UPDATE

Operation Crack Down NEWS

At the beginning of January, the Association
of Chief Police Officers and the Home Office
Making an began a new, joint, three-month campaign to
reduce the number of crack houses operating,
IMPACT on bring more class A drug suppliers to justice
and reduce the number of illegal firearms on
the streets.
IN BRIEF
powers were first introduced in January 2004.
As part of their operations against local class A
drug markets, police have enhanced powers to
seize the assets of drug dealers. Firearms, where
Citizen Focus
Conference
they feature as part of the local drug market, will
be seized and those in possession of firearms face
tough penalties.
Improving customer service
and the experiences of

intelligence-
victims and witnesses were
The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 gave police Police will be distributing information leaflets the key themes of the first
new powers to close crack houses, bringing an end among local communities where they have closed national Citizen Focused
to the anti-social behaviour that communities premises and carried out drug raids to reassure Policing Conference held in

led policing suffer where they exist. Operation Crack Down

The IMPACT Programme – a joint approach by
the Home Office, ACPO and the Police
Information Technology Organisation (PITO) –
is paving the way for accessible, intelligence-led
policing in England and Wales.
IMPACT (Information Management,
Prioritisation, Analysis, Co-ordination and
Tasking) is designed to deliver on key
recommendations made by last year’s Bichard
Inquiry, offering a range of capabilities that
contribute to a national IT infrastructure and
nationwide intelligence-led policing. It builds
on existing systems such as the Violent and
Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) and the Police
National Computer (PNC), as well as local and
regional information systems. It will also support
the National Intelligence Model and Information
Systems Strategy for the Police Service (ISS4PS).
This first stage began in January 2005 with a
pilot of the National Nominal Index (NNI) – a
‘technology demonstrator’ that provides a way
of searching an index of local systems and other
forces’ systems to identify where information on
an individual is held.
builds upon successful use of the powers so far
and drives home the message that drug dealing
them that they are taking tough action against
drug dealing in their area.
London on 12 January 2005.
The event brought together
more than 300 delegates
from police forces, police
As IMPACT evolves, officers will be able to and activities associated with it will be challenged authorities, local Criminal
search on objects (including vehicles, phone at every opportunity. Justice Boards, Crime and
numbers and property), locations and events The new powers enable police to serve notices Disorder Reduction
Partnerships and local
(such as crimes and incidents) from all force against a crack house or drug den that restricts use authorities from across the
and national systems, using a range of tools to of the premises to the owner and residents only. UK. Speakers included Home
support intelligence-led policing – searching, Following a court hearing, held within 48 hours, Office ministers Hazel Blears
analysis, tasking, briefing, de-briefing and data the premises is sealed and treatment and other and Baroness Scotland, ACPO
President Chris Fox and
management. The full IMPACT capability will help is offered to vulnerable residents and those
Association of Police
be made available progressively between 2005 who used the premises for drug use. Over 150 Authorities Chairman,
and 2007. crack houses have been shut down since the Baroness Ruth Henig.
To find out more visit the PITO website Delegates took part in a
www.pito.org.uk workshop on the National
Quality of Service
Commitment and discussed
Bureaucracy-busting ideas wanted the ways in which the

TOOLS A round-up Officers and police staff are being encouraged to

come up with more ideas and suggestions about
you’ll find a template for the awards which
you will need to fill in and return. All
commitment was being
implemented.

of crime reduction tools currently available
Small business crime
Tackling crimes against small businesses:
Lessons from the Small Retailers in Deprived
Areas Initiative draws on evidence from the
Small Retailers in Deprived Areas (SRDA)
initiative to provide guidelines for practitioners
working to increase the
security and viability of small businesses.
The SRDA was established in 2001 and
provided £15 million funding in a three-year
programme to strengthen the security of
small businesses in 10 per cent of the most
deprived wards in England and Wales.
In total, over 12,500 businesses received
assistance under the scheme. It offers key
good practice lessons on a wide range of
areas including:
how to beat bureaucracy for this year’s the suggestions we receive will be
‘Bureaucracy Busting Awards’, sponsored by the considered by the Police Federation
Home Office and the Police Federation. and the Home Office. If accepted,
If you’ve got a bright idea that will help to cut they will then be put forward to the
Domestic violence down on paperwork and inefficient working judging panel to be considered for an
Developing Domestic Violence Strategies – A Guide for practices and put more officers back on the award. The closing date for suggestions
Partnerships helps partnership authorities develop streets, visit www.policereform.gov.uk. There, is 31 March 2005.
strategies to tackle, monitor and evaluate domestic
violence, giving examples of good practice and suggesting
how partnerships might be co-ordinated. For a copy, visit:
www.crimereduction.gov.uk/domesticviolence46.htm
Forces tune in to Airwave technology
The new Airwave digital communication service emergency service use, the Airwave service is not
Victims and witnesses update will signal a new era of reliable and effective a simple replacement for the older radio systems.
This year sees improvements to victim and witness care police communication. Costing an estimated It provides secure communication through an
throughout the Criminal Justice System. The Victim and £2.3 billion, Airwave is one of the largest encrypted digital network, vastly improved area
Witness Delivery Toolkits build on The Victim and Witness national police radio system in existence, coverage and sound quality and the ability to
Delivery Plan, distributed in October 2004, setting out how and technologically highly advanced. send data as well as voice transmissions.
practitioners will be expected to work towards the targets The rollout of Airwave to all forces in For example, officers are able to access records
of the forthcoming Victims Code of Practice. The Delivery England, Wales and Scotland by the end of April held on the Police National Computer and the
2005 is a key milestone in the National Policing Scottish Criminal Record Office while away
Toolkits have been developed by Victims Unit to support
Plan 2004-07 and supports the aims of the Police from the station. In time Airwave will also
ALAMY; PITO/THAMES VALLEY POLICE

• Targeting – a problem-solving approach practitioners and Local Criminal Justice Boards.

• Business involvement
• Thinking through interventions
• Implementation
• Sustainability and ongoing support
To obtain a copy, visit www.crime
reduction.gov.uk/business39.htm
The Victims Code of Practice and Code of Practice 'Rough
Guide' will be published in December 2005, replacing the
Victims Charter and giving victims statutory rights for the
first time. For more information, contact your LCJB Victim
and Witness Lead Officer, or Patsy Holland in the Victims
Unit on 0207 273 2375
Science and Technology strategy 2004-09. The allow officers across the length and breadth
To order materials, visit
rollout has been managed by the Police of Great Britain to communicate directly with
www.crimereduction.co. Information Technology Organisation (PITO) each other across force boundaries.
uk/publicitycatalogue, and the mobile telecommunication supplier Previous police radio networks were based
email homeoffice@ Airwave mmO2. on individual forces and officers could not
prolog.uk.com Based on the European TETRA (TErrestrial communicate with their counterparts on the
or phone 0870 241 4680
ALAMY

Trunked RAdio) standard designed for other side of the force boundary.

6 Crime Reduction News Crime Reduction News 7

 FEATURE NEWS

Leading the way with

SARCs support we did when we began our service in 1986 was to find a
specialist team of doctors that included dedicated female
doctors that were committed to this type of work.”
Getting the right staff only provided a partial solution.
Building evidence
Another key component of the success of SARCs is their
emphasis on providing victims with information and
giving them choices at every step of the way. Current
SARCs provide a
‘one-stop shop’ for
victims, offering all
SEXUAL ASSAULT REFERRAL CENTRES HELP VICTIMS COPE WITH The next problem was finding an appropriate location estimates suggest that just 15 per cent of rapes and sexual the advice, support,
PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL TRAUMA AND CREATE A SECURE where victims could be taken for their medical assaults are being reported to the police. Often, victims counselling and
ENVIRONMENT FOR THE GATHERING OF FORENSIC EVIDENCE examination. “We basically ended up going wherever are initially too traumatised, or can’t face the prospect
the doctors told us to, so sometimes it was the hospital of having to relive their ordeal in court.
medical attention
and sometimes it would be a police station,” says Jackie. As a result, many SARCs are equipped to take forensic that they need

I
n the initial hours and days after a rape or sexual
assault, the majority of victims are barely function-
ing. Many victims are so shocked or numbed by their
ordeal, they are often unable to cope with getting
themselves dressed or making a meal, let alone reporting
the offence to the police.
Yet what happens in the initial hours after an attack
can make all the difference in securing a conviction, and
also in minimising the trauma and distress felt by the
victim and their family.
That’s where Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs)
come in. SARCs provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for victims,
offering all the advice, support, counselling and medical
attention that they need.
A recent Home Office report on SARCs concluded
that as well as providing victims with a very high standard
of care, the provision of a dedicated site for rape victims
also led to a high standard of evidence gathering and
forensic reports.
Jackie Clark, manager of the Rape Examination Advice
Counselling Help (REACH) centre in Newcastle, is not
surprised. “Before the creation of our SARC, it was
absolutely dreadful,” she says. “Rape victims would come in
and we’d be scrabbling around trying to find a doctor with
the specialist skills and sensitivity we needed. There were
also issues about getting female doctors. So the first thing
“Apart from increasing the trauma for the victim,
this also led to a number of cross-contamination
issues with the forensic evidence, because frequently
the medical examinations weren’t conducted in a
sterile environment.”
In 1991, REACH – which runs two SARCs in
Northumbria – finally acquired enough funding for its
own dedicated centre. Now, if someone has been the victim
of a rape or sexual assault, there is no doubt about where
they should go or what should happen.
Partnership power
Local partnerships are crucial to the success of these
centres. As well as being the place where police take victims
of rape to, victims are refered to SARCs by health services
and voluntary sector organisations.
“These centres provide a consistent service to victims,”
says Jackie. “People have different needs at different times.
In the immediate aftermath, they may need medical care,
STI screening, emergency contraception, counselling,
forensic examination and legal advice. But if they are barely
functioning, they might also need help to get some shop-
ping in or to take their kids to school. Because we have
good links with the local authority, health services and
police, we can ensure that whatever they need, we can find
a way to provide it.”
evidence anonymously, without requiring victims to report
the crime to the police. Shell-shocked victims receive the
care and counselling they need, while the forensic evidence
is on file and can be used to secure a conviction in the
event that the victim reports the crime in the future. This
‘anonymous’ evidence can also help police to build up a
picture of serial rapists, even where all of the victims
aren’t officially reporting their attacks – Antoni Imiela,
the M25 rapist, was caught and convicted in this way.
“Northumbria has very good convictions statistics
for rape compared with many other areas,” says Jackie.
“I put that down to the fact that we have SARCs here
that are providing a very good level of care.”
There are currently just 13 centres in the UK, with
most SARCs being funded through local agreements
between the police and health authorities. But the
demand is certainly there, and the Government would
like to see more SARCs being set up in the future.
To this end, central government is providing some
funding for 2005-2006 to help local areas, agencies and
CDRPs to set up and run a new SARC, or enable existing
SARCs to expand their services.
“In Newcastle, we’re getting referrals from all over the
country,” says Jackie. “In many cases, I don’t know where
to send them because if a service isn’t there, you can’t refer
people on to it.” SARCs clearly have a vital role to play. crn

WORKING TOGETHER TO HELP VICTIMS

When St Mary’s in Manchester
was established in 1986, it was the
first centre of its kind to provide
co-ordinated forensic, counselling
and medical aftercare service to
victims of rape and sexual assault.
It also provides support through the
criminal justice process. To date, the
hospital-based centre has provided
services to around 9,500 people,
including men, women of all ages
and children over the age of 11.
The Rowan Centre in Walsall,
West Midlands first opened its
doors for business in June 2004.
The centre is run on a day-to-day
basis by staff from CRISIS POINT,
a local counselling organisation,
and is being funded by CRISIS POINT,
Walsall Teaching PCT, the Police
and the Safer Walsall Borough
Partnership Board.
The Home Office provided the
centre with a grant to help with
start-up costs.
While the police fund any
forensic examinations, counselling
services are provided by CRISIS
POINT volunteers. The centre also
operates a 24-hour fast-track system
into the nearby clinic where victims
can be screened for pregnancy or
sexually transmitted infections.

Contact For more information visit www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/sexualoffences/referralcentres.html||For

details of the Home Office report into the work of SARCs visit www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs4/max_potential.pdf
CORBIS

8 Crime Reduction News Crime Reduction News 9

 HOW TO

A multi-faceted approach
There is no single way to reduce robbery as the
SPECIAL
REPORT Tackling drugs
offence can vary quite considerably. The response
ALSO INSIDE: TOUGH MEASURES AND BREAKING THE CYCLE OF CRIME
will need to differ too.
“For instance,” says the guide, “robberies occurring
in or around commuter trains or buses at night require
a wholly different response to those involving school-
aged children in the late afternoon. Identifying these
different sub-sets of the robbery problem is therefore POSITIVE ACTION
crucial in developing an effective and sustainable
response to the problem.” ● Between April 2002 and
To reflect this, the guide is divided into a number of December 2003, 26,079kg
different parts offering best practice and advice on: of cocaine and 11,044kg of
● student robbery heroin were seized and
● robbery of school-aged children over 330 organised crime
● robbery at cash machines groups disrupted.
● public transport and street crime ● Over 50,000 more people
● robbery and problem drug use are in drug treatment. The

Reduce ● bag snatches from elderly women

● commercial robbery
● mobile phone robbery.
drug treatment workforce
has expanded to 9,000 – an
increase of 50 per cent since

robbery
Marcial also points out that the perpetrators of 2002. Waiting times are at
robbery fall into two categories – young people their lowest ever.

Investing in a
committing robbery against their peers and adults ● Drug related deaths are
resorting to robbery to fund drug use. This will also down by 4 per cent between
determine how each individual crime should be 2001 and 2002 and are
tackled effectively. now at their lowest level
A GOOD PRACTICE GUIDE ON HOW CRIME since 1998.

PREVENTION PRACTITIONERS CAN

REDUCE ROBBERY HAS BEEN PRODUCED
BY THE ACQUISITIVE CRIME TEAM
Problem-solving approach
Any work to tackle robbery should have a strong
problem-solving approach which needs to start with
an accurate definition of the problem.
All efforts should be consistent with the National
Intelligence Model. The guide includes a street crime
drug-free future ● Crime, and the fear of
crime, has fallen. Between
April 2003 and June 2004,
there was a fall in England
and Wales of 12.9 per cent
in recorded acquisitive

R
problem-solving checklist to take you through the educing the harm caused by illegal drugs is one of the Government’s crime, to which drug-

P
roblem-solving street crime – practical lessons
from the Street Crime Initiative is a recently
published guide which has been specifically
designed to be user-friendly and to provide the latest
information and best practice needed to reduce robbery.
Marcial Bóo, head of the Acquisitive Crime Team, says
he hopes the guide will be the first port of call for anyone
who has a particular problem with robbery and who wants
to know the best way of dealing with it in an effective way.
“I hope this document will become a reference bible for the
next two to three years on how to reduce robbery.
“It collects best practice from around the country and
has all that we know about how to tackle robbery.
“It should be an invaluable fund of knowledge and
expertise for frontline staff.”
The guide has been sent out to police forces and
other organisations, and workshops have been held in
a number of locations to offer help and advice as to the
best way of using the guide. There are several key areas
of the guide which stresses the need for several approaches
to tackling robbery.

Contact To download a free copy of the guide Problem-solving street crime – practical lessons from the Street
Crime Initiative go to: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/streetcrime_04.html
various stages: top priorities. Since 1998 and the launch of the National Drug Strategy related crime makes a
● From scanning to analysis there have been considerable successes thanks to a raft of initiatives and significant contribution.
● From analysis to response programmes supported by £1.5 billion of government funding. Illegal ● Focusing efforts
● From response to assessment drugs are being seized and dealers tackled. Class A drug misuse by young people against Class A drugs by
● From assessment to lesson-learning. has stabilised, over 50,000 more people are in treatment and waiting times are reclassifying cannabis.
down. Drug-related crime is falling. However, much more needs to be done. Arrests for cannabis
The importance of evaluation The harm caused by taking drugs must never be underestimated. It damages possession have fallen
Making sure you carry out an evaluation of any the health and ruins the lives of individuals; it undermines family life; it turns by 30 per cent since
initiative is important in order to improve future law-abiding citizens into criminals who steal to fund their habits, including reclassification, enabling
work. Previous mistakes can be avoided and truly from their own parents and family. The costs to society are enormous. police time to focus on
effective work can be recognised. Tackling drug misuse is a challenge at both a worldwide and at a local Class A drugs.
Just as there may be work for which unwarranted community level. It is a complex problem and requires integrated solutions ● The Drug Interventions
claims are being made, so it is likely that effective and and co-ordinated delivery of services involving education, health and social Programme is now in place
innovative work is currently going unacknowledged care, intelligence and enforcement, and economic policy. in 66 high crime areas. This
because evidence for its usefulness has not been Throughout March 2005, Ministers, government officials and leading means 5,000 offenders
properly assembled. practitioners are all joining together to run a unique set of events in regions being tested each month for
Projects and their evaluations need to be written across the country. The events will be a first rate source of the latest best Class A drugs and, over
up and written in a truthful way, stressing both practice, policy development and information exchange on delivering the 1,500 offenders a month
achievements and difficulties in order to make drug strategy. A few places are left – see below for booking details. entering treatment.
them credible. It can also help to have your findings
reviewed by a colleague or peer to guard against errors. crn

9Update Tackling Drugs, Changing Lives events are being run regionally (Cambridge, 8 March; London,
March; Manchester, 14 March; Harrogate, 17 March; Birmingham, 21 March; Newcastle, 23 March). Events are
free and offer the opportunity to get up to speed in what is working locally, put questions directly to Government
and help shape future priorities.To book, call 0207 261 8400 or email homeofficeevents@coi.gsi.gov.uk
CORBIS
GETTY

10 Crime Reduction News Crime Reduction News 11

 SPECIAL
REPORT

In the spotlight:
drug-misusing offenders
EARLY INTERVENTION CAN HELP YOUNGSTERS AT RISK

T
he Drug Interventions Programme is a critical
part of the Government’s strategy for tackling
drugs. Until September 2004, it was known as the
Criminal Justice Interventions Programme. It
began as a three-year programme to assist drug-misusing
offenders out of crime and into treatment. The programme,
EXTENDING THE DRUG INTERVENTIONS believed to be a world-first, involves criminal justice and
treatment agencies working with other services to provide a
PROGRAMME AND NEW POLICE POWERS tailored solution for adults, particularly those who misuse
WILL HELP TO KEEP DRUGS IN CHECK Class A drugs, who commit crime to fund their drug misuse.
Special measures for young people are being implemented.
A key strand of the Government’s Updated Drug Strategy
2002 is to prevent today’s young people from becoming
tomorrow’s problematic drug users. The Drug Interventions
Programme’s pilots for young people contribute at various
points of the youth justice system: identifying children and
young people who have, or are at risk of developing,
substance misuse problems; assessing their needs; and
directing them to support and treatment services. The
pilots for children and young people are designed to give a
child or young a person-centred and holistic approach to
their problems.

Tough new measures Delivery at a local level is through Drug Action Teams,
using integrated teams with a case-management approach to
offer access to treatment and support. This begins at an
offender’s first point of contact with the criminal justice
system through custody, court, sentence and beyond into
resettlement. Key partners to the Home Office are the
Education is a key weapon in the campaign against
drugs. Blueprint is a Home Office research programme
designed to evaluate the effectiveness of school-based
drug education. It involves five specially-devised lessons,
supported by work involving parents, the community,
health workers and the local media. The programme is

N
ovember 2004 saw the
Government announce
an ambitious programme
KEY FACTS of action to crack down
further on the harm that drugs
● Burglary, robbery and cause to individuals, families and
vehicle crime fell by communities. Its report, ‘Tackling
12.9 per cent between Drugs. Changing Lives. Keeping
April 2003 and June Communities Safe from Drugs’,
2004. Drug-related outlines a renewed drive to tackle
crime contributes to the scourge of Class A drugs and
these crimes. shows the progress made since the
● Some 10,000 offenders Government published its drug
entered treatment strategy in 1998, updated in 2002.
through the Drug Prime Minister Tony Blair also
Interventions announced tough measures to tackle
Programme in the drug dealers and offer more support
first 18 months of the to users. The Prime Minister said that
programme (April 2003 the measures aim to break the link
to December 2004). between drugs and crime.
● Crime is falling faster “If you are a drug addict engaged
in the areas with the in crime, you will be offered a way
Drug Interventions out through treatment and help. If
Programme, such as you refuse that offer, it will be made
The package of measures includes
provision for the expansion of routes
into treatment for vulnerable young
people by requiring young offenders
to attend drug treatment as part
of a community sentence. The
Government’s Drug Interventions
Programme, which already sees
more than 1,500 offenders entering
treatment each month, will be
expanded to 32 new areas from April
2005, so that by 2008 around 1,000
offenders will be entering treatment
each week through this route.
These measures will be supported
by new legislation including:
● Giving police powers to test for
drugs on arrest for trigger offences
rather than charge, so that more
people who commit crime to
finance their drug habit can be
directed into treatment
● A new evidential presumption that
those caught in possession of more
● Making dealing near a school or
using children as couriers an
aggravating factor for sentencing
so drug dealers found guilty of this
would face a tougher penalty
● Issuing a drug counselling
order along with an anti-social
behaviour order to deal with
drug-misusing adults.
In addition, Operation Crack
Down, a joint three-month campaign
spearheaded by the Home Office and
Association of Chief Police Officers, is
targeting crack houses, drug dealing
and the supply of class A drugs, and
helping to reduce the number of
illegal guns on the streets.
The campaign builds on the new
powers extended to police to tackle
drug dens under the Anti-Social
Behaviour Act 2003. Since the powers
were introduced in January 2004,
more than 150 crack houses have
been shut down, sending a clear
CORBIS
criminal justice agencies such as the police, prisons,
probation officers and the courts, along with the
Department of Health, the National Treatment Agency
and treatment service providers and those who provide
linked services such as housing and job-seeker support.
RESTRICTION ON BAIL
The Restriction on Bail provision was any follow-up treatment proposed.
introduced under Section 19 of the The provision has been piloted
Criminal Justice Act 2003. in Nottingham, Salford and Manchester.
This provision amended the Bail The provision has now been
Act 1976 by reversing the presumption extended to cover up to 45 new
of bail for defendants who test positive Drug Action Team areas by April 2005.
for specified Class A drugs, and who Eleven of these went live in January:
fulfil the other necessary conditions Nottingham County, Wirral, Oldham,
for the provision to apply. Tameside, Trafford, Liverpool,
The provision provides an Newcastle, Bradford, NE Lincolnshire,
opportunity for drug-misusing Sefton and Doncaster.
defendants to engage in treatment, Across the three pilot areas only 20
being delivered in 23 schools, with a further six acting as a
comparison sample, in the North West and East Midlands
of England. Full results of the research will be available in
2007, although the intention is to use the experience of the
programme to inform practice in the interim.
OVERVIEW
● Treatment is not a soft option: drug-related
community orders imposed by the courts
usually involve a strict monitoring regime.
● Treatment should be based on an assessment
of needs, with a wide range of evidence-based
treatment responses such as methadone
prescribing, counselling and group work.
● Measures for children and young people cover
a wide spectrum. This ranges from prevention
and early intervention for those at risk of
escalating problems of substance-related
offending to more intensive work with

Bradford where crime more difficult for you at every stage drugs than reasonable for personal message to communities that drugs by restricting access to court bail if defendants were remanded in custody individuals who have complex problems
has fallen 33 per cent. in the criminal justice system.” use are guilty of intent to supply will no longer be tolerated. they refuse a drug assessment and for breaching the provisions. related to substance misuse and crime.

Contact ‘Tackling Drugs. Changing Lives. Keeping Communities Safe from Drugs’ is available at:
Contact A website for young people offering information and advice about drugs and their effects is at
www.drugs.gov.uk/ReportsandPublications/NationalStrategy/1101307094 www.talktofrank.com. The website offers free, confidential information by phone and email

12 Crime Reduction News Crime Reduction News 13

 COMMENT

SPECIAL
REPORT
Counselling schemes
help alcohol offenders
Professor Douglas Sharp, Director of the Centre for Criminal Justice Policy and Research
at the University of Central England, explains the benefits of alcohol referral schemes
DRUG TREATMENT
AND TESTING ORDERS

L
ocal alcohol agencies and
ARE HELPING DRUG- crime reduction partnerships
ABUSING OFFENDERS are working together in the
STAY CLEAN Midlands to help alcohol-
related offenders break binge drinking
patterns of behaviour and reduce the
risk of crime.
The pilot schemes in Dudley and
says Professor Sharp. “However, all had
modified their drinking behaviour and
had reported beneficial effects in terms
of their health, relationships, their
work performance or their potential
for getting into further trouble.”
Being arrested and being taken to a
police station was a defining moment
network of other support groups and
counsellors. About 12-13 per cent of
people who went on the scheme
accessed other core services – they
sought further advice or treatment
sessions. This was most encouraging.
When the study ceased collecting data,
not one of the people who attended

Breaking Worcester, spearheaded by alcohol

agencies Aquarius and the Hereford
and Worcester Advisory Service on
for nearly all the offenders. Being made
to face the consequences of their
behaviour in this way served as a
the sessions had been reconvicted of
another offence.”
Such intervention can only work if

the cycle of crime

Alcohol (HWASA), offer those arrested wake-up call. Consequently, the timing all partner agencies – the police, the
for alcohol-related offences the of intervention was key – the fact that alcohol agencies, the courts, the Crown
opportunity to attend two sessions they were at this point advised to Prosecution Service (CPS) – work
with an alcohol counsellor. contact the alcohol agency and given together and steering groups ensured

GETTY. These case studies are based on research conducted by Addaction in 2004. All details were correct at the time of interview. Interviewees’ names have been changed to protect their identity.
Professor Douglas Sharp, a former access to free help and guidance the scheme addressed the issues of all
Chief Superintendent, conducted seemed highly effective. parties to ensure best practice.
evaluation research into the pilot In light of the UK drinking culture,
CASE STUDY CASE STUDY CASE STUDY referral schemes. “Offenders are Constructive advice Professor Sharp believes this is a
LAURA – FEMALE 34 JAKE – MALE 28 MEL – MALE 27 introduced to the scheme upon arrest,” “The success of the scheme stems from successful type of intervention. It
Laura started smoking at 12 and over the years Jake started sniffing aerosols at the age of eight. Mel began smoking says Professor Sharp. “After their first the fact that it is not punitive,” says accesses exactly the age group at
*DTTOs are being phased out in the spring and replaced by a generic community sentence with a menu of drug treatment-related

she has used heroin, cocaine, crack, amphetamines,
diazepam, temazepam, methadone and marijuana.
She has also had a drink problem.
Laura was first arrested, for chequebook and
credit-card fraud, at the age of 23. She was using
heroin, crack and cocaine and her memory of her
community service is vague. She has also been in
prison numerous times and says, “It frightened the
life out of me.”
Her experiences in prison made her vow to
By the age of 10, he and his friends were smoking cannabis at the age of 14, court appearance the case should be Professor Sharp. “When they contact risk of binge drinking and shows
cannabis and, by 13, Jake was taking LSD, speed, taking LSD at 15 and using adjourned to allow them to make the agency, it is not a judgemental demonstrable results.
amphetamines, mushrooms and diazepam. At heroin at 21. He had been two visits to the alcohol agency. process. Many offenders commented “People do change their drinking
14 he had progressed to taking heroin. arrested at least 20 times During those visits, offenders receive positively on this. They were listened behaviour,” says Professor Sharp. “They
While he was taking drugs, Jake got convictions before he started taking information, counselling and advice to, were given genuine, constructive don’t stop drinking but they do start
for ABH and GBH. He funded his drug-taking heroin, and was sent to on the effects of alcohol and ways to advice to help them think about their drinking in a more sensible way.
by burgling houses and shops, and he has been prison for the first time modify their drinking behaviour. They drinking and were helped to think “This type of intervention engages
arrested around 40 times for burglary. when he was 17. then produce an action plan, which is about ways to modify their drinking.” all of the agencies in partnership to
Mel committed a number intended to deal with their behaviour. The majority of referrals were deal with problems that derive from a
Fifteen years of taking drugs of crimes to pay for drugs. “Intervention of this nature offers people who would not normally come culture that glorifies heavy drinking.
conditions that magistrates can tailor more closely to individual circumstances

change her life, but she didn’t know how to. Laura
did a stint in a rehabilitation unit that failed after
about six weeks. She started treatment during a
six-month sentence two years ago but relapsed.
Laura has been on a Drug Treatment and Testing
Order (DTTO*) for seven months, with another
five months to go. The court order requires strict
attendance at a local treatment centre for treatment
and drug testing, overseen by probation officers
with frequent reviews by the magistrates.
It’s the first programme that Laura’s been on that
has worked and she has received help in getting onto
a college course. Laura says: “I wanted to change my
life every time I got arrested. I couldn’t because I
didn’t know how. This is the first order that I have
had that’s worked.”
In 1998 Jake was sentenced to three years in prison. Although he stopped taking two benefits to offenders – first, they into contact with an alcohol advisory Given that this is the culture, this type
He came off drugs and managed to stay clean up drugs in prison, he would get advice about their offending and service because they are young people of scheme meets the target population,
to and beyond his release in August 1999. Then start using again as soon drinking. Secondly, there is the who don’t recognise that they have a deals with them in a non-judgemental
in 2000 he was imprisoned for possession as he was released. potential for a beneficial sentencing. problem. Most were young men who fashion and, as a consequence, is of
of cannabis with intent to supply. While he was Caught in a cycle of drug When they go to court, they have an drank large quantities of alcohol from value to offenders who engage in the
in prison, his wife divorced him and he started misuse, crime and arrest, action plan that shows they are making Thursday to Saturday – classic binge scheme and seek advice that offers real,
using heroin again. he was never out of prison an effort to change their behaviour.” drinkers. Female referrals tended to long-term benefits.”
Jake started a DTTO in September 2003. While for more than six weeks The research monitored a cohort of suffer from other associated problems.
on the DTTO, he has managed to deal with the at a time. After completing a people who had been through the “By pointing them to the alcohol
things in his life that trigger him to take drugs. two-year sentence, he was scheme. “None had stopped drinking,” agency, they then had access to a whole
He says: “I’m starting to work myself out and get arrested for theft, remanded
some self respect and some pride.” Now Jake and placed under a DTTO.
would like to become a drugs counsellor. “I’ve Mel says, “This is the first People do change their drinking behaviour. They don’t stop
had 15 years’ experience of taking drugs and in time I got help. I finished drinking but they do start drinking in a more sensible way
prison I helped people. I was a listener. I want to the DTTO, am drug-free
start giving back.” and have a job.”

Contact For details of the latest Government anti-drugs strategies and initiatives, visit www.drugs.gov.uk
Contact Copies of the evaluation report are available at www.aquarius.org.uk

14 Crime Reduction News Crime Reduction News 15

 FEATURE
A NEW COUNTRY WATCH INITIATIVE IS HELPING
TO PUT A STOP TO CATTLE RUSTLING.
CAROL KING INVESTIGATES
Taking stock
F
armers in North Yorkshire have been repeatedly
targeted by livestock rustlers. During 2004, 30 thefts
of livestock worth £50,000 were reported in a 90-
day period – a reflection of the growing national
problem for farming communities.
Ray Thwaites, Local Community Police Officer (CPO)
for Helmesley, has been working with farmers under a
Country Watch scheme. Together they have worked with
a security company to thwart the thieves. The result is a
system designed to alert farmers when their field gates
or surrounding fences have been tampered with.
Thwaites has been a CPO in the North Yorkshire Police
for seven years and his beat covers about 50 square miles and
includes nearly 70 farms. He says: “My entire beat involves
rural communities, farms and isolated rural communities
scattered across the North Yorkshire moors. We had a
problem with livestock theft. We believe the cattle, sheep
and pigs were being stolen to order and slaughtered in
illegal abattoirs to be sold to restaurants.”
SIMPLE SECURITY MEASURES
● Regularly check the fields where Keep bay areas lit at night as a deterrent.
animals are grazing, daily if possible. ● Where large expanses have to be
● Keep livestock in a secure area covering covered, insert locking posts to prevent
as much distance as possible. Make use vehicle access for loading.
of any existing natural barriers such as ● Take photographs of valuable animals.
brooks and ditches. ● Consider using CCTV so you can watch
● Keep secure gates closed at all times animals in barns or yards – useful during
and patrol area frequently to check. busy periods such as the lambing season.
● Make gate hinges non-removable by ● If livestock is stolen, give the police an
capping hinges and locking them with accurate description. Ear tags and horn
close shackle case-hardened padlocks brands help police to identify stock.
on case-hardened fittings. Freeze branding, hot branding or
● Gate and lock loading bays for cattle. tattooing your postcode will also help.

Contact Email ray.thwaites@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk||For Rural Watch scheme details: www.crime
|For details of rural crime initiatives visit: www.crimereduction.gov.uk/rural5.htm
reduction.gov.uk/bigsteal.htm|
16 Crime Reduction News
CPO Thwaites has a good rapport with the local farmers
and together they set up a Country Watch scheme for
Northern Ryedale in June 2004, which now has 36 members.
Local resident Jane Medd is the co-ordinator, and was keen
to get involved after rustlers stole 30 of her sheep during
the spate of thefts.
Rural Watch schemes including Farm, Horse, Country
and Poacher Watch are similar to Neighbourhood Watch
schemes, and its members, not the police, run Country
Watch. The Country Watch scheme works in partnership
with the police to aid crime reduction. “We ask members to
patrol particular areas by car, so they act as extra ears and
eyes for the police,” says CPO Thwaites.
Using technology
Yet it is a technological innovation that has proved most
helpful to local farmers in stamping out livestock theft.
Communications and security expert Carl Meyer, of Farm
Guard Ltd, in Claxton, York, became aware of the Country
Watch scheme and contacted CPO Thwaites regarding his
idea to tackle livestock theft.
With the aid of CPO Thwaites, Medd and local
farmers, Meyer has developed and trialled the system,
which uses a buried probe, a battery, and sensors to
detect when a gate has been opened or perimeter fencing
disturbed. Within seconds, a 24-hour monitoring system
is sent a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) signal of the
location of the device and the address is given to the police.
The pilot system has so far proved highly successful.
Meyer says: “There have been no incidents where the
system has been installed.” However, he admits that
what everyone wants to see is the criminals caught and
brought to justice.
ALAMY
GETTY
Back to the beat
NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING IS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF
THE NATIONAL POLICING PLAN, WRITES NIGEL STANLEY
N
eighbourhood policing has been identified
as the way forward for the service and is a
significant part of the National Policing Plan,
as highlighted in the police reform white paper
‘Building Communities, Beating Crime’.
But neighbourhood policing can only happen with
the active participation of people living and working in
the policing area. Revitalised neighbourhood policing for
the 21st century is central to the Government’s approach
and by 2008 the Government wants every community
to benefit from a style and level of neighbourhood policing
engagement they believe is appropriate.
Neighbourhood policing will involve teams of dedicated
police officers, community support officers, Specials and
wardens providing a visible and reassuring presence,
preventing and detecting crime and creating a constructive
and lasting engagement with their communities. The work
of these officers will be pro-active and intelligence-led
“Neighbourhood and will have the buy in and support from the local
community. This will build mutual trust and support.
policing can only Under the first phase of the Neighbourhood Policing
happen with the Fund (NPF), £50m is being invested to support the
active participation recruitment of an additional 1500 CSOs. By the end of
March 2005 there will be 5,500 CSOs, deployed in all 43
of people living and
forces in England and Wales. Further investment under
working in the the NPF will help forces achieve the target of 24,000 CSOs
policing area” in post by 2008.

Contact For more on the police reform policy paper ‘Building Communities, Beating Crime: A Better
Police Service for the 21st Century’ visit: www.policereform.gov.uk/docs/prwp2004.html
FEATURE
Local communities also need to be more closely
engaged in the policing of their communities by
understanding the role they can play in keeping their
areas safe and secure.
The police service plays a key role in reducing crime,
anti-social behaviour and ensuring community safety,
but the Government is clear that this is not the sole
responsibility of the police service. The solution lies in
effective partnership and community engagement.
As easy as ABC
PACT – Police and Communities Together – is an initiative
run by Lancashire police to tackle quality of life concerns
and issues surrounding youth-related crime across the
force area. It provides a leading example of how a
community can engage with the police service to solve
real problems.
Complaints from residents on the Bath Mill Estate off
Moor Lane, part of the force’s Northern division, were
being recorded at 60 per month. This has fallen to zero
thanks to the targeted use of acceptable behaviour
contracts (ABCs).
An ABC is a voluntary, non-legally binding agreement
by an under 18 to stop behaving in an anti-social way.
Failure to stick to laid down restrictions can lead to
court action. In part, ABCs are seen as a way of curbing
anti-social behaviour without criminalising the individual.
Support from parents makes the job easier and the officers
often visit the homes of the errant youths.
Over three years there were drink-related problems,
graffiti, damage, noise at all hours and small fires. Enter
PC Sharon Turner and PCSO David Owen and their
ABCs, seven of which were already agreed upon.
PC Turner said: “It’s been quite a struggle and the
problems didn’t stop overnight. I don’t think the
youngsters are going out on purpose to cause trouble
and I don’t want to come down on them too heavily. I
am just trying to keep them out of trouble. I want to steer
them in the right direction, using diversionary tactics if
necessary. I think I am getting through to them. They’re
really trying hard.”
Local resident Ray Hill said: “Life was hell, now it is
heaven by comparison. You don’t very often see a
standing ovation for a copper but Sharon got one at a
recent meeting and fully deserved it.” Another resident,
Mr Mason, backed her efforts with equal enthusiasm:
“PC Turner has done a magnificent job. She is like the
village bobby used to be.” crn
Crime Reduction News 17
 FEATURE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY HAS NEVER BEEN MORE INTEGRAL

TO THE PROCESS OF SOLVING CRIME. WILL HERSEY FINDS OUT
ABOUT THE LATEST HI-TECH CRIME-BUSTING TECHNIQUES

We have the
technology
“The work we do CASE STUDY

S
cience and technology has been at the forefront
of police work ever since Britain’s first successful
conviction used fingerprints in 1902. These days,
the Police Scientific Development Branch (PSDB)
applies its technological expertise and scientific knowledge
to provide high-tech solutions in the fight against crime.
The PSDB employs more than 200 scientists and
engineers from numerous technical disciplines, supporting
the Home Office and UK police forces, the Prison and
Security Services, the Department for Transport, HM
Customs & Excise and other government departments.
Its role is multi-faceted, incorporating advice, training,
security and the development of new technologies across
all areas of public and officer protection and crime
prevention and investigation.
Recent projects have ranged from rigorous testing of the
taser electrical stun device for improved police protection, to
establishing regular imaging workshops for training police
in the best ways to process video evidence.
Effective solutions
PSDB currently manages 23 technical programmes and over
150 projects, some of which are conducted internally, while
others are developed in collaboration with university
research teams (for example, a project for a roadside drug
impairment test which uses laser light to analyse saliva)
and the private sector.
To tailor effective solutions to particular police problems,
a close understanding of the day-to-day operations of
frontline officers and the specifics of the policing processes
involved are crucial. “The nature of our work means that
we interact with the police regularly, giving us a privileged
insight into the problems they face,” says PSDB’s Firearms
& Protective Equipment team leader Graham Smith.
Improved investigation tools and enhanced security
perhaps represent the more obvious benefits of the PSDB’s
work – the unseen impact is the time, space and money
that can be freed up. Whether it is minimising the risk
of injury through advances in protective equipment or
labour-saving improvements in data recording and
storage, the result is a greater number of officers able
to spend a greater amount of time in active service.
“The work we do increases the number of police on
the beat at any one time and it increases the morale of
officers by ensuring they have the correct equipment to
do the job,” says Graham Smith.
Making a difference
The PSDB’s work is valued because of the measurable
improvements it provides. “One of the most satisfying
things about working at PSDB is seeing your work
become a reality. We can watch officers in action and
say: ‘I helped the police get that piece of equipment,’”
says Graham.
Over the coming year, PSDB will gradually take on
a new, broader role to provide scientific and technological
advice across the Home Office. It will be renamed the
Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB). crn
increases the HI-TECH SECURITY
In Nottinghamshire, fear of crime in the
number of police night-time economy is a major concern.
on the beat and
The PSDB formed a unique partnership
increases the with Nottinghamshire Police to deploy
morale of officers hi-tech equipment traditionally used to
by ensuring that fight serious crime and anti-terrorism
they have the to screen hundreds of the region’s
correct equipment clubbers, as part of a crackdown on
drugs and weapons.
to do the job” The equipment included a sophisticated
computerised archway metal detector,
a baggage X-ray machine and an electronic
drugs analyser. The PSDB also trained
officers to use the equipment.
Nottinghamshire Police became one of
the first forces to use such sophisticated
technology to tackle community policing
problems which has since helped to
reduce crime and reassure the public.

CASE STUDY CASE STUDY

FINGERPRINTING
PSDB’s Fingerprint Manual
showcases an array of techniques
to develop fingerprints on exhibits
retrieved from scenes of crime and
is used in every fingerprint laboratory
in the country and many abroad.
The complex process of recording
and registering large numbers of
fingerprints was highlighted by police
as a previously unencountered area of
concern, with large backlogs forming
of fingerprints which needed to be
photographed.
In response, PSDB scientists designed
and developed the Integrated Rapid
Imaging System (IRIS) which captures
and displays the images on screen
for less than a second, thus helping
to significantly reduce the amount
of time and manpower required to
tackle this crucial but time-intensive
operation.
Feedback from forces has been
very positive, with South Yorkshire Police
reducing its photographic processing time
from three days to ten minutes, and
Cambridgeshire Constabulary adopting
IRIS after using it on exhibits from the
Soham enquiry. IRIS also links directly
to NAFIS, the National Automated
Fingerprint Identification System, to
allow the rapid delivery of results.
SAFER HOSPITALS AND SCHOOLS
The PSDB-led Safer Hospitals and Schools to Save budget. It aims to carry out a full
programme, in partnership with the assessment of the impact of an integrated
Department of Health and the Department approach to the use of security technology
for Education & Skills, is helping to to provide examples of best practice.
evaluate the effectiveness of technological The projects have been guided by local
applications used to reduce crime and teams of key stakeholders, while PSDB
the fear of crime in five pilot projects has also commissioned fear-of-crime
– two hospitals, two schools and an surveys for all the pilot projects. The
ambulance trust. findings of an independent evaluation
The programme was awarded funding to establish the effectiveness and cost
of £4.6 million from the Treasury’s Invest benefits will be unveiled during 2005.

Contact To find out more about the Police Scientific Development Branch (PSDB) visit www.psdb.gov.uk||
For information about the Forensic Science Service visit www.forensic.gov.uk

2 Crime Reduction News Crime Reduction News 3

 FEATURE
Safe and sound
protecting youngsters from mobile phone crime
SAFE WEEK AND OTHER INITIATIVES ARE DESIGNED TO PROTECT
YOUNG PEOPLE FROM MOBILE PHONE CRIME
A
t the launch of SAFE, the anti-robbery week held
in schools in January, Home Office Minister Hazel
Blears said: “Being a victim of crime is a traumatic
experience for anyone, but especially for young
people-and unfortunately, children can make easy targets for
thieves, often school age themselves. The Government has
made great strides in cutting crime – 30 per cent down since
1997 – but we want to see even greater falls. To help achieve
this, we have put record levels of police on the streets,
recruited more than 4,000 community support officers
and launched in November a major public information
campaign, ‘Let’s Keep Crime Down’. But we cannot win the
battle single-handed – we need the public, including
children, to wise up to the risks, hide their valuables and stop
making life easy for opportunistic criminals.”
A number of initiatives are underway in support of
this work, including SAFE Week, which took place between
10 and 14 January 2005 covering issues related to personal
safety and youth robbery. The Home Office and
Crimestoppers, together with key relevant professionals
including teachers and police, produced the SAFE
educational resource, designed to increase young people’s
personal safety and to deter would-be offenders.
Play it SAFE
SAFE Week was launched by Home Office Minister Hazel
Blears, Crimestoppers Director of Operations Dave Cording,
and Olympic boxer Amir Khan, to coincide with January’s
traditional rise in robbery offences.
The SAFE educational resource comprises a number of
elements, each of which can be downloaded from the
Crimestoppers website at www.crimestoppers-uk.
org/solving/safe. Materials include:
● A teacher guidance document detailing suggestions for
lesson delivery, topic development and National
Curriculum links for each subject
● An assembly plan on personal safety
to introduce the topic to pupils.
● Four pupil worksheets covering the following lesson
themes: Robbery and bullying, Personal Safety, Mobile
Phones and Stolen property.
● A SAFE poster for schools.
Target the right audience
Mobile phone theft impacts significantly on young people:
more than half of mobile phone robbery victims are under
18; more than half of offenders are aged 15-17.

Visit For details of SAFE and to access educational resources, visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org/solving/safe||
|Register phones for free at www.immobilise.com
Visit www.outofyourhands.com for youth-targeted advice|
20 Crime Reduction News
Consequently, a CD-rom, Out of Your Hands, was launched
in 2003. Aimed at 11-14 year-olds, it gives advice on how to
avoid becoming the victim of mobile phone theft, what to
do if your phone is stolen, and the potential consequences
of committing robbery to steal other people’s phones. A
website www.outofyourhands.com was also launched. In
the mean time, the Government has been addressing the
problem directly. The approach includes:
● Launching a database of lost and stolen phones, allowing
phones reported as lost or stolen to be blocked across all
UK networks by reference to the handset’s IMEI number,
making them useless to thieves
● Legislation was passed (the Mobile Telephones
(Reprogramming) Act 2002) to make it illegal to
reprogramme a phone’s IMEI number, and to possess or
supply the equipment needed to reprogramme phones
with the intent of doing so
● A national campaign (Immobilise) to tell the public that
stolen phones can now be made useless to thieves by
reporting them as stolen to the networks
● A national police register enabling police to identify
stolen handsets.
Reprogramming Act was a world first, and therefore broke
new ground. Two years of operational use by the police has
shown that if the Act were amended slightly (to include an
offence to offer to reprogramme mobile phones, or to have
phones reprogrammed) it would be a far more effective law
enforcement tool. Kevan Jones, MP for North Durham, is
taking forward a draft Bill to amend the Reprogramming
Act 2002 along these lines.
Register and protect
Hazel Blears, police and industry launched the National
Mobile Phone Register, a valuable tool to fight mobile phone
crime. The Register is an important step forward, allowing
the police to identify stolen mobile phones in real time.
The public can play their part too – by registering their
phone for free they can protect their phone and can
improve their chances of getting their phone back if it is
lost or stolen. The more phones that are registered, the
more effective the register will be. Mobile phones can be
registered free of charge at www.immobilise.com. crn
PHOTONICA
GETTY
A boost for
safer communities
T
NIGHT-TIME he Cleaner Safer Greener Communities campaign
has been put in place by the Government to help
NUISANCE WILL planners, street cleaners, park managers, police,
BE TARGETED community support officers and others working
IN A NEW in local environments to work with their community to
create high-quality local neighbourhoods.
COMMUNITY The programme builds on the five-year action plan set
CAMPAIGN.
out in Living Places: Cleaner, Safer, Greener, published in
LUCY RYAN October 2002. It is spearheaded by the Office of the Deputy
REPORTS Prime Minister (ODPM) and is backed by a host of
Government departments covering key issues such as health,
environment, education, transport, enterprise and crime.
As part of this drive, a practical support programme on
how to deliver innovative local environment services is being
developed by the ODPM. The Cleaner Safer Greener
programme will provide practitioners with the information,
support and stimulus required to make their environments
cleaner, safer and greener. It will include information guides
and academy-style support services to provide a targeted,
implementation-focussed approach.
Other services will also be developed, with the input of
practitioners, to provide immediate and practical support.
The programme will be launched by the ODPM and Home
Office in March.
Three how to guides will then be rolled out – covering
town centres in March, then homes and streets, and parks
and open spaces in June. Each guide will provide a central
source of information on service delivery and provide advice
and action plans. They will be accompanied by a series of
topical workshops and action learning seminars to develop
and highlight good practice and to help tailor solutions to
individual places and practitioners.
ODPM Minister Phil Hope said, “Making our
communities cleaner, safer and greener is a goal that
many of us share. Through working together, we are already
making our streets and town centres better places to live and

Visit www.cleanersafergreener.gov.uk for ideas on funding and how to make public spaces cleaner, safer and
|For details of the new Cleaner Safer Greener programme email cleanersafergreener@odpm.gsi.gov.uk
greener|
FEATURE
work. The programme aims to bolster the partnership
between decision makers, service providers and local
communities by spreading knowledge and best practice. We
want everyone to be clear on what action they can take, what
powers they can use and what they can expect from others.”
The first guide looks at town centres, with a particular
focus on managing the night time economy. Thriving
night-time economies have created new challenges around
alcohol-fuelled violence and crime and disorder.
The problems are significant, not to mention the
strains on public services such as the police, transport,
and accident and emergency services: 44 per cent of the
1.2 million violent crimes committed in 2002-03 were
fuelled by alcohol; 35 per cent of all attendees at hospital
accident and emergency departments were related to
alcohol, and 70 per cent of those occurred between
midnight and 5am. The cost of the crime and disorder
bill is estimated at £7.3 billion a year.
It is possible to address the problem and deliver more
active, inclusive and safe town centres. There are many
examples of people using existing and new powers to good
effect including: the Licensing Act 2003; the Alcohol Harm
Reduction Strategy for England; the Tackling Violent Crime
programme and new planning legislation.
The guide will highlight the way in which strong
leadership, solid mechanisms for delivery and clear strategies
can be implemented to manage the night-time economy and
prevent alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour. The
programme will emphasise the importance of partnership
working and engaging with the wider community.
“Across the country people are making a huge difference to
their local environment through innovative and intelligent
and approaches to tackling challenging issues,” said Phil
Hope. “The Cleaner Safer Greener programme will allow us
to learn from these experiences and ensure we can maximise
our efforts to make our communities better place for all.” crn
Crime Reduction News 21
UPDATE

news
VOLUNTEER A ROUND-UP OF NEWS,EVENTS
AND ACTIVITIES FROM THE
VOLUNTARY SECTOR AROUND
THE COUNTRY

Winners of the Mainstreaming

Award, Brighton & Hove
Division of Sussex police
Conference call
A national conference will be taking place in Nottingham
on Saturday 12 March for 500 people who are involved in
the work of Neighbourhood Watch or who are interested
in setting up such groups in their area. Home Office
Minister Hazel Blears will give the keynote speech. A report
on the conference will appear in a future issue of CRN.
A benchmark project
Exeter’s Park Watch Group has come up with an effective
way of keeping local youngsters out of trouble while also
giving them a sense of purpose.
Chilling out online
A pioneering website aimed at children and young people
aged from four to 19 has been making a big impression
in the Market Harborough community since its launch
at the end of last year.
The CHILLOUTZONE site was designed to provide
young people with a safe and fun environment in
which to learn about all aspects of citizenship in
order to encourage an appreciation of social and moral
responsibility and help children to understand the
importance of community. It appears to be working
– the site received over 5,000 hits in the first week.
The website was designed by Schoolwatch, a sub-
committee of Market Harborough Neighbourhood Watch
Support Scheme. Schoolwatch provides a formal link

Building safer neighbourhoods

A Neighbourhood Watch-inspired scheme was initiated in
response to a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour
in Heavitree Pleasure Park, Exeter. To address the problem,
city council community patrollers, local beat officers and
Park Watch volunteers talked to the youngsters about
A BIRMINGHAM-BASED COMMUNITY PROJECT IS THE EUROPEAN their behaviour and gave them the opportunity to take
CRIME PREVENTION WINNER FOR 2004 ON BEHALF OF THE UK responsibility and do something constructive. Under the
guidance of environmental artist James Bond, they were
given the chance to construct a wooden sheltered seat in
between schools and their immediate community and
is concerned with any incident or situation, which
may threaten the safety of our schoolchildren from
would-be abductors to road safety and drug abuse.
School Watch hopes the site will prove effective in
reducing local crime by improving the safety of school
children and protecting them from dangers they are
likely to encounter when travelling to and from school,
while also encouraging schools, parents and pupils to

T
he award-winning Safer Neighbourhood Programme
was implemented in five high-crime areas between
2001 and 2004 to specifically highlight crime and
fear-of-crime issues throughout the area while also enhancing
quality of life and actively encouraging communities’
involvement. The scheme gained particular distinction for
“The Safer both the strength of its framework and methodology and as
Neighbourhood an example of effective partnerships, resulting in a 14 per
Programme cent reduction in overall crime against an average 7 per cent
reduction in comparable areas.
is an excellent
example of ‘Audit to action’ approach
partners The programme was based on the successful
working Neighbourhood Safety pilot run by the national crime
reduction organisation, Crime Concern, and followed
together and the problem-solving and evidence-led ‘audit to action’
involving local approach, which helps to address those issues of greatest
people to concern to the community.
The programme was funded by the Neighbourhood the park using traditional hand tools. be more aware and alert.
Renewal Fund in conjunction with partners including Forty-nine youngsters took part in the six-month project. To encourage further interactivity, the site will
Crime Concern, Birmingham City Council’s Housing During this time, local residents came along to talk to the be launching competitions connected to safety,
Department, West Midlands Police and Birmingham youngsters, helping to break down barriers and build a sense anti-social behaviour, social exclusion and other
City Council’s Environmental Services. of community. One elderly resident, who had constructed issues directly affecting young people.
At the end of the first year of operation, the Safer wooden legs for amputees in the First World War, shared
Neighbourhood Programme had achieved a saving his skills and wartime stories with the spellbound audience.
Visit www.chilloutzone.org.uk
in costs of crime of £6,406,840 for an investment of
£600,000, while youth crime reduced by an average of
29 per cent against 12 per cent in the overall area.
Nick Tofiluk, Assistant Chief Constable, West Midlands Year of the Volunteer takes shape
Police, said, “This award is well deserved. The Safer
Neighbourhood Programme is an excellent example In January, the Home Secretary Charles Their efforts highlight the Government’s
of partners working together and involving local people Clarke and the Chancellor of the Exchequer determination to encourage more people
to make a real difference to their community to their Gordon Brown officially declared 2005 to be to contribute to civil renewal by taking
safety and to their environment.” the Year of the Volunteer. In doing so, they responsibility and becoming an active
The programme is based upon sound, tested and highlighted the invaluable contribution the citizen through the year ahead.
robust methodology and activity, suggesting it can nations thousands of volunteers make to “Personal volunteering builds up
AVEQ FOTOGRAFIE DEN HAAG, THE NETHERLANDS

After a comprehensive audit of local problems, using
make a real neighbourhood-based statistics, a survey of residents and
difference consultation with a wide range of local organisations and
to their community groups, action groups were established to take
community” on tasks in the highlighted areas; anti-social behaviour, the
environment, priority crimes such as burglary and vehicle
crime, young people, communication strategies and training.
At least three pieces of work for each priority were then
identified as quick wins so as to help build momentum
through swift and effective action.
be replicated anywhere at relatively little cost. their communities and to the nation’s
Chris Dyer, from Crime Concern commented, “The economic wellbeing. According to the
successful implementation of the Neighbourhood 2003 Home Office Citizenship Survey,
Safety model in Birmingham should be heralded by volunteering is worth £22.6 billion a year
all as an excellent example of how long-term positive to the UK economy.
change and impact can be achieved even in the most The launch took place at the Home
difficult of neighbourhoods.” crn Office’s Local Heroes awards ceremony,
which recognised and rewarded people who

For more details of the awards, visit
www.crimereduction.gov.uk/eurocpaward.htm
had made a difference to other people’s lives
and got involved in local community issues.
confidence and skills, raises self-esteem
and self-worth,’ said the Home Secretary. “It
strengthens communities and helps people
learn and care about the wider society and
democracy of which they are a part.”
The year-long campaign is divided into
monthly themes: April’s theme is Justice; that
of October is Citizenship & Community.

Visit: www.yearofthevolunteer.org

22 Crime Reduction News Crime Reduction News 23