IDEAS FOR A SAFER COMMUNITY Safer Cities Programme (UK) Evidence Rating: Effective - More than one study Program Description Program Goals The Safer Cities Programme (SCP) was part of a larger British initiative, Action for Cities; SCP was designed to address diverse crimes (domestic and commercial burglary, domestic violence, etc.). The main goal of the program was twofold: to reduce crime and fear of crime, and to create safer environments for economic and community life to flourish. Phase 1 of SCP ran from 1988 through Autumn 1995. Program Components/Key Personnel Approximately 3,600 schemes, or projects, were funded through SCP. Of these, 500 focused on the prevention of domestic burglary. Comprehensive schemes appeared to be the most effective. Such programs combined: · Target hardening. Target hardening includes physical security measures, such as door, window, and fencing improvements, alarms, and security lighting. Generally, the purpose of target hardening is to make physical entry more difficult or more risky, which can deter burglars. Target hardening differs in different schemes. Sometimes it is offered to victims, who are at increased risk of being reburgled. Sometimes it is offered to vulnerable individuals (e.g., the elderly or single parents), to “hot spots” (high-risk areas), or even to an entire area (all residents). · Community-oriented activities. This includes activities to increase awareness and promote crime prevention. The range of activities can be quite diverse, such as providing information on do-it-yourself security installations, developing Neighborhood Watch programs, creating general publicity about the program, or encouraging property marking (which may help with recovery or detection of stolen goods). Although SCP is a national initiative, the initiative encouraged a local, team-based approach. Generally, a program coordinator was identified, who worked with a small team and steering committee that represented diverse stakeholders (police, local government, commerce, voluntary bodies, etc.). Some of the simpler schemes were implemented without a multiagency management team; they were instead directed by a single organization that had requested funding. Multiple challenges were involved in ensuring the smooth operation of multiagency groups (e.g., spotty attendance by participants at the multiagency meetings, lack of leadership, inconsistent management, etc.). The structure and objectives of the individual schemes in large part determined the mix of project workers. A problem-oriented approach was used in the development of individual site schemes. Local crime data was used to identify particular crime problems and patterns, objectives were then set, and tailored preventive measures were selected. As programs were implemented, evaluation was encouraged so that changes could be made as appropriate. The funding levels varied widely across sites. For 300 studied sites, the average SCP money equaled about £8,700, which covered an average 5,200 households per site. Approximately one-third of these sites had other funding available to supplement the initiative funding. Certain factors appeared to influence the choice of sites for program implementation: · Sites tended to experience general crime problems in addition to burglary. · Police perceived burglary to be a particular concern of the area. · Sites tended to be well-bounded geographical areas. · Sites generally had a high level of police support.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 04:19:42 +0000
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