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Reassuring the public – a review of international policing interventions

Reduction of fear of crime has become an increasingly high-profile issue over recent years. This report looks at evaluated projects from USA, Australia and the UK in an attempt to determine which factors are most effective in reducing fear of crime.

Title: Reassuring the public – a review of international policing interventions
Authors: David Dalgleish and Andy Myhill
Series: Home Office Findings 241 (Research Study 284)
Number of pages: 6 (100)
Date published: November 2004

Key Findings

• Many of the interventions reviewed were multifaceted, and sought to address more than one aspect of reassurance.

• The most successful interventions for improving perceived police effectiveness used mechanisms designed to improve the visibility and familiarity of police officers. In terms of perceptions of safety, increased foot patrol produced the most positive results.

• Almost all the evaluations of visible and accessible foot patrol strategies have taken place in other countries, mostly the US.

• Physical improvements to an area can have an impact on aspects of reassurance. The police did not usually initiate this type of intervention, suggesting reassurance often requires a multi-agency response.
  
  

	Increasing perceived police effectiveness	Improving feelings and perceptions of safety
Number of appraised evaluations	12	22
Number of positive appraisals	6	8
Number gaining statistically significant results	4	5
What Works	Improving police visibility and familiarity	Increased foot patrol
What's promising	Community engagement Community policing Increased foot patrol Beat policing	Improved police visibility, accessibility and familiarity Community policing Increased residential security
What doesn't work	n/a	n/a
What's Unknown	Neighbourhood Watch	Street lighting CCTV Street drinking restrictions Neighbourhood Watch Crime prevention Beat policing Community engagement

Recommendations for CDRPs

The report makes the following recommendations for CDRPs

• Future interventions should consider baselining levels of relevant aspects of reassurance before undertaking evaluations, as this is advantageous when interpreting results

• Future interventions should consider publicity as an inegral part of the project, particularly if the intervention mechanisms are not visible to the public

• Reassurance should be the shared responsibility of the police, Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, other local stakeholders and community members.

• Interventions that have been referred to in the review that currently exist in England and Wales (such as police-community stations) should be evaluated.

The report gives further recommendations for the Home Office, for researchers and for the police.

Getting a copy

• Download Reassuring the public – a review of international policing interventions Findings (6 pages) 53Kb

• Download Reassuring the public – a review of international policing interventions Research Study (100 pages) 275Kb

Last update: Wednesday, October 18, 2006