Communicating Crime Reduction

Spreading the word - using paid publicity

When paid publicity pays dividends

News and feature coverage of Partnership activities and crime reduction initiatives can have a powerful impact and a positive influence on the communities involved. But while such coverage is free, its timing, accuracy and target audience cannot be guaranteed.

Properly planned, even with limited funding, paid publicity support can help you to target information and awareness, when and where it is most needed. In addition, paid publicity opportunities can extend the life (and communication value) of the message beyond the more limited span of daily and weekly news. Sustaining the initiative is a basic consideration crime reduction and community safety work, and the more continuous the message, the more likely it is to be seen, heard, remembered and acted upon.

Media choice is greater today than ever before. When it comes to paid publicity, budget alone tends to dictate what activity is affordable and what isn’t. There is no point in planning an ambitious multi-media campaign if you only have the budget for a radio ad or a display panel.

Sponsorship can be of help and support here, but you need to consider your local guidelines and sponsorship criteria, as well as weighing up the benefits and risks, before entering into any commercial sponsorship agreement. (This will be covered in a future section - "Working with business")

By working together as a Partnership, agencies can generate funding for joint publicity initiatives to promote community safety. Partners should work together to discuss how pooling resources could have a greater impact – particularly where joint publicity is coupled with joint action.

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