Crime Reduction - Helping to Reduce Crime in Your Area

The overall winning entry for 2009 is Operation Fragment

Operation Fragment is the Government Office South West regional winner.  The project was set up by Avon and Somerset police to tackle a rise in metal thefts in Somerset particularly from schools, churches and other community buildings.

Working with local councils and metal dealers officers identified at risk areas and provided presentations to likely victims on how to improve security.  Because of the improved working relationships with metal dealers intelligence on suspects and suspicious vehicles started to come to the police's attention.  This resulted in over 60 stop checks and 6 arrests in a 2 months period alone.  Somerset East saw a dramatic reduction in offences over a 2 months period whereby offences were reduced from over 100 down to 62.  This trend continued over the following period.  The team later attended a national ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) scrap metal seminar where their work was recognised as best practice and taken back to other forces.  Detailed information about the project is available here

The Engage Team was awarded second place in this year's competition.

The Engage Team is the Government Office North West regional winner.  This project was set up to consider why East Lancashire police's Eastern Division had higher numbers of children going missing from home for short periods of time than other parts of the force.

The team which includes police officers, social workers, youth workers and sexual health workers from statutory and third sector organisations has worked to provide a more holistic approach to the issue leading to a drop in the numbers of children reported missing and an increase in the number of prosecutions for child sexual exploitation offences.  During the three year period 2005-2007 only 6 cases exhibiting child sexual exploitation were investigated with only 1 progressing through to charges being brought against the perpetrator.  Over a one year period, following the formation of the team, 30 cases were investigated leading to 23 prosecutions, an average of 2 per month.

Ofsted reported, following an inspection in September 2008, that the Engage Team and the model they follow is an exemplary one, the highest accolade that they are able to provide.  Detailed information about the project is available here.

Hull Domestic Abuse Partnership also won this year's stand alone category, violence against women. The project was set up in September 2005 to tackle domestic violence in the city following research carried out by Citysafe CDRP to determine why the crime is often underreported and what could be done to improve the situation.

Since its launch the partnership, which works with the police, health, housing and family services to provide a joined up service, has supported 5920 women and their children. Detailed information about the project is available here