Introduction to the Problem Solving Guides

The problem-solving Guides presented below are modelled upon the Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Series produced by the U.S. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (source material used in this section and in the Guides is adapted with permission from this series). However, in contrast to the Problem-Oriented Guides for Police, which are written solely for police, these Guides are written for use by public transport management, who are working in partnership with local police.

The Guides summarise knowledge about how practitioners working in the transport environment can reduce the harm caused by specific crime and disorder problems. They are guides to prevention and to improving the overall response to incidents, not to investigating offences or handling specific incidents. The Guides are written for practitioners - of whatever position - who must address the specific problem(s) the Guide covers.

Each Guide is separated into three parts. Part I reviews what is known about the specific problem(s) dealt with in the guide from research and practice in the rail, underground and bus environments. Part II presents a series of questions that might assist you in analysing your local problem(s), and provides some guidance on measuring the effectiveness of your response. Finally, Part III reviews possible responses to these problem(s) and provides some guidance on how they work and the conditions in which they are most effective. Summary tables of the responses reviewed are presented earlier in the Toolkit.

The Guides will be most useful to those who:

• Understand basic problem solving principles and methods (see above section). These guides were developed to assist practitioners, using a problem solving approach, to analyse and respond to specific problems commonly facing public transport systems.

• Can look at a problem in depth. You should be prepared to invest considerable time analysing and responding to a selected problem. Carefully studying a problem before responding helps you design the right strategy, one that is most likely to work in your community. You must decide whether particular responses are appropriate to your local situation. What is true in one place may not be true elsewhere; what works in one place may not work everywhere.
  
  

• Are willing to consider new ways of doing business. These guides describe responses that other transport practitioners have used or that researchers have suggested. While not all of the responses will be appropriate to your particular problem, they should help give a broader view of the kinds of things you could do. You may think you cannot implement some of these responses in your area but perhaps you can. In many places, when practitioners have discovered a more effective response, they have succeeded in having laws and policies changed, improving the response to the problem.
  
  

• Understand the value and limits of research knowledge. For some types of problems, a lot of useful research is available to transport practitioners; for other problems, little is available. Regardless, research has not provided the definitive answers to all the questions you might have about the problem. The research may help get you started in designing your own responses, but it cannot tell you exactly what to do. This will depend greatly on the particular nature of your local problem.

• Are willing to work with other community agencies to find effective solutions to the problem. Sometimes, practitioners cannot implement the responses discussed in the guides by themselves. They must implement them in partnership with other responsible private and public entities.

The Guides have drawn on research findings and practice in the United Kingdom and other European countries, the United States, Canada and Australia. Even though laws, customs, and practices vary from country to country, it is apparent that practitioners experience common problems. In a world that is becoming increasingly interconnected, it is important that practitioners be aware of research and successful practices beyond the borders of their own countries.

Anti-Social Behaviour: Problem Solving Guides for Public Transport Problems No. 4

Line-of-Route: Crimes Problem Solving Guides for Public Transport Problems No.5

Table X: Summary of Responses to the Problems of Anti-Social Behaviour in Public Transport Systems

Table Y: Summary of Responses to the Problems of Line-of-Route Crimes, Source: Line-of-Route Crimes

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