Analysing Causes

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Information sources

1. Profile of offenders

  • Are crimes the work of many or a few persistent young offenders?
  • Do offender profiles point to common factors, e.g.

- Age

          - School exclusion

          - School underachievement

          - Lack of skills

          - Other offences

          - Organised criminal networks

  • What evidence is there that crimes are drug-related?
  • How do offenders become involved?
  • Do offenders live locally or are they travelling to the area to commit crime?
  • Do recovery rates suggest that the persistent offenders are opportunists/ professionals?
  • Police
  • Youth Offending Teams
  • Probation Service
  • Arrest Referral Scheme
  • Drug Action Teams
  • Social Services
  • Schools
  • Education Authorities

2. Targets

  • What makes the targets of persistent young offending attractive (e.g. stereo system, laptops, mobile phones, easy to dispose/sell)
  • What makes victims particularly vulnerable? (Age, gender, ethnicity, area where they live, analysis of repeat victimisations?)
  • Police
  • Youth Offending Teams
  • Probation service

3. Physical environment

  • What features of crime hotspots make them attractive to youth offending? ( physical layout & features of estate/housing complex/ shopping, arcade, schools bus stop area/locations, poor lighting, lack of natural surveillance; open access

 

 

  • Police
  • Youth Offending Teams
  • Probation service
  • Car park managers/operators
  • Local residents/businesses
  • Local planners

4. Social environment

  • Is there an absence of 'crime preventors'? - people or organisations, either formal or informal who can influence the offender in advance of the event, intervene during the event or react afterwards
  • Is there an environment of 'crime promoters' - either knowingly or unwittingly e.g. supplying tools or knowledge, providing outlets for goods, peer pressure
  • What are the markets for goods stolen by young? How are goods disposed of?
  • Community facilities - routine of use of shops, leisure and entertainment facilities; 'street' routine e.g. traffic, commuters, local services - creating opportunity for crime
  • Police

  • Trading Standards

  • Retailers

  • Second-hand markets

 

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