“To reduce crime and the fear of crime, tackle youth

crime and violent, sexual and drug-related crime,

anti-social behaviour and disorder, increasing safety in
the home and public spaces.”
Home Office Aim 1

This statement confirms our joint commitment to reduce crime and disorder. The Digest
is published quart e r ly and aims to support crime re d u c t i o n / c o m munity safety practitioners
in police and local authorities working in stat u t o ry partnerships by fa c i l i t ating info rm at i o n
e x ch a n g e. The Digest is a fo rum for your initiat i ves and experi e n c e s. Its success depends on
yo u , the practitioners, c o n t ri buting your art i c l e s. Deadline for copy is given below. A rt i c l e s
MUST be submitted by this date.
So that everyone can benefit from your work and experience, we would ask contributors
to consider both what wo r ked and what didn’t work within their pro j e c t s. P rojects may be
well conceived and still not achieve all their aims; this does not mean they have failed. Please
be brave enough to discuss what aspects did not ach i eve the expected outcomes. Include as
mu c h info rm ation as you can, c ove ring the analysis of the pro blem and how it wa s
i d e n t i fi e d , the response devised and how it was implemented and an assessment of the final
outcomes.

Note:
The inclusion of mat e rial in the Digest or re fe rence to any pro d u c t s / s e rvices does not
signify that they have been tested or evaluated. Nor should inclusion be thought to confer
‘official’ approval.
This p ublication may not be copied, photocopied, re p roduced, or conve rted to any
electronic form unless for police or local authority use only.
January 2003
College Staff The next Digest will be
with you in April 2003.
Director
Steve Trimmins Administration Unit Training Resource Solutions
All contributions
Mark Ledder Simon Jones
be submitted by
Support Services Ruth Whitaker
March 7th 2003.
Ann Keen Michael Hawtin
Information Service Richard Wales
Richard Cox Jane Carpenter Contributions to:
Adrienne Jowitt-Thrall Editor Jane Jones
Gill Archibald Jane Jones Information Team
Training Team Stuart Charman Design/Production Tel: 01347 825065
David Fernley Jane Jones Michael Hawtin Fax: 01347 825097
Kathleen Noble
June Armstrong Abby Hickman Home Office
Martin Fenlon Crime Reduction College
Pat Varley The Hawkhills, Easingwold,
For Training or General Enquiries:
Christine Morrison York YO61 3EG
Dai Perry Tel: 01347 825060 Tel: 01347 825060
Fax: 01347 825099
E-mail: crc@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

January 2003 1
 College News 4
Crime Reduction Website Wins Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Publications Catalogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Associate Trainer Scheme - Progress to Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Crime Reduction Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
The eXchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Defence Police Standard Crime Prevention Officers Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Thames Valley Police Standard Crime Prevention Officers Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Staff News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Guidelines for submissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Active Communities 8
New Gorbals Welcome Postcards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Anti-Social Behaviour 8
Internal Letterbox Flaps and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
A Guide to Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) and Acceptable Behaviour
Contracts (ABCs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Tackling anti-social behaviour: what really works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Arson 10
Project Car Clear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Burglary 11
Abbey Estate - Garage Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Bereavement Leaflet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Distraction Burglary Seminar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Light Against Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
‘Stop Chain Check’ - Loop Key Fobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Twelve Days of Christmas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Business Crime 13
Hospital and other Health Authority Buildings Security Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
CCTV 13
Evaluating the real evidence on CCTV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Designing Out Crime 14
Design for Community Safety - Supplementary Planning Guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Domestic Violence 15
Domestic Abuse FreeFone Support (Daffs) Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Domestic Violence Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Drugs and Alcohol 16
The road to ruin? Sequences of initiation into drug use and offending by
young people in Britain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
The economic and social costs of Class A drug use in England and Wales 2000 . . . . .16
Updated Drug Strategy 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
The Glasgow Drug Court in Action: The First Six Months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Nominations for the Home Office Drugs Disruption Supply Awards 2003 . . . . . . . . . .18
Fraud 19
Crime (International Co-operation) Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
G e n e ra l 20
Access all areas: A guide for community safety partnerships on working
more effectively with disabled people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Home Safety Advice Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Community Safety Reassurance Scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

2 Contents January 2003

G e n e ra l 20
National Policing Plan 2003 - 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Marks & Spencer British Community Safety Awards 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Neighbourhood Wardens and NeighbourhoodWatch 23
Data-Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
New Street Crime Wardens Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Property Crime 24
Lost Property Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Mobile Phone Barring Database Launched . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Operation Garden Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Padlock Testing and Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Property Marking Scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Rural Crime 27
Phone Box Guardian Scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Sexual Offences 28
Protecting the Public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Stalking and Harassment in Scotland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Town/Shopping Centre Crime 29
“Are You Off Your Trolley?” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Vehicle Crime 30
Automatic Number Plate Recognition Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Securi-disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Auto Crime CD Rom 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Vehicle Alert Scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Victims and Witnesses 31
Living Safely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Each Article in the Digest
Victims and Witnesses 31 is highlighted with an
icon which will define
A Better Deal for Victims and Witnesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Information Indexes (Information i) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
the product described in
Crime Scenes, Preserving Evidence, Providing Person, Vehicle and Pro p e rt y that article. They are:
Descriptions: A Guide for Members of the Public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Violence at School & Work 33 Campaign/
Secure Schools Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Initiative
Violent Crime & Street Crime 33
Navratri and Diwali Festivals Crime Prevention Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Publication
Shootings, Gangs and Violent Incidents in Manchester: Developing
a Crime Reduction Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Working with Offenders 35 Video
Evaluation of the national roll-out of curfew orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
NVQ Level 3 Community Justice - Working with Offending Behaviour . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Youth Crime 36 Website/
A Co-ordinated Approach to Student Crime Reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Electronic
Operation Norseman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Information
INSPIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Safe in the City: A Fresher Approach to Student Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
General/
School Liaison Core Programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Exchange
Youth Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 of Ideas/
Youth Inclusion Programmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Conferences

January 2003 Contents 3

 Crime Reduction Website Wins Award
The Cr ime Reduction Web s i t e
(w w w. c r i m e re d u c t i o n . g ov. u k) re c e i ved a
c o m m e n d ation award at the Vi s i o n a ry
Design Awards 2002 in recognition of
a ch i evement in making on-line info rm at i o n
ava i l able to visually impaired people. T h e
awa r d s , o rganised by the National Library
for the Blind with the support of Barclay s
B a n k , we re held in Stoc k p o rt in early
December.

Publications Catalogue
The Home Office Publicity Catalogue allows people to order copies of all crime re d u c t i o n
p u blicity mat e rial published by the Home Office free of ch a rg e. An updated pap e r- b a s e d
version of the catalogue has re c e n t ly been publishe d that includes t he ve ry latest
publications.
An on-line version of the catalogue will soon be ava i l able on the Crime Reduction Web s i t e
(w w w. c r i m e re d u c t i o n . g ov. u k) , e n abling people to bulk order any Home Office pro d u c e d
For more m at e rials using either service.
information Anyone visiting the website can browse the catalogue and download individual copies of
contact Stuart documents for personal use. The catalogue can also be used to direct members of the publ i c
Charman t owards the most recent Home Office advice and the on-line version uses ‘shopping baske t ’
Tel: 01347 825064 t e ch n o l o g y, w h i ch allows re g i s t e red users to bulk order paper copies on-line and have them
Email: posted directly to their area. This facility will continue to be free of charge.
stuart.charman@ The on-line version will be updated by the Home Office Publicity Section, so that new
homeoffice. materials will be available through the catalogue as they are published.
gsi.gov.uk See the on-line version at http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/publicity

Associate Trainer Scheme

- Progress to Date
On 10th De ce mber, D a ve Fe r n l e y, t h e
Training Team Leader, presented cert i fi c at e s
to seven candidates who have successfully
completed the Associate Trainer Award.
To gain the award candidates had to:
• attend a two day “Training for Success”
course at the College
• deliver a one day “Introduction to
Crime and Disorder” course and send
participant feedback forms to
the College
• complete a learning portfolio showing
their ability to reflect and learn from
their training experiences.
The College has now delive red the
“ Training for Success” course to 53 people
f rom the va rious Gove rnment Offices fo r
For more information, contact the Regions and many of t hem are now
Martin Fenlon working to complete the ir awa r d . I n
Tel: 01347 825076 a d d i t i o n , t h e re are over 40 people who
or E-mail: h ave expressed an interest in becomi ng
crtraining@homeoffice.gsi. A s s o c i ate Trainers and the College will be
gov.uk training them as part of their course
programme over the next twelve months.
A s s o c i ate Trainers come from a range
of agencies working in crime and disorder
reduction and are mainly practitioners,
some of whom have a training background.
The 2-day “ Training for Success” c o u r s e
e n ables A s s o c i ate Trainers to become
familiar with training mat e ri a l s , as well as
p roviding t he opportunity t o deve l o p
p re s e n t ation skills to be able to deliver best
practice mat e rials to more experi e n c e d
practitioners.
A s s o c i ate trainers will deli ver the
course “ I n t roduction to Crime and
Disorder Reduction”. This aims to give staff
n ew to cr ime & disorder reduction the
basic languag e, concepts and models to
deliver effective crime reduction initiatives.
I d e a l ly, p a rticipants should come from a
range of ag e n c i e s , so practitioners have the
o p p o rtuni ty to experience part n e r s h i p
wo r k i n g. To dat e, 260 people have at t e n d e d
this course.

4 College News January 2003

 Crime Reduction Basics
The College has re c e n t ly published a new
training bri e f, w h i ch aims to broaden the
audience for the crime reduction messag e.
Crime Reduction Basic s is a two and a
half hour training session designed to
i n t roduce individuals and groups in the
community to the basic principles of crime
and disorder re d u c t i o n , and encourag e
them to get involved in reducing crime.
The session can be used with a wide
range of people and groups, such as:
• Te n a n t s ’A s s o c i at i o n s
• Residents’ Groups
• Youth Groups
• Neighbourhood Watch Schemes
• Open Public Meetings
• Sports Clubs
• Social Clubs.
The training session is bro ken dow n
into seven sections and covers:
• What is crime and disorder reduction?
• Who’s involved in crime reduction in
your area and what you can expect
from them?
• What are the crime and disorder
p ro blems in your area?
• Why should you get involved?
• What can you do? - Problem
solving ap p ro a ch .
• What can you do? - Methods of
reducing crime including case studies
of good practice.
• What can you do? - Your contribution
and getting involved.
The session contains discussion
exercises to give individuals and groups the
o p p o rtunity to talk about local pro bl e m s.
This will help identify ways they can
become active in reducing crime by getting
involved in existing activities or by starting
up new, smal l-scale local pro j e c t s. T h e
session brief has been written so that it is
easy to use and adapt for dif fe re n t
audiences.
The brief contains trainers’ notes and
discussion points for each section together
with handouts cove ring the main points
and eight case studies that illustrate how
people in t he community can become
i nvo l ved in crime re d u c t i o n .T h e re is also
plenty of info rm ation about what people
can do to help other agencies improve their
response to cr ime re d u c t i o n . It does not
need to be run by experienced trainers and
can be used by anyone who works with, o r
is part of, a group in the community.
The br ief can be adapted locally to
include details of the local Crime and
Disorder Reducti on Audit and Strat e g y,
details of local partnerships and
i n fo rm ati on about local project s and
sources of funding.
The brief is ava i l able from the Cri m e For more information on
Reduction Website at: the training session,
www.crimereduction.gov.uk/ contact Dave Fernley Tel:
learningzone 01347 825078 or
or hard copies can be obtained from the E-mail:
Crime Reduction College on crtraining@homeoffice.
Tel: 01347 825059. gsi.gov.uk

The eXchange
The e X c h a n g e, due to be launched in January 2003, will be a major new area of the Cri m e
Reduction Website.
It will provide simple, f u l ly search able and user- f ri e n d ly access to good ideas and good
practice aimed at reducing crime and the fear of crime. Visitors to The Exchange will be able
to submit their views and comments on the projects ava i l able on the site as well as adding
details of their own initiat i ve s.
If you would like your project or initiative to be included in the eXchange, c o n t a c t :T h e
I n fo rm ation Te a m , Home Office Crime Reduction College, The Haw k h i l l s , E a s i n g wo l d , Yo r k ,
YO61 3EG Tel: 01347 825095 Fax: 01347 825097 or E-mail: crc@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

For more information contact Jane Carpenter on Tel: 01347 825090 or via
E-mail at: jane.carpenter@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

January 2003 College News 5

 Defence Police Standard Crime Prevention
Officers Course
Roussillion Barr a cks in Chichester hosted
the fi rst Defence Pol ice Standard Cri m e
Reduction Course in August last ye a r, w i t h
d e l e g ates re p resenting the Royal Military
Po l i c e, R oyal A i r fo r c e, R oyal Navy and the
Ministry of Defence Police.
The event built upon a previous course
r un for the Royal Mil itary Police and
reflected recognition of
best value at a strat e g i c
l evel in linking cri m e
reduction training fo r
these organisations.
The content of
the course cove re d
generic standard course
m at e rial and focussed on issues of
p a rticular re l evance to the Defence Po l i c e
c o m mu n i t y. The sharing of experience and
good practice was one of the key aspects of
the course, together with confi rm ation that
s u p p o r ting continui ng pro fe s s i o n a l
d evelopment is essential in keeping skills
and knowledge up-to-date.
A second standard course, q u a l i t y
a s s u red by the Crime Reduction College,
will be held in March 2003 at the Ministry
of Defence Po l i c e, We t h e r s field site, a f t e r
w h i ch the course will be franchised to
them to be run at ti mes and locat i o n s
ap p ro p ri ate to their delegates.

Thames Valley Police Standard Crime

Prevention Officers Course
Wo ke field Park near Reading was the ve nue for a two - week Standard Crime Reduction
Officers course for Thames Valley Police Crime Reduction A dv i s o r s , new posts that have been
created as part of the force redeployment programme.
The event was fa c i l i t ated by Sgt Dave Oliver from the force training school and A m a n d a
S c a rg i l l . It was opened by Insp. Steve Avil, the Force Crime Reduction Officer. The content of
the course was similar to those run at the College, whilst incorporating force expertise and a
regional input cove ring topics such as CCTV, C rime Prevention T h rough Env i ro n m e n t a l
Design and counter terro ri s m . D e l e g ates on the course will have attended a crime re d u c t i o n
c o n fe rence at Force HQ in December 2002 prior to attending their recall phase in Feb ru a ry
2003.This is likely to be the first of a number of events reflecting the commitment of Thames
Va l l ey Police to divisional Crime Reduction A dvisors and their continuing pro fe s s i o n a l
development.

Staff News
Two new staff will join the training team
on short - t e rm secondments from Ja nu a ry.
Christine Morrison, a fo rmer member of
the training team, now works as a freelance
trainer and has extensive experience in
c rime reduction both as a trainer and
p r a c t i t i o n e r. Dai Pe r ry f rom Dyfe d - Pow y s
Police has experience as a Crime Reduction
O f fi c e r, A r chitectural Liaison Officer and
t r a i n e r. Bot h Chri stine and Dai will be
working at the College until April 2003.
Jane Carpen ter j oined the
I n fo rm ation Team on promotion to Te a m
Leader in October. She had previously been
a member of Training Resource Solutions
6 College News
at the college. Her predecessor as Te a m
L e a d e r, Gi ll Archibald re t u rned to t he
college on a part-time basis in Nove m b e r.
Gi ll will work on the European Cri m e
Prevention Network(EU CPN), the Learning
Zone and links with the Researc h ,
Development and Statistics Directorate.
We said fa rewell to Amanda Scarg i l l
in December. Amanda has accepted a post at
B a n b r idge Distr ict Council in Nor t h e rn
Ireland as their District Policing Pa rt n e r s h i p
M a n ag e r. She has been a valued and
h a r d - working member of the Coll ege
Training Team for fi ve ye a r s. We all wish
her well for the future.
January 2003
 Guidelines for submissions
The Digest allows contributors to make information available to others without loss
of ownership.

I n fo rm ation can be submitted by:

• Word document via e-mail to: crc@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
• e-mail to: jane.jones@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
• faxing text to: The Home Office Crime Reduction College Info rm ation Office.
Fax number 01347 825097
• hard copy text via Royal Mail to:
Jane Jones, Inquiry Services Manager, I n fo rm ation Office,
Home Office Crime Reduction College, The Hawkhills, Easingwold,York YO61 3EG.

Contributions should adhere to the following guidelines. They should:

• Refer to a specific initiative, event or publication relevant to crime
reduction/community safety practitioners nationwide.
• Wherever possible contain evidence of evaluation or cost-benefit analysis. Where a
project is not complete contributions should contain some interim evaluation and
indication of any future follow up.
• Be original ideas and mat e ri a l . Duplicates of other projects/initiatives will only be
accepted if they contain significant differences or enhancements.
• Not be “press release” copy unless supported by other documentation. Press releases do
not usually contain sufficient detailed info rm at i o n .
• Not be announcements of local publicity events or campaigns unless there is some form
of evaluation or the event/campaign is of national value.

Language and text

• Digest content should be written to the target audience - crime reduction practitioners.
• The use of technical terms should be avoided. If they are used they should be
fully explained.
• Use plain English and short sentences.
• Make it accurate, brief and relevant.
• Avoid acronyms - use the full name. If an acronym recurs within an article give the full
name and acronym for the first occurrence and use the acronym only for subsequent
occurrences, e.g. Crime Reduction College (CRC).

Pictures and Logos

W h e re possible pictures or logos should be included with art i c l e s. T h ey can be sent as
h a r d - c o py or electro n i c a l ly. It is always better to send the original image as this will ensure
higher quality reproduction. Please send the original image, don’t send the picture as part of
a document or presentation.

M at e rial submitted for inclusion in the Digest will be fo rm at t e d , edited and collated initially
by the Info rm ation Services Manager. Articles accepted for inclusion in the Digest will also be
published in electronic fo rm at .

Electronic Image specification:

PC or Mac format. Colour images at least 400dpi can be .jpg, .tiff, .bmp.
Black & white images at least 600dpi should be .tiff or .bmp.
Original electronic artwork can be sent as Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop files.
Can be sent on disk, CD or Zip disk or e-mail.

January 2003 College News 7

 New Gorbals Welcome Postcards
Strathclyde Police

The aim of this initiative, which began in October 2002, is to promote active citizenship and
reduce the fear of crime amongst the public in the New Gorbals area of Glasgow.
The Gorbals area is currently undergoing considerable regeneration with over 1,000 new
residential pro p e rties being built over the next two ye a r s. People are moving into the are a
without any local knowledge and this campaign has been introduced in a bid to prov i d e
i n fo rm at i ve and welcoming info rm ation to new residents in the form of a postcard.
The card, w h i ch fe at u res contact details for the local police offi c e, e n c o u r ages re s i d e n t s
to be pro-active and report anything suspicious in the area.
E va l u ation of the campaign will be carried out in the fo rm of crime prevention survey s
of new residents together with feedback requested from the local Crime Prevention Panel and
Neighbourhood Watch group.

Internal Letterbox Flaps and Locks

Safer Merthyr Tydfil

S a fer Mert hyr Ty d fi l ’s Community Safe t y
Wardens we re being ap p ro a ched on a daily
basis by residents complaining about the
p ro blem of lighted fi reworks being pushed
t h rough the letterboxes of the elderly and
v u l n e r abl e. As a re s u l t , a member of the
‘ H o m e s a fe ’ bu rg l a ry reduction sch e m e ’s
l o ck fitters developed a dev i c e, utilising a
w i n d ow lock sash-jammer, t h at could be
fitted to the inside letterbox flap, e n abl i n g
it to be locked by the home ow n e r
following delivery of the days post.
As many wooden doors, u n l i ke
aluminium and UPVC, do not have an
inside letterbox flap it meant that some
people would not benefit from the locks. In
response to requests from re s i d e n t s , t h e
wardens ag reed to purchase a number of
i n t e rnal letterbox flap s , w h i ch could be
fitted in the homes of vulnerable people.
The fe e d b a ck re c e i ved from the instal-
l ation of these flaps has been
ove r w h e l m i n g, with many residents say i n g
t h ey felt mu ch safer in their homes. Pe o p l e
who have reported problems of this kind to
the police can have the device fitted to their
door free of ch a rg e.

8 Active Communities/Anti-Social Behaviour January 2003

 A Guide to Anti-Social Behaviour Orders
(ASBOs) and Acceptable Behaviour
Contracts (ABCs)
Home Office

This publ i c ation supersedes the guides to ag e n c y. It aims to provide clear, p r a c t i c a l

ASBOs produced by the Home Office in
1999 and 200 0 and draws on the
e x p e rience of police serv i c e s , l o c a l
a u t h o ri t i e s , youth offending teams, a n d
other organisations.
The guidance is intended for use by
practitioners whether they re p resent local
a u t h o ri t i e s , the police, youth offe n d i n g
t e a m s , re g i s t e red social landlords,
p ro s e c u t o r s , th e judiciary or any ot her
a dvice on the use of anti-social behav i o u r
orders and acceptable behaviour contracts,
w h i c h can be used to protect t he
c o m mu n i t y, together with examples of best
practice.
Copies of this publication can be obtained from
Prolog UK Tel: 0870 241 4680
Fax: 0870 241 4786
E-mail: homeoffice@prolog.uk.com

Tackling anti-social behaviour: what

really works
NACRO

This briefing highlights examples of work carried out by local authorities that are considered
to have been successful in tackling anti-social behav i o u r. T h ree types of intervention are
considered:
• enforcement
• prevention
• education

E va l u ations of what works in reducing anti-social behaviour are scarce. W h e re they do

exist, they are carried out locally with very little standardisation in methodology. This makes
it difficult to make info rmed judgements about what works and what does not work to
reduce anti-social behav i o u r. Despite this, h oweve r, it is clear that focussing on one element
of intervention at the expense of others can only result in a quick fix rather than long-term
s o l u t i o n s. Pa rtners need to address anti-social behaviour using a holistic ap p ro a ch that
includes each of these interventions.

The briefing covers the following topics:

• Defining anti-social behaviour
• Measuring anti-social behaviour
• Why does anti-social behaviour matter?
• Legal measures before Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs)
• Tackling anti-social behaviour through enforcement: Anti-Social Behaviour
Orders (ASBOs)
• Other interventions that use enforcement to address anti-social behaviour
• Tackling anti-social behaviour through prevention
• Tackling anti-social behaviour through education
• Conclusions.

For a copy of this briefing note published in September 2002 and priced £5.00 contact NACRO,
Crime and Social Policy Section, 237 Queenstown Road, London SW8 3NP
Tel: 020 7501 0555 Fax: 020 7501 0556.
Copies can also be viewed and downloaded via their website at:
http://www.nacro.org.uk/data/briefings/nacro-2002101500-csps.pdf

January 2003 Anti-Social Behaviour 9

 Project Car Clear
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
Project Car Clear is a mu l t i - agency pilot
s ch e m e, w h i ch began in March last ye a r
and was set up with the aim of re d u c i n g
d e l i b e r ate car fi res by providing a
l e g i t i m ate route for people to dispose of
unwanted vehicles.
Abandoned vehicles often end up
ignited on the stre e t s , in parks, woods and
car parks, w h i ch thre at ens the safety of
residents and has a detr imental affect on
the environment.
P roject Car Cl ear has 3 levels of
operation:
• Stage 1: fire crews identify possible
abandoned vehicles whilst engaged in
their duties in the area.
Details are faxed to the Abandoned
Vehicle Team based at Southampton
City Council, who arrange for the
removal of the vehicle as soon
as possible.
• Stage 2: people wishing to dispose of
their ‘end-of-life’ vehicles can go to
Redbridge Fire Station with proof of
identity and ownership of the vehicle.
Details are again faxed to the team and
the vehicle is taken away free of charge.
• Stage 3: involves the police
investigating car fires by patrolling the
neighbourhood following details of an
incident which has been faxed to the
local police station by fire crews.
10 Arson
The project is adve r tised thro u g h
leaflets distri buted to public places such as
l i b r a ri e s , as well as being included in
p e o p l e ’s council tax info rm ation and the
local free paper.
Fo l l owing a six-monthly rev i ew it is
clear that the project has had a signifi c a n t
impact in the project are a . F i g u res for the
second and thi rd quarters of the ye a r,
compared to the same periods the previous
ye a r, s h ow a drop in vehicle fi re s. T h e
success of the pilot scheme can also be seen
f rom the number of call-outs to car fi re s
re c e i ved in July an d August l ast ye a r.
Although this number was still fa i r ly high
(30 car fi re s ) , o n ly 3 of these invo l ve d
abandoned ve h i c l e s , c o m p a red wit h the
same months the previous ye a r, w h i ch saw
50 car fi res with 22 involving ab a n d o n e d
ve h i c l e s. F i g u res for October 2002 showe d
a 68% reduction in deliberate car fi re s.
Work has alre a dy begun on trans-
fe rring the scheme to other areas in the
county where there are similar pro bl e m s
with car fires.
January 2003
 Abbey Estate - Garage Security
Norfolk Police

This initiat i ve was set up fo l l owing nu m e rous garage break-ins on the A bb ey Housing
Association Estate in Thetford, Norfolk.
The bu rg l a ry reduction gro u p, p a rt of the local Crime Reduction Pa rt n e r s h i p, we re
i nvo l ved in co-ordinating the initiat i ve, w h i ch aimed at improving security of domestic
buildings and property and reducing crime and the fear of crime for local residents.
A locking device, endorsed by Sold Secure, the Home Office approved testing house, was
p u r chased and fitte d by a qualified locksmith to over 172 garage doors on the estat e,
resulting in a 50% reduction in break-ins over the period April - October 2002.

B e re a vement Leaflet
Dorset Police

Fo l l owing a number of bu rg l a ries in two
p re d o m i n a n t ly rural areas of Dorset linke d
to obituary notices, the Crime Preve n t i o n
D e p a rtment produced a sympathetic leaflet
giving practical adv ice to the bere ave d
person.
The leaflet advises them to seek help
f rom som eone they know and tr u s t , t o
e n able t hem to implement some basic
c rime prevention methods and so re d u c e
the risk of bu rg l a ry when t heir house is
unoccupied.
The advice includes i nfo rm i n g
neighbours when the house will be lef t
empty for long peri o d s , e n s u ring post is
pushed right through the letterbox an d
lights are left on and curtains are closed.
The leaflet , w h i c h will be used
t h roughout the are a , has been produced in
c o n s u l t ation with local funeral dire c t o r s
and will fo rm part of th eir info rm at i o n
p a ck .
An analysis of monthly force stat i s t i c s
will determine whether the project has had
an effect on reducing cri m e, together with
dip sampling the va rious funeral dire c t o r s
on the take-up and usefulness of the leaflet.

Distraction Burglary Seminar

Hampshire Constabulary

Hampshire Constabulary, in partnership with Hampshire Trading Standards, hosted a seminar

on distraction bu rg l a ry, w h i c h saw the l aunc h of a booklet for senior consumers in
Hampshire entitled ‘Safe & Sound’.
The confe rence examined al l aspects of distraction bu rg l a ry against e lderly and
v u l n e r able people and was attended by re p re s e n t at i ves from the va rious agencies wo r k i n g
wit h this section of the commu n i t y. Pupils from a local school also perfo rm ed at the
c o n fe re n c e, putting distraction bu rg l a ries into a dramatic setting. Whilst funny at times, t h e
performance carried a serious message to beware of bogus callers.
The booklet, p roduced in collab o r ation with Hampshire Po l i c e, Citizens A dvice Bure a u
and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Serv i c e, p rovides advice on staying safe and secure in the
home and what to do when unexpected visitors call.

January 2003 Burglary 11

 Light Against Crime
Cleveland Police

C l eveland Police have launched their winter bu rg l a ry campaign in a bid to cut down the
number of burglaries during this time of year.
The force have enlisted the help of neighbourhood wardens to help protect houses
deemed most at risk during the darker nights. Wardens who identify houses, w h i ch look to
h ave been left empty and in darkness, will post an advice leaflet wa rning the householder
that their home could be at risk of burglary. Suggestions include the use of security lighting,
timer sw i t ches and pro p e rty marking personal belongings. Leaflets use the message ‘B e
Bright - Leave On A Light! Be Dim - Let Burglars In!’
Residents are also invited to contact their local Crime Prevention Officer for furt h e r
advice, as well as info rm ation on purchasing discounted crime prevention products.

‘Stop Chain Check’ - Loop Key Fobs

Suffolk Constabulary

S u f folk Constabu l a ry, together with Beccles • Chain

& Bungay Cr ime Prevention Pa n e l , h a s
l a u n ched an initiat i ve in the fight ag a i n s t
distract ion bu rglars who target el de rly
people in ‘bogus caller’ type incidents. This
comes as part of the ‘Suffolk First
I n i t i a t i ve’ , w h i ch it is hoped will make
S u f folk the safest county in the country by
the year 2006.
The panel have purchased 1,000 loop
key fobs bearing the message ‘Stop Chain
C h e c k’ - the pro c e d u re which should be
fo l l owed when answe ring the door to any
caller.
• Stop
Are you expecting anybody? Do they
have an appointment?
Secure the door bar or chain before
opening the door.
• Check
Ask for and doubl e - ch e ck the
caller’s ID.
The key rings will be distri buted fre e
of ch a rge to vul nerable people in t he
Beccles Policing Sector, together wi th
Home Office ‘Stop Chain Check ’ d o o r
s t i cke r s. T h ey wil l also be used in
conjunction with other measures to help
protect the elderly from bogus callers, such
as the fitting of 100 voice memo minder
u n i t s. These can be programmed to give an
automatic verbal reminder when answe ri n g
the door. So far the initiat i ve has re c e i ved a
p o s i t i ve response from those people who
have had units fitted.

Twelve Days of Christmas

Dorset Police

Dorset Police have been invo l ved in the production of a video and CD-Rom as part of a
campaign to promote crime prevention over the fe s t i ve season, w h i ch fe at u res a song based
on the original ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’.
The song, developed in association with the Thomas Hardye School Choir, was re-written
with numerous crime prevention messages based around vehicle crime and burglary, with the
aim of cre ating a more light-hearted ap p ro a ch to crime prevention over the Chri s t m a s
p e ri o d .
Also produced we re leaflets, a cassette tape and posters promoting the va rious cri m e
prevention messages.

12 Burglary January 2003

 Hospital and other Health Authority
Buildings Security Checklist
Safer York Partnership

In recent years, the levels of reported crime findings from the completed assessments,
at York District Hospital and other health w h i ch allows them to focus their effo rts in
t rust pro p e rties in the area have incre a s e d , areas where it is needed most.
resulting in the publ i c ation of a ‘ H o s p i t a l While it is accepted that carrying out
and other Health Au t h o rity Buildings assessments alone will not totally eliminate
Security Checklist’. t h re ats to secur i t y, it is hoped they will
In an effo rt to address pro blems of a l l ow more effe c t i ve use and allocation of
crime in and around the hospital, including resources.
vehicle cri m e, bu rg l a ry and theft, a
re p re s e n t at i ve from the Safer Yo r k
Pa rt nership and th e Hospital’s Secur i t y
M a n ager work in partnership to carry out
we e k ly risk assessments in all depart m e n t s.
Hospit al Security Managers then discuss

...findings from the completed

assessments...focus their efforts in areas where
it is needed most...

Evaluating the real evidence on CCTV

Home Office

The University of Leicester hosted a confe rence in November last year with the aim of
assessing the effectiveness of CCTV in tackling crime.
P re s e n t ations re i n forced the message that the success of systems depends on the use of
CCTV for targeting specific issues, with a range of care f u l ly considered support strat e g i e s.
Examples were used to show how the police use CCTV as a tool for detection and intelligence
g at h e ri n g, s t ressing the importance of using a range of measure s , together with a team
ap p ro a ch . The success of automatic nu m b e rp l ate recognition tech n o l o g y, combined with
well-designed systems and high quality training, also confi rmed the cost effe c t i veness of
using CCTV. S everal of t he pre s e n t ations stresse d th e importance of eva l u ation an d
i n fo rm ation sharing to update the use of new systems as they are developed.
The national eva l u at i o n , which will be carried out by the University of Leicester for the
Home Offi c e, will re p o rt on l essons learn t from the i mplem entation of 16 sch e m e s
nationally. This research describes the importance of clarity on what a scheme is expected to
a ch i eve, the need for a mu l t i - d i s c i p l i n a ry team and fi rm project manag e m e n t , the value of
genuine consultation with stakeholders and rapid technological advances.
A fo l l ow-up confe rence is planned for the summer of 2003 when it is expected that
there will be more lessons emerging from the national evaluation.

January 2003 Bisiness Crime/CCTV 13

 Design for Community Safety -
Supplementary Planning Guidance
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and West Midlands Police
Joann e To l l e y an Urban Designer at
D u d l ey Metropolitan Borough Council has
been presented with a Quality Achieve r
Aw a rd by West Midlands Police for her
work on a publ i c ation aimed at pro m o t i n g
good design practice in reducing crime and
disorder.
Work on the guidance began in
October 2000 and invo l ved re s e a r c h and
consultation with various different agencies
and members of the publ i c. It will be used
to help assess an d deter mine planning
ap p l i c ati ons and is intended to assist
a r ch i t e c t s , d eve l o p e r s , l a n d s c ape arch i t e c t s
and urban designers in both the public and
p ri vate sectors in ac h i eving best design
practice.
14 Designing Out Crime
The guidance explains the cur re n t
thinking on good design and how it can
help to reduce the fear of crime and anti-
social disorder. It promotes a practical and
c o - o r d i n ated ap p ro a ch to the pro blems of
s a fety and secu rity for people and
p ro p e rt i e s.
The guide raises awa reness of design
and the layout of the physical env i ro n m e n t
to ensure that all aspects of the urban
environment are more pleasant in which to
live, work and play.
January 2003
 Domestic Abuse FreeFone Support (Daffs)
Initiative
Avon and Somerset Constabulary

The Daffs initiat i ve has been se t up as a hour programme on domestic abu s e

result of a partnership between Avon and
Som erset Constabu l a ry and the Bri s t o l
Domestic Abuse Fo ru m .
Both org a n i s ations had been
i n d e p e n d e n t ly planning bus adve rt i s i n g
campaigns to prom ote awa reness of the
issues of domestic abu s e. By uniting their
e f fo rt s , t h ey have been able to pool their
resources to enable them to develop a
larger, more effective campaign.
The adve rtising campaign will operat e
for a total of 13 months, with the fi r s t
month advertising the posters externally on
50 buses in the Br istol area and va ri o u s
i m ages showing i nside 100 bu s e s. T h e
i n t e rnal posters will continue to be show n
for the following 12 months.
A freephone helpline number has also
been set up, s u p p o rted by Te l ewe s t
bu s i n e s s , w h i ch operates as an automat e d
s e rvice where callers are able to ch o o s e
f rom va rious options by pressing the key s
on their telephone keypad. The number has
bee n adve rtised through pro m o t i o n a l
m at e ri a l , p e n s , cards and posters and has
also been shown at the end of each half
broadcast via the local television station.
Up to June last ye a r, the helpline
received in excess of 500 calls, averaging at
approx i m at e ly 60 calls per week with some
weeks recording as many as 90 - 95 calls.
Detailed statistical analysis is ava i l able as to
the times, durations and destinations of the
c a l l s , w h i ch will provide the basis for any
future funding needs.
The partnership aim s to expand the
i n i t i at i ve to have a single fre e p h o n e
number ava i l able for anyone experi e n c i n g
or concerned with domestic abuse issues,
similar to the nation-wide Cri m e s t o p p e r s
number.
A ny area will be able to operate under
the Daffs helpline number and Avon and
Som erset Police have negotiated pre fe r-
ential rates for any police force wishing to
join the Freephone number.

Domestic Violence Protocol

Wycombe District Council

The Community Safety Team at Wy c o m b e up to the Inter-Agency Code of Practice for

District Council has introduced a corp o r at e Domestic Violence in Buckinghamshire and
Domest ic Violence Protocol aimed at the new protocol is part of the substantial
victims of domestic abuse. mu l t i - agency work on domestic violence,
The protocol brings toget her t he providing training across the community.
C o u n c i l ’s Community Safety and Housing
Needs Te a m s , together with personnel
and frontline staff and of fers a safe an d
c o n fidential env i ronment where victims
of abuse can obtain info rm ati on and
p ro fessional advice.
O f fi cers invo l ved in del ive r in g the
protocol receive domestic violence training
and info rm ation is included in staff
induction courses. The Council has signed

January 2003 Domestic Violence 15

 The road to ruin? Sequences of initiation
into drug use and offending by young
people in Britain
Home Office Research Study 253

This study examines you ng people’s first use of va r ious types of illicit drugs and
their experience of first-time offending, including truancy. It aims to investigate the gateway
e f fect - the hypothesis that the use of soft drugs leads to a higher, f u t u re risk of hard dru g
use and crime.
The study uses info rm ation from the 1998/99 Youth Lifestyles Survey (YLS), w h i ch
contains info rm ation taken from over 3,900 interv i ews with young people on their ow n
experiences of drug use and offending.
On the surface the YLS data appears largely consistent with some variants of the gateway
* Analysis of theory, in that the age for use of soft drugs is less than the age of onset for most hard drugs.*
data suggests The report finds:
that gateway • No significant impact of soft drug use on the risk of later involvement with
effects are crack and heroin.
probably too • Very little impact of soft drug use on the risk of later involvement in crime.
small to be a • A significant but small gateway effect probably exists linking soft drug use to the social
major factor in drugs ecstasy and cocaine. However, after correcting for the likely effect of underlying
the design of unobservable factors, the predicted long-run consequence of even a complete removal of
effective soft drugs from the scene would only be a one-third cut in the prevalence of ecstasy
anti-drugs and cocaine.
policy. Other
approaches are Copies of this report, published in December 2002, are available free from the Information and
more likely to be Publications Group, Research, Development and Statistics Directorate, Communications Development
effective than a Unit, Room 275, 50 Queen Anne’s Gate, London SW1H 9AT
general Tel: 020 7273 2084 E-mail: publications.rds@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
campaign and can also be viewed and downloaded from the Home Office Website at:
against http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hors253.pdf
soft drugs

The economic and social costs of Class A

drug use in England and Wales, 2000
Home Office Research Study 249

This research study provides estimates of the economic and social costs of Class A drug use in
England and Wales for the year 2000.
The info rm ation provided in this re p o rt re p resents the first real attempt at assigning
m o n e t a ry values to a difficult pro blem for society. E s t i m ates are based on the most re l i abl e
d ata ava i l able and an innovat i ve model that examines major cost consequences according to
the tre atment status of pro blem drug users. The design of the costing model will also allow
for future updates on economic and social costs, together with future simu l ations of the
relationship between streams of government proactive and reactive expenditure.
A number of assumptions and limitations will need to be considered when interp re t i n g
the results from this re s e a r ch . These will need to be updated as and when new data becomes
ava i l abl e. Sensitivity analyses of key assumptions suggests that the range of estimat e s
provided for the economic and social costs of Class A drug misuse are fairly realistic.

Copies of this report, published in November 2002, are available free from the Information and
Publications Group, Research, Development and Statistics Directorate, Communications Development
Unit, Room 275, 50 Queen Anne’s Gate, London SW1H 9AT Tel: 020 7273 2084
E-mail: publications.rds@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk and can also be viewed and downloaded from the
Home Office Website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov. u k / rd s / p d f s 2 / h o r s 2 4 9 . p d f

16 Drugs and Alcohol January 2003

 Updated Drug Strategy 2002
Home Office

The Home Office has published an updated

• Funding for treatment services,
d r ug strat e g y, w h i ch focuses on delive ry
including prisons, will increase by
and evidence of what works on the ground.
£45 million in the next financial year,
The new strategy updates the 1998 strategy
£54 million for the year starting from
and has been published alongside re s e a r ch
April 2004 and £115 million
about levels and costs of drug use.
from April 2005. This will be boosted
Key elements of the strategy include
by treatment funding associated with
e d u c ating young people about the dangers
Drug Treatment and Testing Orders of
of dr u g s , p reventing dr ug misuse,
nearly £10 million in the next financial
c o m b ating dealers and tre ating addicts.
year, £12 million in the year starting
S t a rting from 2003 the Gove rnment will
from April 2004 and £16 million from
roll out a compre h e n s i ve ap p ro a ch in the
April 2005.
highest crime areas with the worst dru g
• An innovative advertising campaign, to
p ro bl e m s. This will ensure that eve ry dru g -
be launched in the spring, to educate
addicted offender is identified thro u g h
the young about the dangers of drugs
d r ug testing at the poi nt of arrest and
and prevent them from falling into
ch a rge and given the choice at their bail
drug misuse.
h e a ring of entering tre atment rather than
• More support for parents, carers and
e n t e ring custody. All this will be backed up
families so they can easily access
by extra resources for arrest re fe rr a l , d ru g
a dv i c e, help, counselling and mutual
t re atment and testing orders, t re atment in
support and expanded outreach and
p rison and youth offender institutions and
community treatment for vulnerable
for post-release tre atment and support fo r
young people.
those leaving custody.
• Improved services in those
The updated strategy is based on what
communities affected by crack, fast
works best to deal with drug pro blems and
track crack treatment programmes in
includes:
the worst affected areas and new police
• A tougher focus on Class A drugs.
i n i t i at i ves to close crack markets.
• New cross-regional Police ‘hit squads’
• New aftercare and through-care
to break-up middle drug markets, the
services to improve community access
link in the chain between traffickers
to treatment and ensure that people
and local dealers.
leaving prison and treatment avoid
• A stronger focus on the 250,000 Class
falling back into addiction
A drug users with the most severe
and offending.
p ro blems who account for 99% of the
costs of drug abuse.
The Home Office will be working with
• Better targeting, focussing on the
the Strategy Unit to rev i ew the impact of
communities with the greatest need.
e n forcement work on the dr ug supply
• Expansion of treatment services
c hain from intern ational production t o
tailored to individual need, including
d i s t ri bution in the UK, so that work can be
residential treatment where
focused where it will do the most damag e
ap p ro p ri ate and reduced waiting times.
to drug dealers.
• New improved treatment for crack and
cocaine users, heroin prescribing for
all those who would benefit from it
and more harm minimisation - with
improved access to GP
medical services.

Copies of the Updated Drug Strategy 2002 can be obtained from Prolog UK Tel: 0870 241 4680 Fax: 0870
241 4786 E-mail: homeoffice@prolog.uk.com It can also be viewed and downloaded at:
http://www.drugs.gov.uk/ReportsandPublications/NationalStrategy/
1038840683/Updated_Drug_Strategy_2002.pdf

January 2003 Drugs and Alcohol 17


Copies of this report, published
in October 2002 and priced
£5.00 are available from The
Stationery Office Bookshop,
71, Lothian Road,
Edinburgh EH3 9AZ
Tel: 0870 606 5566
Fax: 0870 606 5588.
Copies can also be viewed and
downloaded via the Scottish
Executive Website at:
http://www.scotland.
gov.uk/
library5/social/gdca.pdf
18 Drugs and Alcohol
The Glasgow Drug Court in Action: The
First Six Months
Scottish Executive
D rug Courts aim to reduce drug misuse and associated offending by offe ring tre atment based
options. They have been established in a number of jurisdictions with different populations of
offenders.
In October 2001, Scotland’s first drug court was established in Glasgow Sheriff Court .T h e
introduction of the new Drug Court followed the report of a “Working Group for Piloting a Drug
Court in Glasgow”, which concluded that the establishment and operation of a Drug Court in
Glasgow was feasible within the current legislation.
The objectives of the new Drug Court are to:
• reduce the level of drug-related offending behaviour
• reduce or eliminate offender’s dependence on drugs
• examine the viability and usefulness of a Drug Court in Scotland using existing
legislation and to demonstrate where legislative and practical improvements might
be important.
The proposed target group for the Drug Court is offenders aged 21 years and older where there
is a pattern of drug abuse and offending and whose drug misuse is receptive to treatment. Offenders
referred to the Drug Court must otherwise have been facing prosecution in the Sheriff Summary
Court.
This report presents the findings from a formative and process evaluation of the Drug Court’s
operation in the first six months. The aim was to document the operation of the Drug Court during
this period with a view to identifying any changes that may be required to enhance its effectiveness.
The second phase of the research will take the form of an outcome evaluation, which will continue
to assess the operational effectiveness of the court over the period of the pilot.
A variety of research methods aimed at the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data
were used,which involved interviews with professionals associated with the Drug Court,interviews
with Drug Court clients and the collection of information from Drug Court records.
The research concludes that the formative and process evaluation of the first six months of the
pilot Drug Court has largely been a success. Certain issues were identified which will need particular
attention in the next phase of the pilot. Overall, however, the Glasgow Drug Court was perceived to
be effective in providing a resource for drug-using offenders and the dedicated team and resources
were viewed as a positive contribution to the reduction of drug-related offences in Glasgow.
Nominations for the Home Office Drugs
Disruption Supply Awards 2003
Home Office
The Home Office is holding a confe rence on 18-19 March 2003, at the Chateau Impney in
Droitwich,to showcase best practice in tackling drugs markets.
There will be high profile speakers and the Home Office will introduce new guidance on best
practice in dealing with crack cocaine, in line with the Home Office’s national crack plan and ACPO’s
forthcoming crack strategy. The Conference will also launch the 1st annual Home Office awards for
tackling drugs supply.
The Home Office Pa r l i a m e n t a ry Under Secre t a ry of State re s p o n s i ble for anti-drugs co-
ordination and organised crime, Bob Ainsworth MP, wrote to all Chief Constables/Commissioners in
England and Wales in November 2002, asking that they nominate projects/operations for the awards.
Categories will cover best practice against street level dealing, the middle market and asset recovery.
The awa r d s , w h i ch have been developed in consultation with AC P O, will be presented at the
conference on 18th March 2003.
Nominations are limited to 5 per police force for each award category and should be supported
by an Assistant Chief Constable or above and returned to the Home Office by Friday 31st January
2003.
January 2003
 Crime (International Co-operation) Bill
Home Office
Measures to speed up the process of tackling
i n t e rn ational organised crime including
m o n ey - l a u n d e ri n g, p e o p l e - t r a f fi cking and
financial crime have been published by the
Home Office.
The Crime (International Co-operation)
Bill would enable faster and more effe c t i ve
c o - o p e r ation with EU countries and other
i n t e rn ational partners against terrorism and
other serious crime through:
• ensuring the UK’s ability to use the law
enforcement co-operation arrangements
of EU (Schengen). This will give the UK
access to the Schengen Info rm ation
System (SIS) - a database of missing and
wanted persons and items covering the
whole of Europe. The Information
Commissioner will have unprecedented
powers to monitor and challenge data
held on the system, reporting directly to
the UK Parliament, to ensure the rights
of an individual are properly protected;
• providing more streamlined and
efficient arrangements for mutual legal
assistance. For example it will be
possible to send and receive evidence by
TV link in a much wider range of
circumstances than at present;
• enabling fast and efficient arrangements
for surveillance co-operation between
EU countries, minimising the risk of
losing suspects in emergency situations
where no previous notice can be given;
...faster and more
effective co-operation
with EU countries and
other international
partners against
terrorism and other
serious crime...
January 2003
• mutual recognition between EU
countries of orders to freeze evidence,
so courts can take swift action to ensure
that vital evidence is not lost. For
example, a UK police team investigating
a UK-based armed robbery might
obtain intelligence that the weapons
used in the robbery are located in the
Netherlands.The UK police would get a
court order to search for the weapons at
a specified location. The Dutch
authorities would be required to act on
this order within 24 hours. Currently
any request to freeze evidence in
another EU country has to be processed
through the courts in the foreign
country which can cause delay;
• modernising our counterfeiting laws to
cover payment methods such as debit
cards.The Bill would introduce
reciprocal obligations between EU
countries to supply information about
banking transactions for investigating
the financial activity of criminals; and
• making terrorist offences committed
outside the UK by UK citizens offences
under UK law.This is part of the EU’s
Framework Decision on combating
terrorism, which will bring the
anti-terrorism legislation of all EU
countries up to the standards of the UK.
The Bill also includes measures to
mutually recognise driving disqualifications
by EU member states.
Copies of the Crime (International Co-operation)
Bill can be be viewed and downloaded via:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/
pa/ldbills/005/2003005.htm
Fraud 19
 Access all areas: A guide for community
safety partnerships on working more
effectively with disabled people
NACRO

R e s e a r ch has shown that disabled people
are more likely to become victims of crime
and anti-social behaviour than non-
disabled people. This briefing paper aims to
i n fo rm Crime and Disorder Reduction
Pa r tnerships (CDRPs) about disabl e d
p e o p l e ’s experiences of crime and fear of
For a copy of c ri m e. It covers people with physical and
this briefing s e n s o ry impairm e n t s , people with learn i n g
note published d i f ficulties and those with mental health
in September 2002 and priced issues.
£5.00 contact NACRO, Crime CDRPs have a stat u t o ry duty to consult
and Social Policy Section, with disabled people in the development of
237 Queenstown Road, c rime reduction strategies and to prov i d e
London SW8 3NP i n fo rm ation to enable them to consult and
Tel: 020 7501 0555 work more effe c t i ve ly with this section of
Fax: 020 7501 0556. the community.
Copies can also be viewed and The research conducted for this
downloaded via b ri e fing paper consisted of:
their website at: • Literature search of the UK and
http://www.nacro. o rg . u k i n t e rn ational research into disabled
/templates/ people and community safety.
publications/ • Internet search of examples of best
briefingItem.cfm/ practice in relation to disabled people
2002101502-csps.htm and community safety.
• I n t e rv i ews with policy staff in key
agencies of and for disabled people,
who had particular interest and
knowledge of community safety issues.
CDRPs can improve the way they wo r k
with the disabled by establishing a
common policy on crime against disabl e d
people so t hat all agencies have a clear
understanding of their roles and are
working to th e sam e goals. T h e
d evelopment of such a policy also show s
the disabled commu n i t y, t h at CDRPs are
serious about responding to their needs.
This br i e fing also includes details of
h ow CDRPs can improve on re p o rting and
recording crimes against disabled people,
together with conducting effe c t i ve audits
and developing con sultat i o n . It give s
examples of best practice in each of these
a re a s , as well as providing info rm ation on
re l evant policy and legislation and details
of useful organisations.

Home Safety Advice Shop

Police Service of Northern Ireland

This initiative was set up with the aim of providing info rm ation on all aspects of home safety
and security to the public.
C rime Prevention Officers from Craigavon police station attended the eve n t , w h i ch wa s
held within a local shopping centre over two full days. They were on hand to offer advice and
p rovide useful info rm ation on fi re safe t y, accident prevention and home securi t y.
The local Community Health and Social Services Trust provided a display stand and
were also in attendance each day.
Fo l l owing the eve n t , an analysis of the numbers of visitors to the stand wa s
carried out. This identified that many more people visited the stand on the Thursday
than the Fri d ay, although the shopping centre itself ap p e a red mu ch busier on that
day. As a result, it was decided that if the event was organised in the future, it would
be more advantageous to hold it mid-week rather than at the end of the week when
people do not seem to have as much time to spare.

20 General January 2003

 Community Safety Reassurance Scheme
South Wales Police

South Wales Police and Neath Po rt Talbot County Borough Council have fo rmed a
p a rt n e r s h i p, together with health pro fessionals and vo l u n t a ry org a n i s at i o n s , to promote a
holistic approach to community safety amongst the older residents of Neath Port Talbot.
Ve ry often, p ro fessionals carrying out “home visits” to older residents tend to look at
their own area of expertise and not the wider needs of the individual. The Community Safety
Reassurance Scheme aims to raise awareness with each organisation making re fe rrals using a
simple re p o rting process to the other part n e r s. C o m munity Safety Officer PC Chris T h o m a s
and Sian Morris from the County Borough Council have given a series of talks to va ri o u s
p ro fessionals involved in visiting older vulnerable residents, to help identify and target their
needs.
Since the start of the scheme in April 2002, more than 30 groups have been addressed on
the range of services available to local residents. These include:
• Crime Prevention Surveys
The Crime & Disorder Team carry out surveys to determine what security measures or
repairs are needed to improve the premises to an agreed level.
• Household Care & Repair
The scheme carries out small household repairs and security work as recommended by
the Crime & Disorder Team.
• Fire Safety Initiative
A partnership between the Fire Service and Age Concern, which has funding to replace
high-risk household items to reduce the risk of fire.
• Community Safety Issues
A partnership with the National Probation Service to cut down overgrown trees and
bushes, clear rubbish and remove graffiti.
The initial fe e d b a ck from the scheme has been extre m e ly positive and during the fi r s t
month of operation, 48 re fe rral forms had been received with many requiring more than one
s e rv i c e.

National Policing Plan 2003 - 2006

Home Office

The first National Policing Plan has been
p u blished by the Home Secre t a ry. Key
p ri o rities set out in the plan include
fighting ser ious crime and ant i-social
b e h aviour to dri ve up detection rates and
tackle the fear of crime.
The plan, i n t roduced as part of the
Police Refo rm A c t , highlights anti-social
behaviour, street crime, d ru g - re l ated crime,
bu rg l a ry and car cr ime as key areas fo r
police forces to tackle locally, to improve
p u blic reassurance and engage all sections
of the community in the fight ag a i n s t
c ri m e. It also re a f fi rms the key role t he
police play in encouraging vigilance ab o u t
terrorist at t a ck .
The plan is a cen tral plank of police
re fo rm , pulling together national policing
p ri o rities in one place for the first time and
setting national objectives to measure how
police forces are perfo rm i n g. A key part of
the plan will be to develop specialist
e x p e rtise to inve s t i g ate complex cri m e s ,
build local partnerships and implement the
N ational Intelligence M odel across all
forces to give police the tools they need to
reduce crime and nuisance behaviour.
The Home Secre t a ry has also Copies of the National Policing
announced that strategic thre e - year fo r c e Plan, published in November
p l a n s , i n t roduced as part of the Po l i c e 2002 are available free from the
R e fo rm A c t , would be supported by ab ove Home Office Communications
inflation increases in funding. There will be Directorate, 50 Queen Anne’s
a 5.4 per cent increase in funding in 2003 Gate, London SW1H 9AT
and at least a 4 per cent increase in 2004 Tel: 020 7273 4145/2193
and 2005 to help implement police re fo rm . or via E-mail at:
This will complement the high police vincent.nelson@homeoffice.
numbers delive red by Gove r nment - gsi.gov.uk
129,600 in March 2002. or:
laurie.beresford@homeoffice.
gsi.gov.uk.

January 2003 General 21

 Marks & Spencer British Community Safety
Awards 2002
Crime Concern and Marks & Spencer

The British Community Safety Awards are designed to highlight innovation and best practice
in the field of crime re d u c t i o n . N ow in their sixth ye a r, the awards have become part of the
crime reduction calendar. They are organised by Crime Concern and last year, were sponsored
by Marks & Spencer.
The awards are open to projects in the community safety field. Five winning projects are
chosen and winners each receive a trophy, 3 days of community safety training and two free
places at all Crime Concern’s conferences and events for the following year.
Details of the five winning projects in the 2002 awards include:

• Not another drop - Metropolitan Police and Brent Council

A community based initiative aimed at tackling gun crime in the London
Borough of Brent.

• Poulton Industrial Estate - Lancashire Police

This project was aimed at reducing vehicle crime on the Poulton Industrial
Estate in Lancashire.

• Stonebridge Housing Action Trust (HAT)

The Housing Action Trust undertook a four-pronged approach to improving community
safety on the Stonebridge housing estate, which included consulting residents to design
a better layout for the estate, setting up a community safety group, targeting drug
dealing and improving street lighting.

• Stansfield Youth Inclusion Programme - Crime Concern

This project works with the local community and local agencies in Stoke-on-Trent
providing support for disadvantaged young people.

• Pupils understanding problems in their locality -

Cyon Valley Crime Prevention Panel
This project was set up to promote crime prevention and personal safety issues for
young people and reduce crime levels within local schools and the
surrounding communities.

F rom the fi ve winners, one overall winner will be selected to compete in the Euro p e a n
Crime Prevention Awards (ECPA).

Full details of the awards are available from Crime Concern, Beaver House, 147 -150
Victoria Road, Swindon SN1 3UY Tel: 01793 863500 Fax: 01793 863555 or via their website at:
www.crimeconcern.org.uk/awards

... designed to highlight innovation and best

practice in the field of crime reduction.

22 General January 2003

 Data-Link
Devon and Cornwall Constabulary

Data-Link is a voluntary scheme for anyone
who might be re a s s u red to know that
essential info rm ation is re a d i ly ava i l able to
the Emergency Services should they suffe r
an accident, sudden illness or fi re. T h e
scheme ensures that vital info rm ation is on
hand to identif y a person as wel l as
a dvising of re l evant illnesses, a l l e rgies and
medication together with contact details of
family members or carers.
Personal details are stored in a clearly
l ab e l l e d , s e a l able wallet or bottle, w h i ch is
kept in the re f ri g e r at o r, g l ove box of a
vehicle or carr ied by the person. Two
m at ching labels known to the emerg e n c y
s e rv ices and other care agencies are
d i s p l ayed in the home, one on the outside
of the fridge and the other on the inside of
the front door. If placed in a ve h i c l e, t h e
labels are displayed on the inside of the sun
visor so that they are not visible from the
outside.
Pa ck s , containing the bottle or wa l l e t ,
details about the sc h e m e, l abels and an
e nve l o p e, a re delive red via the
Neighbourhood Wat ch Network who are
often best placed to recognise vulnerabl e
people within the commu n i t y. In addition,
Neighbourhood Wat ch Co-ordinators can
be used to identify potential vict ims of
c r ime and engage the com munity in
p reve n t i ve measures that can dramat i c a l ly
reduce their fear of crime.

New Street Crime Wardens Initiative

Home Office/Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)

This is a £22.5 million programme announced in June 2002.The programme funds 38

s chemes with 368 wa r d e n s. This new initiat i ve increases the number of wardens in are a s
w h e re there is a high level of street crime and expands the existing Neighbourhood and
Street Wardens schemes where ap p ro p ri at e. It focuses on ‘hot spot’ areas identified by Home
Office crime figures in 10 police service areas in England.
Neighbourhood Wa rd e n s
Neighbourhood Wardens have a number of diffe rent ro l e s , depending on the needs of
the commu n i t y. The ODPM and the Home Office have jointly allocated £18.5 million until
2003/04 to fund the development of new and existing Neighbourhood Warden schemes.
84 schemes are being funded across England and Wales employing about 450 wa r d e n s
and are match funded.
Their functions include pat ro l l i n g, re p o r ting suspicious behaviour to the police,
re p o rting env i ronmental or maintenance pro blems to re l evant authori t i e s , responding to
minor incidents of anti-social behaviour and low level neighbourhood disputes, ch e ck i n g
empty pro p e rt i e s , visiting vulnerable tenants and acting as a source of commu n i c at i o n
between local communities and the police.
Street Wardens
The Street Wardens Programme builds upon the Neighbourhood Wardens Pro g r a m m e
and curre n t ly funds 123 schemes with around 700 wardens in England. The pri m a ry aim of
the programme is to improve the local environment, p a rt i c u l a r ly in relation to litter, graffiti
and anti-social behaviour as well as promoting community safety.
S t reet Wardens differ from Neighbourhood Wardens as they have a more env i ro n m e n t a l
fo c u s , e n s u ring streets are cleaner, s a fer and more at t r a c t i ve for the commu n i t y. In local
a u t h o rity run sch e m e s , S t reet Wardens may be invo l ved in enforcement action to re d u c e
incidents of littering and dog fo u l i n g, u n l i ke Neighbourhood Wa r d e n s. These schemes also
require the support of the police.

January 2003 Neighbourhood Wardens and Neighbourhood Watch 23

 Lost Property Day
Avon and Somerset Constabulary

E ve ry year police seize huge quantities of stolen goods and it is often impossible to re u n i t e
these items with their rightful ow n e r s. As a re s u l t , Avon and Somerset Po l i c e, in part n e r s h i p
with local businesses, organised a lost property day in a local shopping centre, with the aim
of returning belongings such as jewellery and antiques to their rightful owners.
The day was used for ‘viewing only’ of property detained by the police. People enquiring
about any item had to complete a property identification re p o rt , which was followed up later
by police personnel to ensure the validity of the enquiry.
The event was used to illustrate how people can avoid becoming victims of crime by
p rotecting their pro p e rty and also highlighted how they can ensure a better chance of their
property being returned in the unfo rt u n ate event that they are a victim of crime.
Visitors were able to take advantage of special offers on property marking and engraving
with over 60 items, including mobile phones marked on the day. Ultra-violet marker pens
were distributed courtesy of Neighbourhood Wat ch , which also prompted a number of new
e n q u i ries regarding setting up a wat ch sch e m e. C rime prevention literat u re was fre e ly
available together with the opportunity to purchase various crime prevention products.
The event was widely adve rtised via the Neighbourhood Wat ch messaging system, Avo n
and Somerset Force Website and the local radio station, which resulted in visitors from right
a c ross the re g i o n . Adjoining stores displayed posters and tannoy messages we re played to
shoppers in the nearby supermarket.
Fo l l owing the eve n t , a brief eva l u ation was carried out, w h i ch determined that it had
been successful in terms of promoting the message of property marking and making people
aware of the measures they can take to avoid becoming a victim of crime. However, although
t h e re we re nu m e rous enquiries regarding pro p e rty on display, none of the items we re
returned to their rightful owners.

Editors Note: Property marking schemes should adhere to the Association of Chief Police Officer
(ACPO)/Home Office principles of property marking. Details of these are published on the Crime
Reduction website: www.crimereduction.gov.uk/property01.htm

24 Property Crime January 2003

 Mobile Phone Barring Database Launched
Home Office
A new mobile phone dat abase has been
l a u n ch e d , which will prevent stolen mobile
phones from being used on any UK mobile
network helping to make them worthless to
thieves.
R e p o rting the number of a stolen
phone to the ap p ro p ri ate network operat o r
will now enable it to be cancelled, mu ch
the same as a stolen credit card. This applies
to both pre pay and contract phones.
The Mobile Tel ephones (Re -
p rogramming) Act 2002 came into fo r c e
on 4th October las t ye a r, and make s
offences of:
• Changing the unique identifying
characteristic (IMEI number) of a
mobile phone without the
a u t h o ri s ation of the manufacturer.
• Possessing, supplying or offering to
supply the necessary equipment with
the intent to use it for re-programming
mobile phones.
O f fences carry maximum penalties of
fi ve ye a r s ’ i m p risonm ent or unlimited
fines, or both.
The new shared dat ab a s e, set up by all
UK mobile phone operators and the Global
System for M obiles A s s o c i at i o n , m e a n s
stolen phones can now be bar red on all
n e t wo r k s , by re fe rence to the phone’s
unique identifying code (IMEI number). To
re p o rt a phone stolen and have it barre d
customers should call their own netwo r k
operator.
The Industry’s shared database (Central
Equipment Identity Register) will make it
p o s s i ble to bar m obile phone handsets
a c ross all networks once a phone has been
re p o rted stolen or lost to the individual’s
mobile phone net work operat o r. T h i s
register is a dat abase of bl a ck l i s t e d
I n t e rn ational Mobile Equipment Identity
(IMEI) handset nu m b e r s. All mobile phone
n e t work operators in the UK will disabl e
the phone by re fe rence to the unique IMEI
number for the handset, w h i ch means the
handset itself (not just the SIM card, which
can easily be swapped) will be barred and
unusable on any network, even if a new SIM
card is inserted.
January 2003
Additional advice from the Home
Office includes:
• Register your phone with your
network operator, which will make
barring easier.
• Record your IMEI number and your
phone number and keep them in a safe
place separate from your phone. The
IMEI number can be accessed by keying
*#06# into most phones or by looking
behind the battery of the phone.
• Report the number of your stolen
phone to your network operator as
q u i ck ly as possible so that it can
be disabled.
• Remain alert. Your phone is a valuable
item, so be aware of your surroundings
when out and about and don’t use your
phone in crowded areas or where you
might feel unsafe.
In addition, the Gove r nment is
e n c o u r aging manu fa c t u rers to enhance the
s e c u rity of 3G devices by considering and
eva l u ating new secur ity opt ions. T h e
d e s i red end result is the development of a
l o n g - t e rm 3G strategy for improving the
security of mobile phone handsets.
The Home Office is also working with
the police and industry to raise awa re n e s s
of the new measures and encourage people
to re p o rt their phone stolen. A mobile
poster van is touring ro bb e ry hotspots to
a l e rt potential victims and thieves and fi ve
million crime prevention leaflets will be
d i s t ri bu t e d .
For more information on protecting your mobile
phone visit the Crime Reduction Website at:
http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/
stolengoods2.htm
Property Crime 25
 Operation Garden Guard
Leicestershire Constabulary

O p e ration Ga rden Guard was set up by
L e i c e s t e r s h i re Constabu l a ry in a bid to
reduce the opport unity for thefts fro m
sheds and outbuildings.
The initiat i ve ran from A p ril to
September 2002 and proved to be a gre at
s u c c e s s , resulting in an 88% reduction in
thefts of this type in the are a . D u ring the
i n i t i at i ve, d i s t i n c t i ve posters and leaflets
were distributed containing advice on:
• Ensuring garden gates have a lock and
that fencing is maintained to
prevent access.
• Fitting good quality locks to sheds
and outbuildings.
• Reinforcing doors and frames with
metal plates and fitting bars and grilles
to windows.
• Securing individual items with their
own chain and lock.
• Postcoding pro p e rt y.
• Fitting a shed alarm.
Golf and fishing outlets we re targ e t e d
with specific li terat u re as this type of
p ro p e rty was identified as being re g u l a r ly
stolen from sheds and outbuildings.
‘Vi c t o r’ the are a ’s cr ime preve n t i o n
vehicle toured crime hotspots, g a r d e n
c e n t res and fêtes and of ficers at t e n d e d
c o m munity events with a specially
designed shed display. T h ey offe red cri m e
p revention adv i c e, p ro p e rty m arking
facilities and supplied shed alarm s , as we l l
as other crime reduction hardwa re. O ve r
350 free alarms were provided to victims of
garden cri m e, wit h additional alar m s
ava i l able at a reduced cost to their
neighbours.
An eva l u ation of the campaign showe d
t h at outbuilding and garden thefts acro s s
the whole Western area were down by 25%
c o m p a red to the previous ye a r, w h i ch
i n d i c ates that there we re 128 fewer bre a k -
ins to this type of pro p e rty dur ing the
initiative.

Padlock Testing and Certification

Sold Secure

The new European Standard for Pa d l o cks was published last year as BS EN 12320 ‘ B u i l d i n g
Hardware - Padlocks and Padlock Fittings - Requirements and Test Methods’.
The standard has 6 grades for padlocks with a Grade 1 padlock being the lowest grade
and a Grade 6 the highest. Grades 1 and 2 offer only limited security whilst Grade 6 is only
l i ke ly to be met by the most ro bust of padlock s. Sold Secure uses Grade 3 to 5 as a basis fo r
the normal Bronze, Silver and Gold ratings.
Typical uses for the various grades are shown in the table. This table is only a guide. The
user should choose the grade of padlock to be used after eva l u ating the risk of theft for the
particular installation.

CEN Sold Secure Typical Uses

1 Clothing/School lockers
2 Meter boxes. Isolation locks
3 B ro n ze Basic bicycles, Typical garden sheds
4 Silver Motorcycles, High value bicycles, Ga ra g e s
5 Gold Commercial buildings, Plant equipment, Containers
6 Bonded warehouses

For more information on the
Sold Secure Approved Products
List visit their website at:
http://www.soldsecure.com
or E-mail:
admin@soldsecure.com
To pass the European Standard a padlock must withstand a series of 12 tests. As the grades
get higher the tests get tougher and the padlock has to pass every test for that grade. To attain
Sold Secure approval, there is an additional three more tests.
The way to determine whether a padlock complies with a new standard is to look for the
‘Sold Secure Logo’ with the words ‘Security Padlocks’ and the grade underneath. This means that
the padlock has been through the Sold Secure laboratories and has passed all the relevant tests.

26 Property Crime January 2003

 Property Marking Scheme
West Yorkshire Police

In response to nu m e rous street ro bb e ries involving mobile phones, West Yo r k s h i re Po l i c e

have carried out research in to property marking products for marking mobile telephones.
The force began by using UV pens, which is a covert type of property marking and must
be supported by visible marks to provide the police or other agency sufficient info rm ation to
enable them to carry out a further inspection for the particular covert mark. This is explained
in the ACPO and Home Office principles of pro p e rty marking, w h i ch can be found via the
Crime Reduction Website at: http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/property01.htm.
O ve rt marking methods we re also re s e a r c hed and one product was tested using
postcodes by overt engraving. The scheme had to show that there was no effect on a person’s
wa rranty and there fo re the police, in partnership with Link Te l e c o m , who provided new
mobile telephones to be tested, used the engraver to confi rm that the method being used
caused no damage to the phone. West Yo r k s h i re Police purchased an engraver and prov i d e d
training for Crime Prevention Officers who attended a launch at Leeds University, when over
100 phones were engraved.
The marking scheme also includes a dat abase to record the ow n e r ’s details. The benefi t s
of the scheme are that it will give authorised police personnel the opportunity to interrogate
the dat abase and ve rify the ow n e r ’s details. This fo rms part of a wider scheme entitled
‘Mobile Phone Wat ch ’ , w h i ch is being developed and will be launched by West Midlands
Police in the future.

Phone Box Guardian Scheme

Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary

D u m f ries and Galloway is a pre d o m i n a n t ly • Green Status - notification and

rural area with a fa i r ly low crime rat e.
Unfortunately the large area makes the region
m o re vulnerable to certain types of cri m e,
particularly from travelling criminals.
Rural phone boxes we re highlighted as
being a specific target for crime and as a result,
D u m f ries and Galloway Constabu l a ry, i n
a s s o c i ation with BT’s Pay Phone Unit
introduced the Phone Box Guardian Scheme.
The core concept of the scheme is ve ry
simple. Members of the public who live near to
phone boxes are re c ruited as ‘ g u a r d i a n s ’ fo r
their particular phone box, which also aims to
improve community involvement.
The vast majority of phone boxes are
equipped with cash compartment alarm s ,
making it possible to track gangs of criminals
as they operate throughout the country.T h i s
‘real-time’information is used by the police to
ask guardians to increase their level of vigilance
for short periods of time. If sufficient watch is
kept on high-risk boxes, it should be possible
to detect those responsible for the thefts.
Guardians are contacted by the police on
the basis of the following criteria:
January 2003
awareness from the BT Crime Unit that
there has been a general increase in
phone box crime in the area.
• Amber Status - notification from the
Police Headquarters that phone boxes
are being attacked in neighbouring
force areas. Guardians are asked to raise
their level of vigilance.
• Red Status - guardians are only given
a red call when phone boxes in their
immediate vicinity are being targeted.
In these circumstances, they are asked
to maintain observations for a specified
p e ri o d , during which, they are
requested to notify the police of any
suspicious activity and take any details,
which may prove helpful to the police
in locating these criminals.
During a six-month pilot of the scheme,
w h i ch commenced in Feb ru a ry 2002, B T
analysed the numbers of crimes against phone
boxes and compared it with the corresponding
period for the previous year. They concluded
t h at thefts we re down from 75 to 11, re p re-
senting an 84% reduction during the initiative.
In addition, vandalism to phone boxes wa s
down by 47%,from 505 instances to just 264.
Property Crime/Rural Crime 27
 Protecting the Public
Home Office

The “Protecting the Public” p aper sets out the Gove rn m e n t ’s proposals to modern i s e
c u rrent laws on sex offences to provide a clear and effe c t i ve set of laws that incre a s e
p ro t e c t i o n , enable the ap p ro p ri ate punishment of abusers and ensure that the law is fair and
non-discriminatory.
This paper highlights measures to tighten the requirements of the sex offenders’ register
together with improving the monitoring of offenders and building in new safeguards against
evasion.
Some of the proposals published include:

Stronger protection for children

• Children under 13 will not be capable in law of giving consent to any form of sexual
activity. Any sexual intercourse with a child under 13 will be charged as rape.
• A new offence of adult sexual activity with a child, which will capture behaviour such as
i n ap p ro p ri at e ly persuading children to undress.

Stronger offences for sexual violence

• Clarifying the law on consent with regard to rape.
• A new offence of sexual assault by penetration.
• Strengthening drug rape offences.

Stronger protection for vulnerable people

• Three new offences to give extra protection to those with a learning disability or mental
disorder from sexual abuse.

Stronger offences to deal with sexual exploitation

• In addition to the new offence of commercial sexual exploitation of a child, there will be
a new offence of commercial sexual exploitation of adults.
• A new offence of trafficking people for commercial sexual exploitation.

Stronger protection for the public

• A new order to make those known to have been convicted of sex offences overseas
register as sex offenders when they come to the UK, whether or not they have
committed a crime here.
• All those on the sex offenders’ register to confirm their details in person annually.

Greater fairness and clarity

• Aim of the proposals is that offences should be gender-neutral and non-discriminatory
and apply to men and women as victims and/or perp e t r at o r s.

Copies of “Protecting the Public” published in November 2002 and priced £8.50 plus £3.00 P&Pare
available from The Stationery Office, PO Box 29, Norwich NR3 1GN
Tel: 0870 600 5522 Fax: 0870 600 5533 or can be viewed and downloaded from:
http://www.protectingthepublic.homeoffice.gov.uk/ptp.pdf

... to modernise current laws on sex

offences to provide a clear and effective set of
laws that increase protection...

28 Sexual offences January 2003

 Stalking and Harassment in Scotland
Scottish Executive

In October 1999, the Justice Minister • A series of qualitative interviews with

announced that the laws tackling stalking
in Scotland we re to be rev i ewed to
d e t e rm ine whether new l egislation wa s
re q u i re d . Fo l l owing a public consultat i o n
e xe r c i s e, it was decided to com mission
re s e a r ch to obtain info rm ation on the
n at u re and extent of the pro bl em in
S c o t l a n d , toget her with t he publ i c ’s
awa reness of the issue and practitioner
perceptions of possible changes to the law
and views on how cases are curre n t ly dealt
with by the criminal justice system.
The re s e a r c h had four main
components:
• A review of existing literature relating
to the prevalence and characteristics of
stalking, its impact and the legislative
responses to it in different
jurisdictions.
• A nationally representative survey of
the adult Scottish population carried
out in respondents’ homes by
i n t e rv i ewers using Computer Aided
Personal Interviewing (CAPI).
• A series of qualitative interviews with
victims of stalking.
practitioners within (or linked to) the
criminal justice system.
The research confirms that offenders in
cases of stalking exhibit a wide range of
characteristics, motivations and behaviours.
C o n s e q u e n t ly, responses that are
ap p ro p ri ate or effe c t i ve in one case cannot
n e c e s s a ri ly be transfe rred to all othe rs.
There is there fo re a need for flexibility and
reflection in determining how best to deal
with individual cases.
Copies of this report, published in October 2002
and priced £5.00 and accompanying Research
Findings No. 67/2002 can be obtained from The
Stationery Office Bookshop, 71, Lothian Road,
Edinburgh EH3 9AZ
Tel: 0870 606 5566 Fax: 0870 606 5588.
They can also be viewed and downloaded via the
Scottish Executive Website at:
http://www.scotland.gov. u k / l i b ra ry 5 /
justice/sahs-00.asp (Report)
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/
resfinds/crf67-00.asp (Research Findings)

“Are You Off Your Trolley”

Dorset Police

Dorset Police have produced a poster on handbag thefts following a spate of thefts of purses
and handbags from shopping trolleys in local superm a r ke t s.
The posters, w h i ch display a simple reminder to shoppers to take care of their
belongings as well as fe at u ring the Crimestoppers logo, will be displayed at all the major
supermarkets in the area.
Dorset Police will eva l u ate the success of this initiat i ve through analysis of fo r c e
statistics, to identify whether there has been a significant change to this type of crime.

January 2003 Sexual Offences/Town & Shopping Centre Crime 29

 Automatic Number Plate Recognition
Systems
Home Office

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems are a powerful tool in the fight against
crime and the Home Office has announced additional funding for nine police forces towards
piloting the project.
The nine pilots commenced in September 2002 and will run for six months, after which
an eva l u ation will be carried out to provide best practice guidance to the police service and
also determine whether there should be a roll-out of ANPR nationally.
Police experience has confirmed strong links between road traffic and criminal offences.
After just four weeks in to the pilots, figures showed 6,580 vehicles stopped, 480 arrests, 59
stolen vehicles recovered and over £400,000 worth of stolen goods and drugs.
Each of the nine pilot forces has a dedicated team of officers to work on the scheme who
e n s u re that strict guidelines and pro c e d u res are in place in compliance with the Dat a
Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998.
It is hoped the scheme will produce models of best practice as well as ensuring new
technology is used as efficiently as possible.

Securi-disc
Cleveland Police

C l eveland Po l i c e, in partnership with Safe
in Tees Va l l ey and the Evening Gazette have
l a u n ched a campaign to prevent the
g rowing number of theft s of ve hicle tax
discs.
T h e re are thought to be around 70 tax
discs stolen from cars each month in the
C l eveland Police are a . The discs take only
seconds to steal and after they are cleaned
u p, t h ey are sold on for about £30 each .
The cost of this type of crime to the
m o t o rist is considerabl e. T h ey have to
repair damaged vehicles and replace tax
discs.
The Police have introduced the secure
tax disc holder. This works in such a way
t h at anyone attempting to rip the tax disc
f rom the windscreen makes it useless due
to its adhesive holder, which actually sticks
to the disc itself.
The scheme will be eva l u ated by
ch e cking the numbers of tax discs stolen
over the 12 months of the sc h e m e. A
selection of thefts will be ch e cked to see if
the victim had a tamper- p roof disc fi t t e d
and a comparison will be made 6 months
prior and post launch of the scheme. Police
fi g u res will also be compared to those of
the DVLA.

Auto Crime CD Rom 2002

Devon and Cornwall Constabulary

The Auto Crime CD Ro m has been produced by Devon and Corn wall Constabu l a ry and is
intended to be a practical aid to assist all police officers in investigating vehicle related crime
more effectively and in turn reduce the volume of such crimes.
It aims to provide officers with relevant info rm ation regarding vehicles, documents
and legislat i o n , in a fo rm at that is easy to use and understand. It also provides some
useful re fe rences and links to va rious other resources and will assist in enhancing
k n owledge and providing a permanent tool for re fe re n c e. The initiat i ve has re c e i ve d
support funding from the Police Standards Unit.

30 Vehicle Crime January 2003

 Vehicle Alert Scheme
Norfolk Constabulary

One of the aims of the partnership between
N o r folk Constabu l a ry and Norfolk Distri c t
Council is the reduction in vehicle cri m e
across the region.
As it is a pre d o m i n a n t ly rural area and
vehicle cr ime incidents are widespre a d ,
t h ey identified local authority employe e s
who were mobile for the main part of their
working day and had access to a mobile
t e l e p h o n e. E m p l oyees vo l u n t e e red to re l ay
details of suspect stolen vehicl es to the
police who were then able to follow up the
i n fo rm ation they received.
The scheme uses the ‘ R i n g m a s t e r ’
system and employees are alerted t o
re c e n t ly stolen or suspect vehicles in the
l o c at i o n . The police send m essages with
basi c info rm ation on the vehicle and
volunteers are then able to remain vigilant
and notify the police via a dedicated phone
line if they identify it. People taking part
a re issued with aide memoirs about t he
scheme and must follow strict guidelines so
as not to put themselves or anyone else in
danger.
The project will be eva l u ated in March
2003.

Living Safely
Strathclyde Police

D u ring the summer of 2001, a mu l t i - agency working group was established to promote a
c rime prevention and home/fi re safety advice project through the Inve r c lyde Commu n i t y
S a fety Pa rt n e r s h i p. The Living Safe ly initiat i ve is the part n e r s h i p ’s most successful project to
d at e, and was launched in November 2001.
The project works on a re fe rral scheme whereby all agencies involved are invited to refer
those people who they consider to be vulnerable and at risk of being burgled. The objectives
of the initiative are:
• To reduce the fear of crime amongst vulnerable groups.
• To promote the concepts of crime prevention, home safety and fire safety.
• To create a strong and successful partnership between the agencies involved.
• To link with partners and other agencies strategic plans.
Fo l l owing a re fe rral to the sch e m e, e a ch person re c e i ves a full crime prevention survey,
which determines what security and home safety measures are required. The householder is
also given re l evant home security info rm ation in the fo rm of an all encompassing cri m e
p revention booklet and ultra-violet marker pen to enable them to mark their va l u abl e s. A ny
work required is carried out by a local company, who are commissioned to supply and fit all
the necessary security measures.
Monitoring and evaluation of the project is ongoing, as each referral is logged to provide
statistical evidence. A questionnaire is also sent to each person benefiting from the initiative,
to assess their rating of the project and the service provided.
D u ring the fi ve-month pilot period of the scheme (2001 - 2002), S t r at h c lyde Po l i c e
re c e i ved 271 re fe rr a l s. Of those surveye d , 99% rated the ser vice provided as good or
e x c e l l e n t . 97% rated the actual project as good or excellent and 96% felt more secure as a
result of the initiative.

January 2003 Vehicle Crime/Victims and Witnesses 31

 A Better Deal for Victims and Witnesses
Home Office

The Home Office has publ ished a new
l e a f l e t , w h i c h highlights some of the
m e a s u res in the Cr iminal Just ice Bill
i n t roduced on 21st Novem ber 2002
intended to benefit victims and witnesses.
The leaflet sets out cur rent deve l o p-
ments and future plans, together with
outlining the changes in the Cr i m i n a l
Justice Bill. It aims to:
• ensure a better deal for victims
and witnesses
• build trust and confidence in the
criminal justice system
• better enable the system to
deliver justice.
Copies of the leaflet, published in November
2002, are available free from the Home Office
Justice and Victims Unit via E-mail at:
JVU.PublicEnquiry@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
However, updated information on the
Government’s strategy for victims and witnesses
will be published in Spring 2003 and therefore
bulk ordering is not recommended.

Information Indexes (Information i)

Avon and Somerset Constabulary

Avon and Somerset Constabu l a ry are providing all their commu n i c ations staff with eye
c at ching “ I n fo rm ation Indexe s ” , w h i ch provide a unique and useful collection of helpline
numbers and websites for victims of crime and members of the community requiring advice
and support.
The indexes are A4 in size and laminated so that they can be displayed intern a l ly and
externally. Pocket-sized versions are also available.

Crime Scenes, Preserving Evidence,

Providing Person, Vehicle and Pro p e rt y
Descriptions: A Guide for Members of the
Public
Lincolnshire Police

The pol ice often exper ience diffi c u l t i e s The guide, published in October 2002, is
when dealing wit h identifi c at ion and available in packs of 10 priced £3.50 or individ-
evidential issues, w h i ch could be allev i at e d ually priced 35p from the Administration
if witnesses and victims of cr im e had a Department, Lincolnshire Police, West Division
bett er underst anding of certain pol ice HQ, West Parade, Lincoln LN1 1YPTel: 01522
p ro c e d u res and requirements. 885212 Fax: 01522 885347.
This guide has been pre p a red to
provide practical and common sense advice
to victims and witnesses of cr ime and is
based on previous exper ien ce and
successful practice.

32 Victims and Witnesses January 2003

 Secure Schools Initiative
West Yorkshire Police

West Yo r k s h i re Po l i c e, in partnership with the Fire Service and Local Education Au t h o ri t y,

h ave set up an initiat i ve which addresses the security issues in schools in the Bradford and
Keighley areas.
Statistics identified the 25 most crime-affected schools in Bradford and Keighley, which
have included incidents of damage, theft, vehicle-related crime, bu rg l a ry and arson. A repre-
s e n t at i ve from the West Yo r k s h i re Fire Service and the Police visit these schools and compile
an in-depth re p o rt on va rious security and arson issues. In cases where schools have been
c o n s i d e ring refurbishment or rebu i l d , t h ey have been given guidance on Secured by Design
and advice on reducing incidences of arson.
E va l u ation of the scheme is ongoing. This will determine which security measures are
most effe c t i ve at protecting the school env i ronment as well as providing some indication of
the social effects that upgrades may have on the schools and surrounding are a . The re s e a r ch
will also enable future developments to benefit from the experiences of this initiat i ve and
help to provide a safer learning environment in the future.

Navratri and Diwali Festivals Crime

Prevention Campaign
Lancashire Constabulary

N av r at ri (fe s t i val of dance) and Diwa l i i n fo rm ation on home and vehicle securi t y
( fe s t i val of lights) are celeb r ated by many as well as the Crimestoppers number.
people of the Hindu com munity and The project will be eva l u ated via
p rovide th e perfect occasion for the fe e d b a ck from the commu n i t y, w h i ch will
o p p o rtunist thief, p a rt i c u l a r ly for cri m e s help to identify whether the initiat i ve wa s
s u ch as street ro bb e ry and bu rg l a ry. Wi t h well re c e i ve d . Police data on ro bb e ry and
this in mind, L a n c a s h i re Const abu l a ry bu rg l a ry re l ated crime during the fe s t i ve
p roduced crime prevention post ers and period following the implementation of the
leaflets aimed at the Hindu commu n i t y, t o project would also highlight if the initiative
remind them to be vigilant and reduce the was successful.
risk of becoming a victim of crime duri n g
their festive season.
Leaflets use Hindu deities (illustrations
of their Gods), w h i ch are important to the
c o m mu n i t y, and are printed in two
l a n g u ag e s , with English on one side and
G u j a r ati on the other. Hindu commu n i t y
c e n t res and businesses work in part n e r s h i p
with the police to distribute and display the
leaflet s and posters and copies are also
included in a free monthly mag a z i n e
d i s t ri buted to many Hindu homes.
Posters and leaflets include cri m e
p revention advice on we a ring jewe l l e ry,
keeping cameras and mobile phones safe,

January 2003 Violence at School and Work/Violent Crime and Street Crime 33

Copies of this report and
accompanying briefing note,
published in May 2002, are
available free from the
Research, Development and
Statistics Directorate,
Communications Development
Unit, Room 275, 50 Queen
Anne’s Gate, London SW1H 9AT
Tel: 020 7273 2084
E-mail:
publications.rds@homeoffice.
gsi.gov.uk
and can also be viewed and
downloaded from the Home
Office Website at:
http://www.homeoffice.
gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/
crrs13.pdf
(Full Report)
http://www.homeoffice.
gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/
crrs13bn.pdf
(Briefing Note)
34 Violent Crime and Street Crime
Shootings, Gangs and Violent Incidents in
Manchester: Developing a Crime Reduction Strategy
Home Office Research Series Paper 13
This study is based on a six-month project undertaken in Manchester aimed at reducing the incidence
of gun crime, using targeted policing (and funds from the Home Office’s Targeted Policing Initiative).
The project is based around a similar initiative, Operation Cease-fire, which proved to be successful in
Boston, Massachusetts. Operation Cease-fire aimed to identify immediate and modifiable conditions
under which gun crime could occur, rather than the underlying social causes that lead to gang and
gun crime.A similar approach was used in Manchester.
Main findings
Shootings
• Violence in general,gun violence in particular and fatal shootings most specifically are
concentrated in some specific small areas.
• Victims of gun violence are mainly young, black or mixed race males,who have criminal records.
• Suspected perpetrators of serious gun violence tend to have similar attributes to victims.
• Those who have been victims of shootings are at increased risk of repeat incidents.
• Young black (and mixed race) male victims of shootings were generally known to have
been involved in gangs.
• About 60 per cent of shootings are thought to be gang related.
Gangs
• There are differences in the make-up, origins, activities,and organisation of the gangs
studied;though members of all are involved in a wide range of criminal behaviour.
• Gang-membership comprised a mix of same-age local friendship groups, blood relatives
and recruits.
• Gang-related criminal behaviour includes drug-related offences, but only as one element of a
patchwork of violent and non-violent crime.
• Rates of arrest for gang-members tend to fall as they age.
• Alliances are sometimes formed between some gangs, but conflict is endemic and
easily triggered.
• Firearms’carrying by gang-members is at least partly protective and police intelligence records
suggest that it may also be part symbolic and part instrumental for the commission of
violent crime.
• There are strong norms of non-co-operation in police enquiries into gang-related shootings,in
particular in giving evidence, which undermine successful prosecution of offenders.
Ways forward: The proposed crime reduction strategy
The pri m a ry concern of the project was to save lives and to reduce serious injury. The most
promising interventions,adapted from the Boston project, were:
1 . A p p lying co-ordinated leve r age to gangs through highly publicised mu l t i - agency targ e t e d
crackdowns,aimed at gangs using firearms,possessing firearms or taking part in serious assaults.
2. Enhancing strong community re l at i o n s , to obtain neighbourhood support for the targ e t e d
crackdowns and to stimulate community efficacy in informal social control and reduction in incivil-
ities.
3. Engagement with gang-members to elicit info rm at i o n , to transmit consistent messages about
targeted crackdowns,and to provide diversionary services.
Three additional elements were proposed to address the differing conditions for an initiative in
Manchester.These were:
1. Development of inter-gang mediation services, to head off and diffuse tensions that risk leading to
serious incidents of violence, including shootings.
2. Protection for victims and repeat victims.
3. S e n s i t i s ation of agencies to the implications of their actions for gangs and the risks to their
members,especially in the light of the provisions of Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act (1998).
January 2003
 Evaluation of the national roll-out of
curfew orders
Home Office On-Line Research Report 15/02
This re p o rt descr ibes results from an
eva l u ation of the first 13 months of t he
rol l-out of curfew orders, 1 December
1999 to 31 December 2000. The re s e a r ch
aimed to establish whether the experi e n c e
of the pilots was re p l i c ated nat i o n a l ly and
to assess the effectiveness of the order.
In addition to providing info rm at i o n
on the use of curfew orders, the ch a r a c t e r-
istics of those tagged and curfew order
outcomes, it includes the views of criminal
justice practitioners, e l e c t ronic monitori n g
staff and curfewees themselves.
The experiences of fi ve sample are a s ,
G re ater Manch e s t e r, an original pilot site,
Inner London, Ke n t , M e r s ey s i d e, and We s t
G l a m o rgan are compare d .A n a lyses of the
“ m a r ket share ” of curfew orders, in term s
of the sentences curfew orders are
re p l a c i n g, and their re l at i ve costs, a re also
presented.
Use of curfew orders in the 13 months
afte r rol l-out has bro a d ly reflected the
e x p e rience of the pilots, although local
va ri ations underpin the national picture.
Curfew order completion rates remain high
and there is evidence from the research that
tagging can be a positive as well as punitive
e x p e rience for offe n d e r s. C riminal justice
practitioners vi ewed t he sentence as a
penalty with considerable potential.
Evidence suggests curfew orders can be
used successfully in diverse way s , t o
d i s r upt pat t e r ns of offe n d i n g ; b ri n g
s t ability to the lives of chaotic offe n d e r s ;
act as a deterrent; protect the public; reduce
o f fe n d i n g - re l ated behav i o u r; and support
... curfew orders can be used successfully in
diverse ways, to disrupt patterns of offending;
bring stability to the lives of chaotic offenders;
act as a deterrent; protect the public; reduce
offending-related behaviour; and support
other interventions.
January 2003
other interve n t i o n s. Stand-al one curfew
orders can help to support the work of
other communit y penalt ies given to an
offender.
Although take-up of curfew orders in
the year fo l l owing roll-out was lower than
p re d i c t e d , u s age has continued to grow
with an ave r age of 435 orders being made
per month during 2001. F u rt h e rm o re, i n
the first six months of 2002, 3648 orders
h ave alre a dy been made (an ave r age of 608
per m onth). T h e re is no ap p a re n t
explanation for this rapid increase in use by
the courts and the rise is not confined to
particular geographical areas.
A planned re c o nviction study of
o f fenders tagged in the 13 m onths af ter
roll-out may help to clarify the impact of
t agging on offending behav i o u r. T h e
c u r rent timetable for this work is fo r
p u bl i c ation in early 2004. This study will
complement the growing body of
k n owl edge on the va r ious uses of
electronic monitoring.
Copies of this report, published in November
2002, are available via the Home Office Website
at: http://www.homeoffice.gov. u k / rd s /
pdfs2/rdsolr1502.pdf
Application for reproduction of this report
should be made to the Research, Development
and Statistics Directorate, Communications
Development Unit, Room 275, 50 Queen Anne’s
Gate, London SW1H 9AT Tel: 020 7273 2084
E-mail: publications.rds@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Working with offenders 35
 NVQ Level 3 Community Justice - Working
with Offending Behaviour
West Midlands Police and South Birmingham College

West Midlands Police have identified a • Supporting individuals experiencing

fo rmal training course for both police and
s u p p o rt staff i nvo l ved in manag i n g
o f fending behav i o u r, to enable them to
gain a better understanding of the needs
and re q u i rements of outside agencies also
involved in this area of work.
‘NVQ Level 3 Community Justice -
Working with Offending Behav i o u r ’ is ru n
by the ‘Early Years, Care and Public Services
D e p a rt m e n t ’ of South Birmingham College
and includes wo r k s h o p s , a s s i g n m e n t s ,
classroom based learning and observational
wo r k . Students have access to the college’s
web s i t e, w h i ch contai ns a library of
i n fo rm ation and study mat e ri a l .
The course is r un over 35 weeks and
the syllabus includes:
• Helping individuals to address their
offending behaviour
• C o n t ri buting to the management and
prevention of abusive and
aggressive behaviour
difficulties
• Contributing to the development and
effectiveness of work teams
• Developing and sustaining effective
working relationships with staff in
other agencies.
The college has gained sponsorship
f rom the Learning Skills Council and other
ag e n c i e s , w h i ch has enabled them to ke e p
the cost of the course down to £123 per
p e r s o n . Thi s covers £98 for re g i s t r at i o n
with the NVQ assessment body, a c c re d i-
tation, c e rt i fi c ation and paperwork and £25
for re g i s t r ation with the coll ege
themselves.
The first 20 students from the police,
local offending team and pro b ation serv i c e
e n rolled on the course last September and
t he colle ge will st art a second group in
Ja nu a ry 2003. T h e re are plans to begin an
NVQ Level 3 Community Safety Course in
the future.

A Co-ordinated Approach to Student Crime

Reduction
Avon and Somerset Constabulary

Students attending higher education in Bristol account for 25% of the city’s ro bb e ry victims.
As a result, the force decided to appoint a Student Crime Reduction Co-ordinator who could
specifically work with the student community across the force area.
The co-ordinator is re s p o n s i ble for an extensive sc hedule of activities including
o rganising personal safety weeks at local colleges, student bri e fings and pre s e n t at i o n s ,
together with developing contacts with local authori t i e s , u n i versities and local bu s i n e s s e s
regularly visited by students.
A student personal safety pack has also been pro d u c e d , w h i ch gives crime preve n t i o n
advice and info rm ation on agencies available to provide support, together with a UV pen for
marking pro p e rt y. One of the early successes of the scheme has been the production of a
video made by students for students. The main part of the video includes interv i ews with
students who have been victims of crime. The initiative also funded a ‘Secure Storage Project’
over the Christmas peri o d , o f fe ring students free storage of their pro p e rty whilst they are
away. This scheme will be eva l u ated in a control area to identify whether there has been a
reduction in bu rg l a ry and a full independent eva l u ation will be carried out for the whole
initiative in September 2003.

36 Working with offenders/Youth Crime January 2003

 Operation Norseman
North Yorkshire Police

S c a r b o rough is visited annu a l ly by ap p rox i m at e ly 20,000 students aged between 13 and 19

years of age who come to the area on trips arranged by local language schools. In response to
an increasing number of assaults, thefts and incidents of general disorder targeted towa r d s
visiting international students, North Yorkshire Police adopted a multi-agency approach in an
attempt to create a safer and more secure environment.
O p e ration Norseman was set up in a bid to cut down on the number of incidents
involving students in the area and includes a ‘Guide to Good Practice’ containing examples of
projects that have worked in other areas of the country. The guide has been designed as a self-
g e n e r ating source of info rm ation and advice to any org a n i s ation with the responsibility fo r
dealing with student safety. The project has also seen the creation of five safe havens marked
with the Norseman logo, w h i ch are points of contact where students can go should they
encounter any problems.
A 16-minute video entitled ‘ E n j oy Yo u r s e l ve s ’ has also been pro d u c e d , w h i ch prov i d e s
basic crime prevention tips on personal safety and property security. It also outlines some of
the cultural diffe rences that students may encounter and is fo l l owed up by an eva l u at i o n
sheet, which measures the effectiveness of the info rm ation provided.
Ongoing development with the local university will provide an ab ridged version of the
video fe at u red on the Internet to target an intern ational audience. A further development is
the production of an educational pack ag e, w h i ch will be distri buted to local schools in the
a re a .

I NS PI R E
Sussex Police

The I NS PI R E citizenship initiative has been The citizenship lessons contained in

c re ated by Sussex Police i n part n e r s h i p I NS PI R E c over va rious aspects of cri m e,
with the West Sussex A dv i s o ry and including anti-social behav i o u r, s t e a l i n g,
Inspection Ser vice and is a new teach i n g c riminal damage and hate cri m e, as well as
resource for use by Sch o o l ’s Liaison l aws re l evant to young people. Lessons are
Officers in local schools. designed to be flexible to suit the needs of
I NS PI R E, w h i c h stands for ‘ I N p u t s the school and t he young people
f rom Sussex Police In Real life themselves.
Education’, covers aspects of citizenship in
re l ation to cri m e, the cr iminal j ustice
system and other areas of the law in
g e n e r a l . It was developed fo l l owing the
i n t roduction of citizenship as a separat e
n ational curriculum subject in secondary
schools in August last year and aims to help
young people develop as members of the
l o c a l , n ational and global commu n i t y.
INSPIRE is concerned with issues of ri g h t s
and responsibilities and aims to help young
people think and talk about these issues as
they encounter them in their own lives.

January 2003 Youth Crime 37

 Safe in the City: A Fresher Approach to
Student Safety
Strathclyde Police

D u ring the traditional fresher period in September and October last ye a r, S t r at h c lyde Po l i c e
and the Crime Awa reness Panel for Educational Establishments (CAPEE) who are responsible
for educational establishments in the area, have been working in partnership to tackle crime
and the fear of crime amongst students studying and socialising in and around Glasgow City
Centre.
‘Safe in the City’ aims to provide adv i c e, s u p p o rt and assistance to students, p ri m a ri ly
n ew entrants to the are a . The initiat i ve fe at u red a series of short plays on crime and the fe a r
of cri m e, w h i ch we re introduced by a local theat re company in a production entitled: ‘ S e x ,
D rugs and a Bacon Roll’. These plays used humour to advise students on personal safe t y
i s s u e s , alcohol and drug awa reness and anti-social behav i o u r. E a ch scene highlighted the
potential dangers that students face and concluded by promoting Glasgow as a safe and
vibrant city in which to live, work and socialise.
Fo l l owing the play s , students we re given an info rm ation pack containing a credit card
size ‘Safer Student’ l e a f l e t , containing va l u able crime prevention adv i c e, together with a
useful map of the City Centre. T h ey we re also issued with va rious info rm ation booklets and
an eva l u ation questionnaire as well as being given the opportunity to obtain advice and
assistance from the Police and members of CAPEE.
The overall response to the initiat i ve was ve ry positive. E va l u ation fo rms showed that
over half of the students felt the content of the play was excellent. Fo rms also highlighted
several issues causing concern to students, which could be addressed in future initiatives.

School Liaison Core Pro g ra m m e

Gwent Police

G went Po l i c e, l i ke many othe r fo r c e s , P ri m a ry and secondary school liaison

recognises the benefits of working with
young people to deliver crime preve n t i o n
m e s s ag e s. As a result of consultations with
D i rectors of Educat i o n , G went Police have
seconded their first teacher to the force.
T h ey are in ch a rge of co-ordinat i n g
and updating school liaison across the force
a re a , beginning with the pre p a r ation of a
n ew sc hools pro g r a m m e, w h i c h
commenced last September. An eva l u at i o n
of existing schools liaison practice wa s
i n i t i a l ly carried out from both a police and
s chools perspective. Results from the
evaluation indicated that schools welcomed
police officers in delive ring cri m e
p revention info rm at i o n , but also felt that
l ow - p ri o rity schools liaison work needed
addressing. Subsequently, dedicated Schools
Liaison Officers we re appointed to prov i d e
support across the whole region.
working parties we re set up to ident ify
topics and offe r teaching ideas fo r
inclusion in the programme with the aim
of engaging young people in a new,
i n t e r a c t i ve ap p ro a ch to crime preve n t i o n
issues.
The result is a program me of wo r k ,
w h i c h falls in line with the Personal and
Social Education Framework and bu i l d s
upon other youth pro j e c t s. The three core
topic areas include:
• Drugs and Substance Misuse
• Social Behaviour
• Community Safety.

38 Youth Crime January 2003

 Youth Works
Crime Concern, Marks & Spencer, Groundwork
Youth Wo r k s is a nat ional ch a ri t abl e
organisation, which operates in partnership
with Crime Concern , Marks & Spencer and
G ro u n dwork.
Youth Work programmes run a va ri e t y
of activities for ch i l d ren and young people
aged 8 to 25 years of ag e. Activities can be
p reve n t at i ve, d i ve r s i o n a ry, skills based,
re m e d i a l , c o m munity based and env i ro n-
mental. During the month of July 2001 and
J u ly 2002, a total of 30 staff members and
volunteers ran a t otal of 141 sessions.
1,000 youn g people took part in Yo u t h
Work pro g r a m m e s , w h i c h provided 500
hours when young peopl e we re off the
s t reets m aking positive use of their fre e
time.
Evidence suggests that crimes typically
a s s o c i ated with young people and juve n i l e
nuisance have been reduced in areas where
Youth Works programmes have been
running for more than a year:
• In Darwen, B l a ck bu rn , violent crime
was reduced by more than 13% on the
previous year. Criminal damage was
reduced by nearly 8% and juvenile
nuisance by more than 7%.
• In Burnley, vehicle crime fell by nearly
25% in 2001 - 2002 compared to the
previous year and violent crime
decreased by 6%. These reductions have
been achieved against a backdrop of
racial tension in the local area during
the summer of 2001, which Youth
Works tackled by establishing dialogue
between white and Asian young
people, covering issues such as identity
and community cohesion.
January 2003
Youth Works programmes have helped
m a ny young people to recognise their full
potential including:
• Two young women who were prone to
violent outbursts attended the Colne
Youth Works Programme and over the
course of the year gained a greater
confidence and self-esteem. They are
now studying at their local College.
• Following the issue of Anti-Social
Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) to four
young men in the town centre of
Bacup,Youth Works engaged them in
c re ating a music studio on their local
estate. Rather than transferring their
nuisance behaviour to another
neighbourhood, the young men have
been given the opportunity to develop
new skills. Two have since joined the
studio’s committee.
E va l u ation of the programme took the
fo rm of an analysis over the month of July
2001 and July 2002, together with the
study of police recorded crime and juvenile
nuisance incidents from July 2000 to June
2002 and inter v i ews with Youth Wo r k s
P rogramme M anagers over the same
p e ri o d . Due to the number of new ly
e s t ablished pro g r a m m e s , changes in cri m e
s t atistics we re only analysed in the
p rogrammes at Burn l ey, D a r wen and Colne
and compared July 2000 - June 2001 with
July 2001 - June 2002.
Youth Crime 39
 Youth Inclusion Programmes
Home Office

The Home Office announced £21 million funding for Youth Inclusion Programmes for a
further three years allowing ongoing schemes to continue with guaranteed financial support
until April 2006.
T h e re are 70 Youth Inclusion Programmes running in the most depri ved neighbour-
hoods in England and Wales, each targeting 50 young people, aged 13 to 16 who are most at
risk of social exclusion. These programmes provide structured activities and support to steer
young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour as well as improving sch o o l
attendance and reducing exclusions.
Studies show a 30 per cent reduction in arrests fo l l owing a young person’s engag e m e n t
with the programme and crime falls significantly in areas where these projects are running.
Project activities include:
• Family link centres based in schools, utilising their computers and providing support
from parents and community volunteers
• Skill centres aimed at providing excluded young people with training and qualifications
to improve their educational standards and future employment prospects
• Mentoring
• Adult volunteering from within the local community
• Environmental work including clean up projects.

Youth Inclusion Programmes are managed by the Youth Justice Board and can be adopted
by local partnerships as part of their broader strategies for reducing youth crime.

For further information contact the Youth Justice Board Tel: 020 7271 3033
or via E-mail: enquiries@yjb.gsi.gov.uk. You can also visit their website at:
http://www.youth-justice-board.gov.uk

... s t ru c t u red activities and support to steer

young people away from crime and anti-social
behaviour as well as improving school
attendance and reducing exclusions.

40 Youth Crime January 2003