Dedicated foot patrols and target hardening equipment tested on high burglary areas in two forces reveal promising gains in interventions.
The use of foot patrols as well as home safety equipment in areas where academic research predicts will be targeted by burglars has seen a significant drop in offences, early findings have suggested.
The two predictive policing experiments in Birmingham and Leeds have applied different policing tactics to mitigate repeat victimisation not only on houses that have been burgled, but on nearby houses. Both projects aim to predict areas that criminals could target and either issue target hardening equipment or introduce PCSO foot patrols to the area.
Extensive research by the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science highlights that direct neighbours and the neighbours of neighbours are vulnerable within a two week period after a burglary has taken place in their area.
West Midlands Police’s Operation Swordfish involves officers visiting direct burglary victims, who are classified as “gold”, to target harden the property with window and door locks, timers and fake TV devices.
They then visit the immediate neighbours, who are classified as “silver”, and offer advice as well as equipment if they are vulnerable. The same process is applied to the neighbour’s neighbours, who are classified as “bronze”.
The higher the vulnerability, the more equipment will be provided.
Addressing delegates at the sixth International Conference on Evidence Based Policing, Ch Supt Alex Murray said that 13,889 residents were targeted during the first phase of the experiment, which started last September. The results are being reviewed by the Jill Dando Institute.
He said: “The areas that received treatment survived repeat victimisation.
“When we looked at properties that received the most equipment the protection lasted for longer with them. As far as the victim is concerned, the equipment and advice has an effect where they are protected for longer.”
The second phase of the experiment will replicate an experiment taking place in Leeds where PCSOs are deployed to street segments based on three strands of predictive analysis. These include historical relationships and previous crime detections to suggest where offenders will be travelling through and where officers would have the greatest impact.
Operation Optimal in Leeds targets areas with dedicated PSCO foot patrols based on intelligence gathered three times a week which predicts where offenders are likely to target. The sergeant leading the team of six PSCOs deploys them according to a plotted map.
Officers also give verbal advice to ten houses to the left and ten to the right of a property that has been burgled – a method known as “super cocooning”.
It is thought that the experiment has achieved savings of more than £1 million.
Explaining the experiment, Supt Chris Rowley said: “We visit every house and help the residents help themselves to stop themselves becoming a victim.
“There has been a 47 per cent reduction in burglary in the areas targeted but there could be other reasons for this. This is the first systematic evaluation of evidence and it suggests that this is a promising intervention.”
Add new comment