CONTENTS

Welcome They say it is the oldest profession. However,

unlike other professions, those involved in street
prostitution continue to face dangerous conditions, exploitation and abuse.
Government, police and community organisations are determined to address the
problem once and for all. In this issue we look at the ways in which those involved in
street prostitution are being helped to get out and what the Government and partner
agencies are doing to prevent the vulnerable from getting involved in the first place.
Many youngsters turn to crime and anti-social behaviour through boredom, a lack of
purpose and a lack of community cohesion. Sport and culture can help cultivate a sense
of pride and encourage team spirit. We find out what initiatives are in place to help
youngsters find their form and become great community players.
The Neighbourhood Watch scheme has proved highly successful in combating crime.
We show how police involvement contributes considerably towards this success and
highlight a range of community-focused projects that showcase its growing remit.

The Crime Reduction News team

Inside… Plus...
Special report 11-14
News Features
3 Tackling violent crime 9 Tough on the causes of crime
4 Latest crime statistics The Intensive Supervision and
Surveillance Programme nips
5 Business crime addressed
criminality in the bud
6 Blitz on alcohol abuse
16 Shark shooting
7 Attack on drug assisted rape The war against illegal money
8 Reward for informers lending hots up
22 NDC achievement awards 17 FRANK a winner
The winning campaign highlights the
risks and dangers of drug abuse
18 Giving them a sporting chance
Regulars Sport and culture give communities Prostitution
10 How to... and youngsters a stake in society
● Taking on street prostitution
...address domestic violence 20 Neighbourhood Watch
● Preventative measures
15 Comment Police and Neighbourhood Watch
●
Mentoring is key to crime prevention initiatives can crack community crime Profiles of those involved
● The way forward

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2 Crime Reduction News

 NEWS

news
ALSO INSIDE BUSTING BUSINESS CRIME
DRUG ASSISTED RAPE STUDY
INFORMERS GET CASH INCENTIVE

Partnerships tackle
violent crime
A targeted violent crime programme has been launched to
reduce volume violent crime and improve partnership
working. The programme is managed jointly by the Police
Standards Unit, the PM’s Delivery Unit, and the Violent
Crime Unit. It focuses initially on partnering with the
Basic Command Units (BCUs) and Crime and Disorder
Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) with the largest volume
of violent crime. They equate to about 25 per cent of the
more serious violence in England and Wales.
The programme will use the experience of a range of
people, including the police and local authority
NETWORK PHOTOGRAPHERS, GETTY
Strategy support and best practice:
NEWS
IN BRIEF
The breathalyser
● Set up a Practitioner Support Panel (PSP) to
review the local CDRP violent crime strategies.
that stops you
This will define strengths and areas for further driving
development and identify best practice
● The PSP will conduct one-to-one feedback
sessions with each CDRP
● Additional specialists will be linked to CDRPs
where particular violent crime challenges are
being addressed – for example, gun crime
● Cross-CDRP workshops will be conducted
where common problems can be addressed,
such as data analysis and alcohol licensing
● The PSP will conduct follow up workshops to
discuss progress against the violent crime plan New technology to
● PSP members are to be drawn from police and prevent drink-drivers
CDRP practitioners with experience on violent from using their cars has
crime issues. been launched by the
Department of Transport.
Enforcement support: As part of a research
● Focus on alcohol-fuelled crime as well as other project, volunteers are
violence issues in each locality – for example, being recruited in
street violence and domestic violence Birmingham and Bristol
● Focus on policing practices, incorporating to test an alcohol ignition
lessons learnt from the summer enforcement lock to be fitted into cars
campaign on alcohol misuse of convicted drink drivers.
● Focus on engagement with key partners in The lock fits into the
each CDRP to strengthen their contribution car's ignition. The driver
towards reducing violent crime and promoting must take a breath test
better ways of collaborative working before starting the car
● Lessons learned at the end of each tranche and, if the alcohol level is
will be fed into the following tranche (and too high, it will not start.

employees, to work alongside these areas to reduce also other national-level work). If the pilot proves a
violent crime. It began last month with a first tranche of success, new legislation
13 BCUs/CDRPs, followed by further tranches planned Contact the Violent Crime Unit: could follow allowing
from April 2005. christopher.blairs@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk courts to use the locks
The two main arms of activity within the Tackling or the Police Standards Unit: as part of their drink-
Violent Crime Programme are strategy support and best irwin.turbitt@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk drive rehabilitation
practice, and enforcement support. simon.leach2@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk programmes.

Crime Reduction News 3

NEWS
CRIME
STATISTICS
Gun crime checked
THE CRIME RATE CONTINUES TO FALL ACCORDING TO BCS
C
rime in England and Wales fell seven per cent in
the third quarter of 2004 compared to the same
quarter last year, according to the British Crime
Survey. This continues a trend in significant falls in
vehicle theft, burglary and robbery. Violent crime
dropped by six per cent.
Although provisional figures for recorded firearm
offences rose by three per cent in the 12 months to June
2004, the increase in gun crime has slowed over recent
years. This is attributed to tougher gun laws, support for
community engagement and effective police action
helping to drive illegal guns off the streets. Provisional
figures also show a 15 per cent drop in firearm homicides
and a 10 per cent drop in the use of handguns. On the
other hand, police recorded violent crime increased by
11 per cent largely due to increased reporting and
recording of low-level thuggery, more willingness to
report sex offences and the effect of new sex offence laws
that came into force in May.
Working together
As part of the ongoing work to reduce gun crime, planned
New Year drug enforcement activity by the Home Office
and police, announced in September, will be focusing on
the four high gun crime police force areas: London, West
Midlands, Greater Manchester and Nottinghamshire, to
tackle the link between guns and drugs. The crackdown
on drug dens will be expanded to ensure that new police
powers on possession of a firearm are used effectively.
Statistics show that the risk of being a victim is at its
lowest level since records started in 1981.
4 Crime Reduction News
KEY FIGURES
Total crime


BCS crime is down seven per cent.
Police recorded crime is down five
per cent.
Domestic burglary

BCS fell by two per cent.*

Police recorded crime fell 23 per cent.
Robbery
There continues to be a sustained
fall in robbery, largely due to the
Street Crime Initiative.

Police recorded crime fall of
15 per cent.
Violent crime

BCS fall of six per cent.*
 Police recorded violent crime
increase of 11 per cent.
Police recorded serious violence
and less serious violence have
increased – this may be due,
in part, to the continuing effects
of recording changes and a
greater willingness of victims
to come forward. Much of what is
recorded as violent crime, such as
Campaign targets gun crime
The Home Office has made £2 million –
cash seized from criminals under recycled
criminal asset laws – available to support
anti-gun work.
The Government Offices for the Regions
are using most of this cash for local projects,
but £250,000 is being used for the second
round of the Connected Fund.
The fund finances schemes such as
mentoring projects, diversionary activities
to help young people break away from
gang culture, and work to support victims.
The St Basils project in Birmingham, for
example, is using funding to work with
young gang members living in hostels in
Aston and provide them with mentoring
and education programmes.
The Connected programme is part of the
Home Office strategy to tackle gun crime
common assault, amount to actions
such as pushing and shoving and
involves little or not physical injury
to the victim.
Vehicle crime

Thefts of and from a vehicle
continue to fall.

BCS fall of 12 per cent.

Police recorded vehicle crime
fall of 18 per cent.
Victimisation rate

The BCS shows the risk of being a
victim of crime remains historically
low at 25 percent.
Alcohol accounts for around half of all
violent crime. This was addressed
head on over the summer when the
Government, police and partners
joined forces in a blitz on town
centres, off licences and bars to target
alcohol fuelled crime and disorder
This successful campaign has
provided the Government and police
with a blueprint for further work.
*Not statistically significant, so stable
and gun culture. A new website has been
designed as a one-stop shop for anyone
working in the area of gun crime reduction,
in the voluntary, public or private sector.
The Home Office Gun Crime Section has
also run a poster campaign to highlight the
fact that tough new laws, introduced earlier
this year, are taking effect. Posters can be
down-loaded from the Connected website
(see below).
The campaign raises awareness among
young people that anyone caught illegally
carrying a prohibited gun will automatically
be sentenced to at least five years in jail.
Carole Eniffer, Head of the Gun
Crime Section, said they had received
positive feedback from communities
about the campaign.
Visit: www.connected.gov.uk
 NEWS

Campaigning to keep crime down

A campaign to highlight simple precautions to minimise the risk
of becoming a victim of burglary, car crime or robbery has been NEWS
launched by the Home Office. The 'Acquisitive Crime' Reduction
campaign began in November and features three new TV
IN BRIEF
commercials that use humour to dramatise the way in which
some people make life easy for criminals. Identity fraud
The advertisments are targeted at the regions which suffer the
A new Home Office
highest levels of acquisitive crimes. They are supported by radio,
website www.identity-
outdoor and press advertisements, which end with the strapline
theft. org.uk will tackle
'Keep it safe, keep it hidden, keep it locked'.
the growing problem of
● This is the first time the three acquisitive crime types have identity fraud. It explains
been brought together under one campaign, with a new crime how to keep personal
brand 'Let's keep crime down'. information safe, how to
● To research the campaign, the Home Office interviewed a get help and what is being
range of offenders as well as frontline police officers who done to tackle this crime,
deal with acquisitive crime on a daily basis. including proposals for
● The media budget has been split between the Crime and ID cards. It is part of a
Disorder Reduction Partnerships that account for over package of measures
80 per cent of acquisitive crimes, concentrating in London, designed to address the
the North, Midlands and Wales. problem that affects more
For further information contact: chris.kirby@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk than 100,000 people in
the UK each year.

Busting business crime Inside Justice

Enterprising directors are taking the initiative to Week 2004
drive down business crime. David Hopkins OBE Inside Justice Week –
(below), chairman of ADS, a small business in a series of events and
Stockport that designs and manufactures public activities held around the
address systems and induction loops for the deaf, country to ‘open up’ the
believes that businesses play a vital role in helping criminal justice system
build safer communities and that good community (CJS) to the public –
relationships bring business benefits. was heralded a success
‘Any business is part of a wider community and
has a role to play in maintaining a safe and
mutually beneficial environment,’ says David.
New Year amnesty in helping to raise
awareness of and

His company’s belief in community co-

operation has helped to create a culture in which
for dumped vehicles improve understanding
of the CJS. From 11-17
October, 40 local
local residents benefit from garden clearing for the A campaign to persuade local authorities and housing associations to Criminal Justice Boards
elderly, regeneration of the local environment and shift abandoned vehicles is being launched in January by ENCAMS, across England and
CCTV street surveillance. ‘We’ve positioned an the charity that runs the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign. Wales organised events
extra digital CCTV to monitor the street,’ says Building on the success of the take-back/collection schemes and activities, ranging
David. ‘In the event of a car break in or theft,
already up and running across England and Wales, the two-week from open court days,
local residents ask us for footage that can help
vehicle amnesty will see wrecks, reported by their owners, collected police cell visits and rides
the police.’ In return, locals look out for David,
for free and scrapped. in prisoner escort vans
alerting him to suspicious activity on his business
premises and reducing the risk of crime. ‘It’s such Although this initiative necessitates some financial outlay for through to mock trial
a simple theory,’ says David. ‘Businesses shouldn’t authorities, it is far less costly than the growing expense of events in local schools.
see themselves in isolation. removing and storing dumped vehicles. Almost 300,000 cars are Events in Warwickshire
They are part of a abandoned nationally every year, costing more than £23 million and Essex both attracted
community and to local authorities. over 1,500 visitors.
should work with To date more than a 100 local authorities and housing associations The event also gave
that community.’ have signed up to the campaign but more are still welcome. practitioners the chance
For information For further details email: enquiries@encams.org or to inform the public of
about business call 01942 612641 improvements being
crime, visit: made to the CJS and
www.crime ● Four new guides for the public: Neighbourhood Noise, Nuisance the importance of
reduction.gov.uk/ and Abandoned Vehicles, Dog Fouling and the Law and Fly-tipping their involvement and
business35. and the Law have been produced by ENCAMS. contribution in creating
htm The guides, which outline the law relating to the four issues and safer communities. It is
give advice on what can be done to solve each problem. can be found hoped that the event will
at www.encams.org.uk/information/publications.asp be repeated next year.
ALAMY

Crime Reduction News 5

 NEWS

Schools to help cut

NEWS
IN BRIEF
Quality streets
A new guide produced by
ENCAMS, the Sustainable
Communities Programme
Handbook, looks at a
variety of practical ways
neighbourhoods can
improve their quality of life.
The handbook encourages
communities to improve
their environment by
growing vegetables,
reporting local polluters
and organising community
clean-up schemes.
Visit www.crime
reduction.gov.uk/active
communities71.htm.
Register for the
Delivering Sustainable
Communities Summit at
www.odpm.gov.uk/summit
down on street crime
The Street Crime Action Team at make young people more aware of an additional focus in areas within
the Home Office, and the charity robbery and reduce their risk of the Street Crime Initiative, with packs
organisation Crimestoppers, are becoming a victim. Campaign sent to all schools in these areas.
planning to hold an anti-robbery material will include an assembly Contact: Jonathan.Rushton@
week in schools in early January. The and lesson pack, which will be made homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk or visit the
post-Christmas period generally sees available to all schools online, linked Street Crime Action Team website at
a rise in the number of robberies, so in to the citizenship module of the www.crimereduction.gov.uk/
the return to school is a key time to National Curriculum. There will be streetcrime01.htm
Act may make new buildings more secure
Households with no security are, on average, nine times and window locks – in place when they are built.
more likely to be burgled, so ministers welcomed the The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the
passing of the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act, Home Office will soon be discussing what kinds of
which received Royal Assent in September. security requirements might be introduced with a range
The Act, introduced as a Private Members Bill by of stakeholders including the police and fire authorities,
Andrew Stunell MP in January, amends the Building Act manufacturers, the building industry and insurers.
1984 to, among other things, enable the introduction of There will then be a period of public consultation
building regulations that will further the prevention and before final decisions are taken. In the meantime,
detection of crime. The new Act means that, in the future, ways are being sought to encourage the building
it should become possible to require all new homes and industry to immediately improve security standards
dwellings to have good security measures – such as door in new and refurbished homes.

LAAs pave the way

A project, which could transform the
way in which Government works with
local authorities and their partners, is
to be piloted in 21 areas of the country.
Local Area Agreements (LAAs) will
help strengthen relationships between
central and local Government and
improve local performance. Key
features include:
● An agreement with local parties
setting out outcomes to be delivered

Blitz on alcohol ● outcomes based on local priorities

and national standards
● greater flexibility to use resources to

abuse to continue meet local requirements

Police will build on the success of this
summer’s nation-wide blitz on alcohol-
fuelled violence by running similar
operations during the festive season.
The summer campaign targeted
alcohol-related disorder and underage
drinking in 92 communities across the
country. It was co-ordinated by the Home
Office’s Police Standards Unit and the
Association of Chief Police Officers,
● rationalising funding streams to
officers carried out sting operations reduce bureaucracy
against more than 1,700 licensed premises. ● a bigger role for Government
They targeted over 4,000 troublemakers offices
with fixed penalty notices and confiscated ● encouraging joint action by partners
alcohol from more than 9,500 adults and ● builds on community leadership role
juveniles. of local authorities.
Copies of the Government’s alcohol Work is being taken forward in the
strategy can be found at Home Office and across Whitehall on
www.strategy.gov.uk/files/pdf/al04SU.pdf LAAs and on the Safer and Stronger
● Devon and Cornwall Local Criminal Communities Fund.
PHOTOLIBRARY.COM

working with partners such as local Justice Board hosted a conference on alco- For more information visit:
authorities and trading standards teams. hol related crime and disorder in October. www.odpm. gov. uk/stellent/groups/
From the beginning of July to the end The keynote speaker was Solicitor General odpm_localgov/documents/page/
of August, police and trading standards Harriet Harman. odpm_locgov_029989.hcsp

6 Crime Reduction News

 POLICE NEWS

Drive to combat
drug-assisted rape NEWS
A study aimed at highlighting the prevalence IN BRIEF
of drug-assisted rape is to begin in seven forces
around the country.
The six-month study is being carried out
BNP ban
under the auspices of the Association of The Association of
Chief Police Officers’ Steering Group on Chief Police Officers
Rape and involves the Metropolitan Police has introduced a policy
Service, Greater Manchester, Northumbria, preventing employees
Lancashire, West Midlands, Leicestershire from being members of
and Derbyshire constabularies. the British National Party.
The project will be managed via the This applies to all forces
existing Sexual Assault Referral Centres in the in England and Wales.
respective areas and awaits formal approval The policy states that no
from the Ethics Committee of the National member of the police
Health Service. The aim is to investigate all service may belong to
allegations of drug-facilitated sexual assault an organisation whose
thoroughly – even when the victim does not constitution, objectives
wish to proceed with a criminal complaint. or pronouncements
A thorough forensic analysis of all contradict the general
complaints of sexual assault will be under- duty to promote race
taken, specifically where the allegation involves equality. This specifically
drugs or alcohol being used to carry out the includes the BNP.
assault. Victims are being urged to make early Association President
complaints to police in an effort to increase the Chris Fox said: "We are
likelihood that forensic analysis is as accurate totally committed to full
as possible. compliance with the duty
Specially trained sexual offence liaison to promote race equality
officers will ask complainants for their established in the Race
consent to take part in the research. Once Relations Amendment
given, questionnaires will be conducted and Act 2000."
samples will be taken to form part of the study.

Building safer
communities
Reducing crime and
anti-social behaviour,
building safety, security
and stability in our
communities and
protecting law-abiding
citizens and families
are the key drivers of a
White Paper published
by the Home Office on
9 November. The focus
of the paper. ‘Building
Communities, Beating
Crime: a Better Police
Service for the 21st
Century is about creating
a more responsive, citizen-
focused service and a
customer service culture.
For a copy of the White
Paper visit www.police
ALAMY
Three-year plan for
confident communities
The National Policing Plan for 2005-8, which sets out the
Home Secretary’s priorities for the police service for the
next three years, has now been drafted and was published
at the Association of Police Authorities Conference on
24 November.
The plan will concentrate on the strategic issues and key
priorities for the police service and will provide the focus for
forces and police authorities to engage with their communi-
ties about local priorities.
This is the third National Policing Plan. It builds on the
current agenda and drives forward the Government’s vision
for policing in the next three years. The clear aim is to create
and maintain secure and confident communities.
This year’s Plan should be seen in the wider context of the
Correction, CRN September 2004
Home Office Strategic Plan 2004-08 published in July 2004 The first sentence on page 9
and the White Paper published in November. Targeting prolific offenders should
have read: Home Office research
For more information contact: narinder.tamana@ estimates that 5,000 prolific
offenders are responsible for one
homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk. For a copy of the National Policing

million offences, which equates

reform.gov.uk Plan for 2005-8 visit: www.policereform.gov.uk to 9 per cent of all crime.

Crime Reduction News 7

POLICE NEWS

Financial incentive for

street robber informers
A mock payslip has been distributed to
500,000 addresses across London to
encourage the public to give more
anonymous intelligence about street
robbers to Crimestoppers.
The Direct Mail Initiative, run jointly by
Crimestoppers and the Metropolitan
Police, is designed to appeal to people’s
pockets by drawing their attention to the
rewards that could be gained by giving
actionable intelligence to Crimestoppers.
The mailer has been specifically sent to
postcode sectors identified by the Met as
having higher levels of street crime.
Met commanders believe that street
robbers often carry out their robberies in
the area that they live. As a result of this
intelligence, the mailer will hit street
robbers and their associates (thereby acting
as a mild disrupter), as well as neighbours
and families who may wish to pass on
intelligence anonymously.
The campaign will by evaluated by the
number of calls and intelligence received
by Crimestoppers and formal research
currently being undertaken by the Met.
For more information contact Luke
Knight at luke.knight@met.police.uk

Championing citizenship at Chelsea FC

Key representatives from the
police service will get together
at Chelsea Football Ground next
month (January) for a conference
on citizen focused policing.
Bringing about a citizen focused
Police Service, in which an
in-depth understanding of the
needs and expectations of the
individuals and local communities
is routinely reflected in decision-
making service delivery and
practice, is central to the
Government's reform agenda.
The conference, to be held on
12 January, is entitled Citizen
Focused Policing, Customer
Service, Leadership and Change.
It will help delegates share
effective citizen-focused policing
practice with a particular
focus on customer service
issues and the victims and
witness agenda.
Those attending will include
citizen-focused champions at
Chief Officer level from every
police force in England and
Wales as well as police authority
and local criminal justice board
representatives.
For more information
contact Detective
Superintendent Mike Alderson
at: mike.alderson@homeoffice.
gsi.gov.uk

TOOLS A round-up
of crime reduction tools currently available

enabled a criminal element within the industry to dispose

of stolen vehicles. Despite the industry’s efforts to drive out this
element, less scrupulous operators still existed and regulation
was needed to make it harder for criminals to dispose of stolen
vehicles or become involved in serious organised crime.
It is possible for operators to get caught up in vehicle
crime unwittingly if they do not conform to the regulations
and keep full records. The regulations toolkit can be found at
www.crimereduction.gov.uk/mso01.htm

Facilitating Community Involvement

Motor Salvage Operators Regulations
The Motor Salvage Operators Regulations 2002 were
introduced under the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001 to regulate
the industry. This decision stemmed from an earlier court
ruling that the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964 did not apply
to motor salvage operators.
It was believed that this lack of statutory regulation
Facilitating Community Involvement: Practical Guidance
for Practitioners and Policy Makers highlights the fact that
there is no easy way to increase community involvement and
indicates that successful strategies should consider the local To order materials, visit
context for each initiative, such as: www.crimereduction.co.
● previous history and patterns of community involvement uk/publicitycatalogue,
● the characteristics of people targeted for involvement email homeoffice@
● controversial issues in the area such as a threat to a service. prolog.uk.com
Visit www.crimereduction.gov.uk/activecommunities74.htm or phone 0870 241 468

8 Crime Reduction News


THE ISSP PROGRAMME COULD HELP
YOUNG OFFENDERS CHANGE THEIR WAYS
Tough on
the causes of crime
T
he majority of offences are committed by a
minority of hard-core offenders who often turn
to crime at a young age and, if not given the right
support, continue their offending behaviour into
adulthood. Initial findings of research, conducted by the
University of Oxford for the Youth Justice Board, reveal that
using a robust community programme that targets the most
difficult offenders in England and Wales can successfully
tackle the causes of offending.
The Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme
(ISSP) targets persistent young offenders and those who
have committed more serious offences and can be used with
young people on community sentences or on bail, or for
those in the second part of a Detention and Training Order.
It includes a variety of components such as assessment, close
monitoring, education and training, tracking, tagging and
restorative justice.
Bringing structure
The report describes the programme, introduced three
years ago, as “highly intensive, combining supervision
with surveillance in an attempt to ensure programme
completion and bring structure to young people’s lives.”
The report found that young people on ISSP had an
average of nearly nine recorded offences in the 12 months
before the start of the programme. The report says that the
CASE STUDY
SAVING RYAN
Ryan, a 17-year-old convicted burglar was to directly challenge his belief and
from Norfolk says he turned to crime to value systems that cause his offending
support his mother, a former drug user behaviour. Ryan has progressed well
dependant on benefits. and reports from the Prince’s Trust are
He was given an ISSP consisting exemplary. He is currently applying for
of 37 hours per week of education, a carpentry apprenticeship. The Youth
employment and training, Prince’s Offending Team is impressed with his
Trust training, indirect reparation, progress and commitment to the
family support, and work on offending programme, and Ryan is now a valued
behaviour, victim awareness, substance member of the rugby team.
misuse, and anger management. Ryan says: “The ISSP has been good
The interventions were provided on a for me; it’s shown me that there’s more to
one-to-one basis at the Norfolk Youth life than hanging round street corners. It
Offending Team. Three hours per week of has introduced me to the rugby club – I’ve
inter-personal skills training and anger always wanted to play but never knew it
management was delivered by a group existed. I have made new friends. It has
mentoring approach implemented by provided me with qualifications and
rugby training at a local rugby club. employment opportunities. I’d be stupid
ALAMY
The overall objective of Ryan’s ISSP to offend again.”
FEATURE
young people referred to the ISSP had “clearly been
deprived and damaged by their early life experiences”,
and that the ISSP teams were faced with a major challenge
in addressing these young people’s underlying needs and
their related offending behaviour.
By contrast, during the course of ISSP, virtually all young
people (97 per cent) were engaged in education or training,
and seven in ten took part in restorative justice to pay back
the harm they had done to the community. An electronic
tag was used to enforce a curfew in 70 per cent of cases.
Bold and imaginative
The report found that ISSP helped to improve attitudes to
offending, to influence positive changes in self-perception,
and to encourage young offenders to consider the effects of
crime on victims. It concluded that the introduction of ISSP
“has to be recognised as a considered, but none the less bold
and imaginative plan to manage the future behaviour of a
large number of our most problematic young people.”
According to the report, there was a marked reduction in
the frequency and seriousness of offending for young people
on the programme. It found that in the 12 months before
and after the start of ISSP the frequency of offending fell by
43 per cent and the seriousness dropped by 16 per cent.
Rod Morgan, Chairman of the Youth Justice Board, says:
“What we have seen is that the more entrenched offending
behaviour becomes, the harder it is to reform young
offenders. This report shows that ISSP can make real
inroads and start to turn young people around but also
highlights the need to intervene earlier in the lives of
young people to divert them from a life of crime.”
Rachel Lipscomb, Chairman of the Magistrates’
Association, says: “Magistrates have found that ISSPs provide
offenders with a structured alternative to custody and real
support to divert them away from a life of crime.” crn

For a copy of the report go to www.youth-justice-
board.gov.uk/YouthJusticeBoard/
Crime Reduction News 9
HOW TO

Work with PCTs to reduce

domestic abuse
PRIMARY CARE TRUST HEALTH
PROFESSIONALS ARE WORKING
IN PARTNERSHIP TO HELP
VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE

ealth professionals have a key role to play in

H offering information to women at risk of

domestic abuse. In April this year, Primary Care
Trusts (PCTs) were given responsible authority status
within wider Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships
(CDRPs). Within this partnership framework, they are
now taking a pro-active approach to reach women at risk
in an environment that can offer confidential support.

Pro-active thinking
To help health professionals recognise the benefits of
taking a pro-active approach, the Home Office has
recently published ‘Tackling Domestion Violence, the
Role of Health Professionals’, a concise and useful report
which aims to ultimately contribute towards challenging
domestic violence by providing excellent examples of
good practice and partnership working.
The report also identified three types of action needed
by the health sector to address domestic violence issues:
● improving availability of information on domestic
violence and services for those who experience it
● providing appropriate training for health professionals
● recognising domestic violence as a negative health
factor when carrying out health assessment.
Discussing domestic violence routinely can be Sixteen per cent
Supporting role successfully implemented at many levels of NHS services,
Sixteen per cent of violent crime is domestic abuse and including: general practice by a GP or practice nurse, of violent crime is
research shows that 30 per cent of domestic abuse either Well Women clinics, ante-natal appointments, A&E domestic abuse
starts or escalates during pregnancy. Ante-natal and minor injuries units. If abuse is disclosed, the health and research
appointments are, for example, crucial occasions during professional can follow a clear line of referal to specialist
which health professionals can raise the issues of support services where both legal and non-legal support, shows that 30 per
domestic violence in a sensitive way as part of a advice and information will be provided. cent of domestic
routine health assessment. Providing information routinely will be gradually abuse starts or
‘‘By offering all women support, information and rolled out across the NHS from April 2005. The
the opportunity to talk safely, health professionals can Government intends that this service will initially start escalates during
make a positive contribution to challenging domestic with pregnant women in the UK during their NHS pregnancy
violence,’’ says a Department of Health spokesperson. ante-natal visits and is setting up an advisory group to
‘We need to create an environment in which women feel decide how best to implement best practice in this area.
confident to disclose if they so choose. We must take A useful list of resources and further information is
responsibility for raising the issue in a sensitive way, included at the end of the report, providing a useful
letting them know the support is there and that expert source of reference to both professionals and victims. crn
help is available if required.’’
Of course, appropriate training must be provided
For a copy of Tackling Domestic Violence: the
and a training programme is now in place to help Role of Health Professionals, call: 0207 273 2084
health professionals recognise the signs and symptoms or email: publications.rds@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
of domestic abuse and gain more expertise in addressing The report is also available online at:
ALAMY

this complex issue. www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/dprpubs1.html

10 Crime Reduction News

 SPECIAL
REPORT Prostitution ALSO INSIDE: PREVENTATIVE MEASURES AND THE WAY FORWARD

Tackling street
prostitution
THE PROBLEM OF he devastating consequences of prostitution The Government has also published Guidance to

STREET PROSTITUTION
IS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
T will be met head on, says Home Secretary
David Blunkett. The Sexual Offences Act
2003 began the process of law reform with the
introduction of new offences and tough penalties
AS THE GOVERNMENT for those who exploit anyone for the purposes of
AND AGENCIES SEEK prostitution or pornography. But a number of
Government initiatives aim to examine all of the
EFFECTIVE LONG- issues surrounding prostitution in detail.
TERM SOLUTIONS Paying the Price, a consultation paper, was
published in July. It asks the public to join in the
public debate on this difficult and sensitive issue.
Views on policy and practice will pave the way
for a co-ordinated strategy to reduce the harms
associated with prostitution, both to those involved
and the communities in which it takes place.
The consultation paper draws on the evaluation
of 11 Crime Reduction Programme projects on
What Works in Tackling Prostitution to determine
best practice in terms of support services. Findings
have been published in the research study, Tackling
Street Prostitution: Towards an Holistic Approach.
Partnerships on Handling Prostitution and Drugs.
The Home Secretary also announced his desire for a
review of prostitution in the Command Paper,
Protecting the Public. Mr Blunkett said: "There are
important tasks ahead of us and there are no easy
answers or one single solution. We need to ensure
prevention, protection and support, and justice.
Prevention is key to alleviate the circumstances
that make young people vulnerable to coercion
into prostitution. Protecting the vulnerable
also requires the prosecution of child abusers,
traffickers and exploiters. The new offences and
tough penalties in the Sexual Offences Act 2003
must be rigorously enforced.
"However, enforcement must also be matched with
support for those trapped in prostitution. Providing
a route out must be the best long-term solution for
those involved and for the communities that suffer
from the nuisance and criminality associated with it.
Our ultimate aim is to create safer neighbourhoods
as well as better escape routes for those trapped." crn

Update MORI conducting focus groups with residents of red-light areas in two UK cities to explore the impact
of street-based prostitution and evaluate proposed preventative measures||Criminal justice practitioners looking
REX FEATURES

specifically at the offence of loitering or soliciting and how best to route those involved in prostitution into effective
rehabilitation| |Home Office working with ECPAT/Children's Society National Youth Campaign to influence policy

Crime Reduction News 11

 SPECIAL
REPORT
UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES OF
PROSTITUTION IS KEY TO DELIVERING
PREVENTION MECHANISMS THAT
HELP WOMEN IN NEED
Preventative
measures
he ‘Tackling Street Prostitution: Towards an Holistic
T Approach’ study discusses the findings from
11 Crime Reduction Programme (CRP) projects
tackling street prostitution across England and Wales.
Part of the study focuses on how young people enter
prostitution and how this might be prevented. The
literature on the subject suggests that most of the men
and women involved probably entered prostitution as
young people, under the age of 18 or 21.
Involvement in prostitution by young people tends to be
more hidden than adult women and, as a consequence, it is
difficult to ascertain the extent of their involvement,
although indications from various sources suggest that the
numbers have increased in recent years. Figures derived
from police and Home Office statistics suggest that around
2,000 young people are engaged in prostitution in the UK.
This is likely to be a gross underestimate as they rely on the
number of individuals cautioned and arrested.
Following the publication of ‘Safeguarding Children
Involved in Prostitution’ by the Department of Health and
the Home Office in 2001, children involved in prostitution
are increasingly treated as victims of abuse. The CRP data
echoes the general findings of previous research on
childhood experience and entry into prostitution, which
has found that child abuse and being in local authority
care may make young people vulnerable to entering
! Key points Benefits resulting from young people diverted away from prostitution include:
Enhanced quality of life | Enhanced emotional state including self-esteem | Enhanced physical state
including safety and bodily integrity | Enhanced life prospects| | Stabilisation or reduction of cost of criminal
| Stabilisation or reduction of cost of victim services | Stabilisation or reduction of cost of health
justice system|
services|| Stabilisation or reduction of cost of social-security payments
12 Crime Reduction News
prostitution. Crucially, these abusive experiences feed
into and further develop feelings of worthlessness and
lack of self-esteem. This is a key element in many women's
vulnerability to becoming involved in prostitution.
Many of the women interviewed talked about the
particular difficulties they had faced at school: because they
were in care; because they and their mother had moved
area many times to get away from a violent partner or due
to other problems; bullying; or because they were using
drugs and alcohol at school. Unsurprisingly, given the
disruptions to their schooling, educational attainment for
the women involved in prostitution was much lower than
the general population, with under two-thirds of women
interviewed obtaining no qualifications.
Findings from the CRP projects suggest that young
people can be successfully diverted from behaviour and
involvement in prostitution through early intervention.
Targeted interventions with dedicated workers to identify
young people at risk are important, as is working within a
multi-agency context.
Both parents and members of the community are
important in identifying and monitoring children and
PHOTONICA, GETTY
young people at risk. It's also important that agencies
working with children and young people are able to
identify those at risk and be fully aware of information
sharing and referral procedures. crn
 CASE STUDY
KIRKLEES SWEET
The Kirklees project area includes
Huddersfield town centre, a region of
low income and high unemployment.
The Kirklees project, Sex Workers’
Education, Empowerment and
Training (SWEET), emerged from an
ongoing process, beginning in 1998,
in which concerned councillors,
residents, local agencies and
individuals began meeting about the
problems in the local red-light area.
The project aimed to deal with the
chaotic nature of the lives of women
involved in prostitution and to enable
them to exit, with the interventions
largely concerned with providing
support. It soon became apparent
that work on prevention was
important to the project’s overall
aims. As a result, by the second year,
Kirklees had developed a Young Girls
Diversionary Group for those girls at
risk of sexual exploitation and also a
group for both sons and daughters of
Young people can be women involved in prostitution.
successfully diverted
from behaviour and Evolutionary process
SWEET project co-ordinator Julia
involvement in Paine says, "We soon realised that
prostitution through the exiting project would have to be
early intervention extended to see the outcomes of our
! Contact Paying the Price: A Consultation Paper on Prostitution www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs3/
paying_the_price.html | Tackling Street Prostitution: Towards an holistic approach www.homeoffice.gov.uk/
rds/pdfs04/hors279.pdf | Guidance to partnerships on handling prostitution and drugs www.drugs.gov.uk/
NationalStrategy/Communities | What Works in Tackling Prostitution www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/
pdfs04/hors279.pdf
work reach fruition. The project is
evolutionary and we’ve learnt what
we specifically can do in order not to
duplicate the work of other services.
"It became evident that by working
with the women we would work with
their children. Some children would
be with them, others with family
members. We started to grapple with
child-protection issues and soon
realised that the children were also
our clients with their own rights.
Young girls at risk
"Older children — teens and
adolescents — felt safe talking to us,
so we started to develop ways that
they could speak to their own
counsellors and key workers. By the
second year of the project we became
aware through referrals that young
girls were at risk of exploitation."
The project now provides advocacy
and support with a range of other
services for children of adult sex
workers affected by issues. It does
diversionary work one-to-one and
in groups with young people at risk
of sexual exploitation on issues of
self-esteem, sexual health, race
and gun crime.
PROFILES OF
THOSE INVOLVED
● Just over three-quarters
of the women (76 per cent)
had first become involved in
prostitution at the age of
21 or under.
● Just under half the women
(49per cent) had at least
one child.
● Most of the women from
each of the project areas
were white European
(83per cent).
● The majority of the women
were single (74 per cent).
One in five were co-habiting
with their 'boyfriend' or
'pimp' (20per cent) and only
a small proportion were
married (3 per cent).
● Nearly all of the women
were currently using
non-prescribed drugs
(93 per cent).
● Nearly a third of the women
had between one and five
previous convictions.
● The users' ages ranged
between 17 and 80 years
old, with a median age of 35.
● Most of the users were in
full-time employment
(67 per cent) and the next
largest group were students
(12 per cent).
● Most of the users were white
European (58 per cent).
● Nearly half of the users
were married (47 per cent)
● Nearly half of the users
were owner-occupiers
(44 per cent)
Source: Appendix,Tackling Street
Prostitution: Towards an holistic
approach.A total of 333 profiles of
women involved in prostitution were
analysed by the University of Sunderland.
Crime Reduction News 13
 SPECIAL
REPORT

The way forward

OUTREACH SERVICES AND STRONG SUPPORT CAN HELP PROTECT
WOMEN ON THE STREET AND BREAK THE CYCLE OF PROSTITUTION

number of themes emerged
CASE STUDY
MANCHESTER ACTION
FOR STREET HEALTH
Manchester Real Choices is giving women
in the city centre and Cheetham Hill areas
alternatives to prostitution. It provides an
outreach service to help women and offer
ongoing support, including information,
advice and referrals on sexual health,
benefits, debt, housing, training, education
and safety issues.
Two full-time project workers provide
one-to-one support for women who want
to leave prostitution, and newsletters are
produced to tell them about the services
and choices available.They also provide
fast-track referral to drug treatment.
The profiles of the women involved in

A
from the evaluation of the five
Crime Reduction Programme
(CRP) projects that had supported
women involved in prostitution towards
exiting. The crucial support interventions
are: outreach, drop-in services, one-to-one
support and definitions of exiting.
Building up relationships between
outreach workers and the women allows
project workers to assess when a woman
seems ready to access one-to-one sessions
during the day (as opposed to their usual
pattern of night working), and to begin the
exiting process. Outreach also provides
harm minimisation for those who are not
ready to exit, with the outreach workers
generally offering condoms, food, drinks
and information leaflets to the women.
The profiles of the women involved showed that most
of them were trying to leave prostitution
the five projects showed that most of them
(69 per cent) were trying or had tried on
one or more occasion in the past to leave
prostitution. Less than a third (31 per cent)
had never tried to quit. If women didn’t
want to, nor felt ready to, exit prostitution,
the support interventions worked as a
form of harm minimisation.
Definitions of ‘exiting’ ranged from
what might be termed ‘complete exits’
where women have completely changed
their lifestyle, found alternative
employment, education or state benefit
support and stabilised their drug use
for a specified period of time, to the
exiting of street prostitution where
women became involved in prostitution
in off-street locations. crn
Manchester has a history of inter-agency
working in the area of prostitution. The
Manchester Action on Street Health
(MASH) night-time service came into
existence in 1991, and the Manchester
Prostitution Forum was established in
1997. Women were familiar with the MASH
van, which parked in one spot for a whole
evening and were response to the outreach
workers because they were part of a tried
and trusted project.
Graham Dobkin, MASH head of services,
says: “The outreach workers operate
across the city and cover beat areas
referring people on to different services,
and slowly people are thinking of leaving
[prostitution]. We’ve been going for 13
years and hope we have a good name
among those working in the sex industry.
It takes time to build up that trust.”

Manchester Action for Street
Health www.mash.org.uk

key points Outreach is an important way of identifying and getting to know women involved in prostitution,
| Drop-in services are key to
gaining their trust and informing them about other interventions offered by projects|
enable women involved in prostitution to access drugs treatment, health-related services, counselling, support,
education and training| | One-to-one support enables projects to target the support to fit individual need

14 Crime Reduction News


Mentoring matters
Stuart Johnson, Head of Youth Offending Services for Tower Hamlets
and the City of London, believes mentoring is key to crime prevention
My large, multi-agency, multi-
partnership team offers a range of
professional disciplines to try to
address the root causes of offending.
Within that framework, a good
mentoring system can really help
youngsters break offending habits
and look to a positive future.
Today’s social and case work
professionals have high case loads
and don’t have the opportunity to give
quality time to young people outside
of the office or the odd home visit. In
addition, it’s more difficult to engage a
young person in a discussion across a
desk in an office – they feel stultified.
Volunteers and mentors can give
that valuable time. Only by spending
time with a young person, sharing
their experiences and really getting to
know them can you build up trust and
help them relax and voice their feelings
and concerns. The young people seem
to repsond positively and respect the
fact that a non-professional is
motivated to help them. This
creates a unique relationship.
The key to mentoring success lies in
local non-professionals with a genuine
interest in helping young people. It’s
important to have good listening
skills and assessment skills. A sense of
humour and the ability to show respect
to young people are also important as
a lot of young offenders have never
been shown much respect. It’s also
important to engage someone who
understands the difficulties that
adolescents face. In this area, peer
mentoring and counselling is a very
powerful tool.
Another approach is to use a
significant adult who is familiar with
Young people respect the fact that a non-professional
wants to give their time and is motivated to help

Contact For more information about mentoring, visit: www.yjb.gov.uk. Contact your local Youth Offending
Team to see what opportunities are available for volunteers and mentors in your area.
the young person as a mentor, such
as an uncle. Working with the Youth
Advocate Programme (YAP), we use
this highly effective ‘wraparound’
approach to engage the significant
adult, paying them to spend extra
time with young person. YAP UK runs
our Intensive Supervision and Support
Programme (ISSP).
Boosting confidence
Even our most aggressive young
offenders lack personal confidence.
They feel worthless and a nuisance, and
that people are judging them. Mentors
can build a young person up and praise
them for what they do well and for
trying. Lots of our young people
possess qualities that, if channeled
properly, would make them world
beaters. They are risk takers and
entrepreneurs, often with good
planning skills and tremendous
determination. Through mentoring,
we try to harness these skills and
energy in a positive way.
Young offenders are becoming
increasingly territorial – they are so
afraid of their own communities – who
might be after them, what harm might
befall them – that they think the next
neighbourhood will be even worse. The
thought of crossing to another part of
the city to go to college, for example,
may be completely hostile to them.
Mentoring can help them to overcome
these fears and feel safe and capable of
doing things on their own.
Mentors need training on substance
misuse, education, behavioural, health
and leisure issues. Good training and
practical experience offers the mentor a
COMMENT
useful route into employment, too.
Targeted mentoring that takes in
cultural needs and provides a specific
service for a particular community can
be effective as each group presents its
own concerns and worries. The beauty
of using people from a particular
community is that the youngsters
have a greater sense of trust and belief
that their problems will be understood.
For example, the Youth Justice
Board helps to fund the Brick Lane
Youth Development Association
(BLYDA), a Bengali youth community
project that delivers mentoring services
to Bangledeshi youngsters who are at
risk of offending. The reason we
established this group was in response
to findings that nearly all the young
people who committed street robbery
in 2002 were black or Asian – we could
focus on the 25 young offenders with
the mentoring programme.
Mentoring is also vital for
youngsters upon release from custody.
This is a crucial time – in those first
few weeks, a young person may be
motivated to make a change and can
benefit from help and encouragement.
They may also not have renewed old
acquaintances who might lead them
back to a criminal lifestyle. The timely
intervention of a mentor can help to
break that cycle.
All our feedback indicates that
young people put mentoring high on
their list of things that have helped
them. The importance of this type
of practical help should not be
underestimated.
Crime Reduction News 15
 FEATURE
Shark
shooting
NEW INITIATIVES ARE IN PLACE TO STOP
LOAN SHARKS CASHING IN ON PERSONAL
DEBT. NIGEL STANLEY REPORTS
F
or many people, managing credit
is part of the skill required to run
a household economy and gives
them the flexibility to arrange
payments to suit their income. For
others, credit management and keeping
on top of bill payments has become an
impossible task. Their debt increases
month after month as the bills pile up,
leading to loss of the family home, the
breakdown of personal relationships
and depression.
According to a Government report
Tackling Over-indebtedness – Action
Plan 2004, published in July, seven per
cent of households have levels of credit
use associated with over-indebtedness and
“The misery 13 per cent are in arrears with consumer
of debt can be credit or bill commitments.
compounded by Spiral of misery
the use of illegal Although it has been calculated that overall
loan sharks, credit card debt in the UK is in the region
of £50bn, only five per cent is deemed to
which often leads be owed by ‘spiralling debtors’. The rest is
to intimidation owed by individuals with the employment
and financial assets to back up their debt,
and theats of according to MORI Market Dynamics
violence” who conducted the research in June.

Contact For Action Plan information, visit: www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/overindebtedness.htm |
For White Paper The Consumer Credit Market in the 21st Century visit: www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1
/pdf1/creditwp.pdf |For National Debtline, visit www.nationaldebtline.co.uk or call free on 0808 808 4000
16 Crime Reduction News
LOAN
RANGERS
Practical advice for those
with debt problems is
relatively straightforward,
but the hidden world of
the loan shark feeds on
intimidation and fear.
Consumer Minister
Gerry Sutcliffe said: “Loan
sharks are criminals and
it is vital that we do not
allow their activities to
destroy the lives of
innocent people. That’s
why we are cracking down
on rogue lenders, and
taking action to get loan
sharks off our streets.”
In an effort to control
the burgeoning loan shark
business, the Government
is investing £2 million to
set up pilot projects.
Run by the Scottish
Illegal Money Lending
Team and based in
Glasgow, one pilot scheme
is designed so people
throughout Scotland can
call a confidential free-
For the five per cent, this debt can be phone Crimestoppers
a significant problem. The misery of helpline (0800 555 111) to
debt can be compounded by the use of talk to a team of specially-
illegal loan sharks who provide easy trained enforcement
access to funds but at significant cost officers from the Trading
to the customer. The inability to pay the Standards Department.
spiralling cost of loan repayments often Information will be used
leads to intimidation and threats of alongside undercover
violence as repayment is demanded. operations to tackle
the gangs.
Tackling debt Deputy Communities
Reputable credit lenders and the Minister Mary Mulligan
Government are taking the loan shark said: “Loan sharks
problem seriously. The free debt advice operate in a culture of
sector, Government and the credit fear, and this project is
industry are working together to increase targeting resources
the availability of free debt advice to help directly at the criminals.”
people deal with their debt problems. As A similar scheme
well as having access to free and easy-to- enables people in the
understand advice, consumers will be West Midlands to call a
able to access a debt management confidential helpline
programme so that outstanding debts number on 0121 693 1122.
can be restructured for easier repayment. The team here will also
The Social Exclusion Unit has work with local agencies
a remit that covers financial as well as to improve financial advice
social exclusion. As the ODPM bears and education available to
responsibility for local government, this ensure that people have
helps make provision for local debt access to the right credit
management programmes. crn products for them.
 FEATURE

THE CAMPAIGN TO HIGHLIGHT THE

RISKS AND DANGERS OF DRUG USE IS
GOING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

a winner say visitors

A
year after its launch, FRANK has already proved
a success according to a customer satisfaction
survey. The campaign targets 11 to 21-year-
olds, and parents of 11 to18-year-olds and
focuses on class A drugs. It aims to ensure young people
understand the risks of drugs and know where to go for
help. It also aims to provide parents with the confidence
and knowledge to talk to their children about drugs.
The survey, in July, produced some encouraging results:
● 92 per cent of respondents were either very or fairly
satisfied with the quality of support received from
FRANK, which includes the helpline, website, campaign
materials and the drugs.gov website and news items.
● 63 per cent of respondents had used talktofrank.com
over two-thirds of them found the site easy to use and
the quality of content either very or fairly good.
● 93 per cent of respondents are receiving the Action
Update packs with over half saying they are very useful.
● 53 per cent of respondents have used FRANK in their
local activities and 95 per cent of them said that this
activity had proved a success.
FRANK is set to build on this success with the launch of
several new initiatives:
Talk about cannabis
Testimonials from young people who share experiences of
cannabis and how it affected them. It covers issues on
health, the law, mental health and even the munchies.
Action Update
FRANK’s current Action Update focuses on business and
the workplace. It includes information on drug testing,
workplace initiatives, and how to develop a drug and
alcohol policy.
Talking not taking
FRANK is pushing out messages about youth ‘tribes’ and
the pressure young people feel to fit in. Press releases have
been sent to national and top regional press and youth and
parenting magazines. Visitors to the FRANK website can
take part in a quiz to find out which one of Frank’s tribes
they belong to.

NEW CASE STUDIES

RESOURCES
www.drugs.gov.uk has
a range of materials
including 140 copyright-
free images to use to
promote and market
your agency, idea or
latest news.
FRANK, in partnership
with Drugscope, has
produced a series of
bilingual leaflets to help
communicate with ethnic
minority communities. The
leaflets are available in
eight languages with a
further three languages
accessible as a download.
They can be ordered free
from www.drugs.gov.uk/
Campaign/Languages or
call 0870 241 4680 and
quote BMECOMSTKT.
OPERATION CRACKDOWN AND B:DAT
London calling
Operation Crackdown, the
Metropolitan Police’s two-week
advertising campaign, targeted
Londoners in affected areas,
specifically 16 to 24-year-old men
who may be involved in or are on
the fringes of drug culture.
The campaign focused on asking
individuals for information via
Crimestoppers on Class A drug
dealing, and aims to generate
intelligence and show the effects
drugs can have on communities.
Operation Crackdown featured
hard-hitting posters showing a
drug user’s physical decline over a
10-year period. It also featured
advertorials on Choice, Kiss and
XfM radio stations. In addition,
leaflets, beer mats and flyers were
handed out at nightclubs.
On the cards
The Stakeholder Awards were
launched to coincide with the first
anniversary of the FRANK campaign
in May 2004. The winner of the
national and Eastern region award
went to Bedfordshire Drug Action
Team (B:DAT) in partnership with
Hey Moscow design agency for their
Knockout Drugs card game for
young people.
The game, based on the popular
top trumps card trading game, is
designed to be fun and educational.
Each card features a different drug
and gives facts about its effects and
legal status. All the cards feature
FRANK as a source of further advice.
B:DAT community development
officer, James Morley, says: “The
game came out of a need to identify
a resource and education pack that
would target vulnerable young
people aged between 11 and 16.
We wanted to convey messaging in
a clear and comprehensive way and
be responsive to young people for
whom numeracy and literacy are
often an issue.
“The local Youth Offending Team
and Pupil Referral Unit helped devise
the game, which has been tested and
evaluated by young people, since we
wanted young people not to feel
embarrassed about being seen with
or playing the game.”
James says the game creates
debate about drugs between young
people and adults. “It’s a discussion
starter, and we’ve found that our
key messages are put across in
20 minutes.”
The game is to be launched on
a regional basis by Christmas.

receive
Contact To find out more, visit www.drugs.gov.uk/campaign and www.talktofrank.com. Visitors must register to
campaign materials. Call the campaign support line on 020 7273 3833 or email FRANK@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Crime Reduction News 17

 FEATURE
Give them a
sporting chance
SPORT AND CULTURE IS GIVING COMMUNITIES A STAKE
IN SOCIETY AND MENDING RELATIONSHIPS REPORTS KATRIN LEVY
S
port and culture inspires audiences, brings
people together to take part in enjoyable activities
and encourages individuals to think about their
role in the local community. That was just one of
the findings of the Engaging Communities through Sport
and Culture seminar held in March this year.
Around 100 people attended the seminar in Oldham Art
Gallery, which focused on how sport and culture can be
used to help mend some of the fractured relationships
between Britain’s different communities in parts of
Yorkshire and the North West. The choice of location is
significant. Oldham, together with Bradford and Burnley,
hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the summer
of 2001, when growing tensions between the local ethnic
communities erupted into riots in the streets.
Trouble shooting
Head of Government’s Community Cohesion Review
Team, Ted Cantle, was brought in to examine the root
causes of the social unrest disturbance and The Cantle
Report, published a year later, contained a number of
challenging recommendations for communities, councils
and Government alike.
The report highlighted the fact that the communities did
18 Crime Reduction News
not feel they had a stake in society, and that they were not
receiving enough help to tackle their problems. This lack of
hope and opportunity was compounded by the “total lack
of contact” between different communities, which made it
all too easy for frustration to tip over into violence.
Bright ideas
However, while the report painted a bleak picture, even at
that time Cantle recognised that the young people in
the area were the key to a brighter future. “The youngsters
were really inspirational,” he says. “They gave me hope.”
On the back of the findings of the Cantle report, the
Community Cohesion Cultural Practitioners Group was
founded, and it was their idea to hold a seminar looking
at the role that sport and culture could play in bringing
the different communities together.
The day was such a roaring success that the Department
for Media, Culture and Sport, together with the Home
Office’s Community Cohesion Unit, decided to publish
all of the key learning points from the Seminar to help
other practitioners.
The result is ‘Bringing Communities Together Through
PHOTONICA
Sport and Culture’, which takes readers through the process
of creating successful and sustainable community projects.
 CASE STUDY CASE STUDY
BRADFORD LARK IN
SPORT ACTION ZONE THE PARK
The Bradford Sport Action Zone wants to encourage Celebration is at the heart
inner-city residents to become and stay involved in of the annual Lark in the
exercise and sport. But instead of telling them what Park arts festival, held in
they should be doing, they’ve gone out and asked local Mercer Park, Clayton-Le-
residents what they would like and then worked with Moors, Lancashire. In two
them to make it happen. years, the number of
“One of our most popular projects is a mini-soccer volunteers running the
league that’s funded by the Football Association,” says festival has jumped from
Adrian Tolan, the zone’s manager. “On a Saturday 15 to 40, and the number
morning, we get more than 100 kids showing up for it of festival goers is rapidly
from both communities, both boys and girls. When we increasing as well.
started two years ago we had six teams, but now it’s Groups of people and
gone up to 15 teams and we’re planning to put on extra individuals of different
sessions in January, once Ramadan has finished.” ages and cultural roots
work together to explore
Professional training common ideas and have
The zone has also been instrumental in helping local fun. The festival has given
residents, who want to start up their own sporting the wider community a
activities, to obtain the necessary training. “We’ve just sense of pride, place and
worked with a group of 12 Asian dads who wanted to set belonging.
up a group for their children,” says Adrian. “We provide
health and safety training, ideas on session planning
and structures and also support for volunteers who
want to get more professional coaching qualifications.”
The zone covers a very large area and they spend as
much time as possible visiting local communities and
schools. “As soon as we’ve gone, they ring us up to ask
us when we’ll be coming back,” he says. “We get sent
thank-you letters from students all the time telling us
that they loved tag-rugby and wanting to know when
they can do it again.”
“The youngsters were really
inspirational. They gave me hope”
Ted Cantle

‘Know the community’ is one mantra that appears

again and again. But readers are also encouraged to consult
creatively, be honest and realistic about timing and results
and develop leadership from within the community.
It is all useful stuff, and will undoubtedly make it
much easier for readers and team leaders to create
successful projects that are of lasting benefit. However,
the publication’s real power lies in its stories. On page
after page, there are projects that, in a couple of years,
have succeeded in breaking down communal barriers
that have been in place for decades.
Nearly three quarters of participants on the Moving
Minds project, which brought museums and galleries
together with local communities and artists to stimulate
discussion about culture, migration and identity, said that
it had encouraged them to feel differently about other
people and have a greater awareness of other cultures and
communities. As the publication proves, sport and culture
really are bringing communities together. crn Culture club: sport brings Bradford youngsters together

Contact |
To read the Cantle Report go to www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs2/pocc.html|
The Bringing Communities Together Through Sport and Culture Booklet can be found at:
www.culture.gov.uk/global/publications/archive_2004/bringing_communities_together_booklet.htm

Crime Reduction News 19

 FEATURE
Watch schemes
broaden their remit
A REPORT REVEALS THAT POLICE MAKE A SIGNIFICANT
CONTRIBUTION TO THE SUCCESS OF NEIGHBOURHOOD
WATCH SCHEMES, SAYS NIGEL STANLEY
N
eighbourhood Watches are an ideal way
for active citizens to help ensure their
communities remain safe and secure. Since
the first UK scheme was founded in 1982,
the number of active watch areas has grown considerably.
To bolster support for Neighbourhood Watch (NW)
schemes, the Home Office commissioned a report from
consultant Urbecon’s Crime and Community Safety Unit,
which reported back in April 2004.
The report’s recently-published findings indicate a
network of NWs that are alive and well. Traditionally,
schemes have tended to be found in areas that have
relatively lower crime. The Government aims to support
and encourage those who live in high crime areas to set up
NW schemes. This should go some way to reducing crime
in their communities.
Police support was found to be important to the success
of a scheme and attitudes to NWs does vary between police
areas. It was found that there were no common policies and
procedures, and that police forces and Crime and Disorder
Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) basically did what they felt
was most appropriate to the area.
Some schemes are starting to broaden their remit to
cover support for a wider social agenda including care
for elderly and vulnerable members of the community.
In some instances, this has started to encompass
environmental care issues as well.
NW schemes and associations are striving constantly to
improve the ways in which they work with local police
forces and ensure resources are used most appropriately.
This includes sharing best practice from areas where
“The success of Neighbourhood Watch schemes was directly attributed to police
and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership involvement”
20 Crime Reduction News
relations with the police have worked particularly well and
encouraging police forces to put policy agreements in place
with local NW schemes.
Urbecon found it difficult to gauge the precise impact
of NWs but found they contributed significantly to
local social cohesion. NW activity, such as supplying
information to the police to help them obtain Anti-social
Behaviour Orders (ASBOs), does help to tackle disorder
and yobbish behaviour. However, those involved in NW
schemes are not expected to become unpaid law officers.
The key benefits of NW schemes lie in identifying anti-
social activity through the effective information exchange.
Re-energised active citizenship
Overall it was seen that a new model for NW was
emerging, moving away from the traditional crime
problem into areas such as broader community disorder
and anti-social behaviour. With limited resources available
from central and local government, the most appropriate
way to deal with this is through a re-energised active
citizenship, involving the local community.
As a result of the Urbecon report and to help bolster
support for NWs there is now a new mini-site (see
opposite) offering support, advice, best practice
information and a number of useful links. There is
also a wealth of information to assist new schemes and a
forum for online discussion and information exchange.
A new NW newsletter, Community Link, is due for
publication in December following a local pilot earlier
this year. There will be a crime reduction volunteer
conference on 12 March 2005. crn
PHOTONICA
 TIPS TO CRACK
CHRISTMAS
CRIME
Christmas is a great time
of year enjoyed by many,
So, don’t let your
Christmas be spoiled
by crime. Our top
Christmas crime
prevention tips include:

● Mark expensive
presents, such as
electronic equipment,
with your postcode by
engraving or using a
UV pen

● Remember that thieves

will be on the look out
for presents – so don’t
leave them under the
Christmas tree in view
of the window

● Keep an eye out for the

CASE STUDIES
CALLING CARD
Bogus caller and doorstep crime is
upsetting to the, often, elderly victim.
Gwent police have created a ‘Nominated
Neighbour’ scheme. Residents are issued,
free of charge, with a bright yellow card
directing callers to a neighbour who can
verify the caller’s credentials. They can
then telephone or accompany the caller
back to the house to support their identity.
The card is never left on display, instead
it is shown to the caller through a window
or from behind a door secured on a chain.
MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
An example of broadening Neighbourhood
Watch comes from Humberside. Here,
vulnerable residents who require regular
medication can take part in a scheme
called Data Link or Lifesaving in a Bottle.
Sponsored by Boots plc and Smith &
Nephew, medication is placed in a promi-
nently marked bottle inside a fridge with a
sign outside showing that it is present. If
emergency services attend, they can
readily access important drugs and infor-
mation, which could be vital in saving life.
vulnerable and elderly
people over the
Christmas period
GOING UNDERGROUND ● Remember to tell your
In some areas of the country, membership Neighbourhood Watch
or support for a Neighbourhood Watch scheme that you will
scheme is seen by a minority as a bad thing be away
and consequently members become targets
for criminal repercussions. ● Buy some timer
Unfortunately, these are the areas that switches to turn your
often benefit most from the presence of pro- lights, radio and TV
active citizens prepared to assist the police. on and off
To address this problem, the Community
Watch Liaison Officer with Northamptonshire ● Remember to cancel
Police has set up a number of covert the milk and papers
Neighbourhood Watch schemes. while you are away
Following meetings in community houses,
co-ordinators that come forward are asked to
sound out trustworthy neighbours that may
wish to be part of the covert scheme.
The co-ordinator then gives the police
the numbers of those involved but not their
details, to ensure that membership remains
confidential. The co-ordinators are then fed
information that will be of use to Watch
members, which they can disseminate
among the covert team.
The surrounding area is still signposted
as being subject to a Neighbourhood Watch
scheme but individual members are not
issued with window stickers.

Contact The new Neighbourhood Watch mini-site, with links to Neighbourhood Watch sites throughout
the country, is at www.neighbourhoodwatch.uk.com

Crime Reduction News 21

NEWS
news
VOLUNTEER
The Abbeyfield Festival
in Burngreave: winner,
Community Cohesion award
NDC Achievement
Awards launched
he first ever New Deal for Communities
T Achievement Awards were held in Birmingham at
the beginning of October, to honour a number of
individuals and organisations who have helped to make the
rejuvenation of their neighbourhoods a reality. The awards
were created to celebrate the New Deal for Communities’
(NDC) many successes in tackling the symptoms and
causes of deprivation – such as high unemployment and
crime, run-down housing and environment, poor health
and a lack of educational qualifications.
There were 18 winners in all. Bradford Trident won the
prestigious NDC Partnership of the Year Award for creating
an ambitious living-street project. The aim was to boost
the community’s sense of pride and safety by installing a
pedestrianised walk-through, providing better lighting and
introducing other improvements to the environment.
Sussex Police won the Mainstreaming Award for their
work with NDC in East Brighton, where they have
established a range of community safety initiatives. The
Sport Award went to Marsh Farm Sports Project in Luton,
which makes sport and other physical activities more
accessible, particularly for women, young people and
“The aim was to boost the community’s sense of pride and safety by
installing a pedestrianised walk-through, providing better lighting”
22 Crime Reduction News
A ROUND-UP OF NEWS,
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES FROM
THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR AROUND
THE COUNTRY
Winners of the Mainstreaming
Award, Brighton & Hove
Division of Sussex police
Ashley Holland,
winner of the
Achievement
by a Young
Person award
children. Jeff Rooker, the Regeneration Minister, was on
hand to present the winners with their awards, which
included a cash prize of £1,000.
Roll of honour
The other Achievement Award winners were: Eric Samuel
(Resident); Jean Beeley (Special Posthumous Personal
Achievement); Councillor Ian Greenwood (Elected
Member); Ashley Holland (Young Person’s); John Barber
(Business Partnership); Middlesborough Borough Council
(Best Supporting Organisation); Community Safety
Theme Group, Derwent (Crime Reduction); Doncaster
Central NDC Partnership (Innovation); Facelift Project,
Bradford (Housing); West Ham and Plaistow Youth
Scheme (Youth); Aspire Recruitment Partnership
(Employment); Ron Wilkinson, community paramedic
(Health); Believe to Achieve, Wolverhampton (Education);
Debbie Clark, Next Link (Service Provider); and Abbeyfield
Multicultural Festival, who won the Cohesion Award.

For full details of the awards, visit www.odpm.
gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2004_0232
More citizens are shaping active Website will help
communities by volunteering communities swap ideas
More than half of people in England questioned as part of the 2003 A new website has been launched by the Home Office
Home Office Citizenship Survey reported that they are actively to provide Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators – and
volunteering. Their contribution is worth an estimated £42.6 billion to anyone else who might belong to such a scheme – with
the economy. A report, Active Communities: Headline Findings from a range of useful information and resources. When
the 2003 Home Office Citizenship Survey, shows that the number of fully completed, the site will include a good practice
people, aged 16 and over, engaged in active community participation database, where visitors can find out what other
(ie volunteering and civic participation) rose by more than 1.5 million. schemes are doing, and an ideas exchange for sharing
“We’ve exceeded the target the Prime Minister set to get a million tips and swapping stories.
more people volunteering their time between 2001 and 2003, and we The site already provides visitors with everything
are on course to exceed the Home Office’s own target of raising they need to know about setting up or running a
volunteering by five per cent by 2006,” said Home Office Minister scheme or tackling the fear of crime in their local
Fiona Mactaggart. “The challenge now is to ensure that even more communities. And, as it sits within the Crime
volunteers are recruited by the sector and that our partnership Reduction website, other useful crime prevention
produces sustainable, long-term benefits for the public.” advice, training resources and discussion forums are
The report found that the biggest increase had occurred in informal just a couple of clicks away.
volunteering, defined as “giving
unpaid help to someone who is Fiona Mactaggart
For more information, visit:
not a family member”. Informal www.neighbourhoodwatch.uk.com
volunteering is popular with
people aged 16-24, 45 per cent.
By contrast, the figures for civic
participation, such as signing
petitions, attending public
Grants will help release
meetings or contacting a local
councillor, and formal volunteering
volunteer potential
remained relatively unchanged. Earlier this year, the Home Office announced that
the National Mentoring Network (NMN) and

For guidance and training
packages visit: www.crime
Volunteering England had been awarded £800,000 to
develop a national mentoring and befriending body.
reduction.gov.uk “The main role of the new national body will be to
encourage organisations to use mentoring and
befriending as part of their support strategies,”

Futurebuilders ready for round two
The second funding
window for the £125 m
Futurebuilders Fund is set
to open in the spring.
Futurebuilders was
launched in the summer to
boost the role that the
voluntary and community
sector plays in the delivery
of public services. When
the first funding window
closed in October, the fund
proved very popular and
received well in excess
of 600 applications.
“We’ve had quite a good
spread over our policy
areas,” says a Future-
builders representative.
“The largest number of
applications have been for
health and social care,
followed by education and
training and support for
children and young
people. Community
cohesion and crime
have been less popular
explained Steve Matthews, NMN’s quality and
standards manager. “This will include acting as a sign-
post pointing volunteers towards existing projects,
and we are keen to and holding a database of all the mentoring projects
encourage more and organisations out there.”
applications in these As well as creating a national database, NMN will
service areas.” be linking up with the Government’s ‘Do-It’ website,
Applicants are told which matches potential volunteers to projects and
within 20 working days positions in their local area. Announcing the grant,
of applying whether Charities Minister Fiona Mactaggart said: “There are
their project has made it many stories of how a mentor has helped someone
through to the next stage out of difficult circumstances. These grants will help
of the assessment process. us to release the untapped potential for volunteering
in communities.”

Visit: www.future-
builders-england.
org.uk

Visit: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/n_story.asp?
item_id=1059 and www.nmn.org.uk

Crime Reduction News 23

EVENTS

dates
8 December
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
Location: Leicester
Conference aims: During the conference you will
learn: how crime and security interrelate with the
Previous issue
To obtain copies of back issues of CRN
call 0870 241 4680, fax 0870 241 4786 or
email homeoffice@prolog.uk.com
Please give your name, address and job title, as
environment; what crime prevention through well as specifying which issue you would like.
environmental design involves; the key principles
and techniques of crime prevention through
environmental design; designing in crime prevention a new or SEPTEMBER 2004
existing building/project; how to assess risk and conduct surveys. ● Race crime – creating an equal
For more information contact www.perpetuitygroup.com. society free from racially-
Alternatively, request an electronic copy by emailing motivated crime
training@perpetuitygroup.com ● Student victimisation –
or telephone 0116 221 7775 Lessons on how to keep
crime down on campus
● Violent crime – time to take
14 December
Managing School Security
a tough stance on violence
● Persistent offenders – new
Location: Leicester measures to break the cycle of
Conference aims to teach: the range of incidents crime among prolific offenders
and security threats currently facing schools;
Government and education authority initiatives and JUNE 2004
targets; how to determine, record and measure the ● Alcohol and crime – tackling
incidents and threats to your shool; how to conduct the rise in alcohol-fuelled
a risk assessment; how to plan and implement a street crime
security initiative in your shcool; what security measures are ● Partnership power – the
available; how to monitor and evaluate your security strategy. importance of working with
For more information contact www.perpetuitygroup.com. community partners
Alternatively, request an electronic copy by emailing ● Organised crime – tough
training@perpetuitygroup.com or telephone 0116 221 7775 new measures to stamp
out organised crime
● Women offenders – the
31 January – 2 February
Delivering Sustainable Communities
reduction of female
prisoners in focus
Location: Manchester
The Summit will explore progress in delivering MARCH 2004
new and regenerated sustainable communities ● Community empowerment –
since the publication of the Sustainable The importance of enabling
Communities Plan in February 2003. Among communities to confront crime
the subject categories are crime, law ● Anti-social behaviour – the
and punishment. latest tools and measures to
To register visit www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/ combat anti-social behaviour
groups/odpm_communities/documents/page/ ● Child protection – How to
odpm_comm_030333.hcsp keep kids away from
Internet dangers

Contact If you have been involved in a project that ● Technology – how it can make
the police ten times more likely to make an arrest
other practitioners could learn from, please get in touch.
Email us at: crimereductionnews@justcomm.net or
write to us at: Crime Reduction News, Back issues are also available online.
Visit www.crimereduction. gov.uk/crn.htm
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