Crime Reduction - Helping to Reduce Crime in Your Area

Best practice Kings Lynn

SRDA Good Practice Summary
Gaywood Shops - empowering businesses

The Gaywood Project, Kings Lynn, used a range of interventions including security lighting and environmental design to tackle property crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) at a small retail complex, which served a local deprived ward.

Intelligence/Context of the scheme

The scheme targeted a parade of 35 shops distributed across two roads and separated into two blocks in a busy urban area. The rear access to the businesses in the first block of shops was believed to have contributed to the crime and disorder problems providing offenders with easy access and escape as well as a camouflage for drug use and violent crime.

The location of the parade, within easy walking distance of local comprehensive schools, resulted in an influx of children at lunch and tea-times. This is said to have resulted in damage, litter and disputes between pupils and some shop staff. It is also believed to have deterred customers from using the area.

Funds were allocated based on the views of the local traders association, analysis of crime statistics and consultation with businesses. This combination of methods allowed for a better understanding of the range of crime and disorder problems that the area was suffering and the issues that posed most concern for retailers. While a survey of local traders suggested ASB was the main concern, crime data highlighted theft from shops. This demonstrates the need to balance the targeting of interventions between problems identified in crime data and issues that are perceived as problematic by businesses themselves, as the two can differ.

There is evidence that not all of the businesses perceived youths as a problem and, in some cases, the lunchtime bustle benefited traders, as pupils bought their lunch at the parade. This shows the need to take into account and balance the implications of crime reduction initiatives, as interventions may be detrimental to some retail premises.

Interventions

The SRDA interventions implemented at Gaywood complemented existing environmental improvements and planned initiatives. Traders at the site were, for example, keen to implement CCTV in the area and the building works and security lighting installed would enhance the scope of a planned CCTV system.

Rather than target individual retail premises, the SRDA interventions aimed to improve the security and appearance of the complex as a whole. This approach provided more widespread crime reduction benefits than focusing on the needs of individual businesses. It also aids project management, as there is less need for project managers to chase individual traders, invoices, etc.

The table below shows the SRDA interventions and their anticipated outcomes.

Intervention	Anticipated outcome
Security Lights	Improved natural surveillance increases perceived risks of committing crime and deters offenders; also reduces the opportunities for drugs misuse
Disposable Cameras	Raise the risks of committing crime and deters offenders
Alley Gates	Remove camouflage that allows offenders to avoid unwanted attention thereby increasing the risks of committing crime
Lowering of Walls and Railings	Improved natural surveillance increases perceived risks of committing crime and deters potential offenders

Implementation and Involvement

The scheme was owned by the local traders association and supported by a local multi-agency team, allowing various fields of expertise to be utilised. A member of the traders association took responsibility for the project management and interventions were identified and agreed at traders association meetings. The Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership provided a helping hand with funding, legal issues and administration, the police assisted with hotspot analysis and advice on situational crime prevention, and a local elected member secured good news stories in the local press.

There were pros and cons to using the trading association to deliver the project. It was clear that, due to limited resources within the local council, traders' willingness to take on responsibility for the scheme was a key influence on decisions to allocate funding to this area. The main shortcomings related to membership. Although a pre-intervention business survey ensured that all traders' views on the predominant crime issues were taken into account, low attendance at traders association meetings restricted the input of many businesses. A major lesson from this project was that it might be beneficial to hold project meetings for all traders, rather than channel projects through a pre-existing group.

Outcomes and Sustainability

Pre and post project evidence suggests that there was a reduction in burglary and no violent attacks following implementation of the SRDA interventions. As the measures required little attention in terms of maintenance and sustainability, there is likely to be continued benefits at minimal additional cost.

In summary, the improvements funded by this project targeted local crime and disorder issues and were well linked with future security provisions. The project enhanced feelings of safety amongst retailers and improved the aesthetics of the shopping area.

Key Good Practice Targeting of interventions - The area was targeted using a combination of hotspot mapping and consultation with local retailers in order to learn about the problems they saw as important. This meant that daytime disorder (which was not reflected in the crime statistics) was addressed as well as property crime. The advantage of using an existing traders' group was that it saved on limited professional resources, allowing these agencies to be utilised where they were most needed - for legal issues, project design and securing positive publicity. It also increased the businesses' investment in and commitment to the scheme. The selection of simple, standard interventions that benefited the whole parade, rather than specific premises, was appropriate for the problems the area was facing. It also reduced the demands on project management, as there was less to co-ordinate and chase.

Contact Details

For further information about the Gaywood project, please contact:

Mr Steve Earl

Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk

e-mail: Steve.Earl@West-Norfolk.gov.uk

Authors: Louise Moore, Elaine Sutton and Nathalie Robert, the Home Office Regional Research Team - Crime Reduction, Government Office for the East of England, July 2004

Last update: 25 November 2004