Case Studies

Below are examples of local initiatives. We are not suggesting that they will necessarily work in your location because each area will have different local levers which cause fear of crime.

Case Study 1

Balsall Heath in Birmingham is a culturally diverse area. The population today is 14,500 with 60% being Muslim, 20% being African Caribbean and 20% white. A forum was set up by the residents with the aim of continually improving the quality of life for the neighbourhood, boost the spirit and pride of everyone who lives there and create a strong community from the many diverse cultures which live in the area.

For more information on the forum visit http://www.balsallheathforum.org.uk.

Case Study 2

Wolverhampton City Council holds Environmental days to encourage groups to tidy up their local surrounding. By making sure that areas are clear of litter and other rubbish, this should make them feel safer in their neighbourhoods.

The Council has held numerous clean-up days aimed at different areas of the city. One day involved a local High School, the Council and Wedensfield and Fallings Park Area Forum aimed at combating the issue of litter. Pupils were engaged in practical ways such as picking up litter from their school ground armed with litter pickers, florescent jackets and rubbish bags. They were then given facts and information and the environment and the impact that litter can have on it and their surroundings.

The on-going initiative involves environmental awareness lessons, litter awareness assemblies and recycling talks talking place at the school on a regular basis. It also involves the Council’s Environmental Initiatives Officer visiting schools in the area, completing a litter survey and grading them on the amount they have.

Case Study 3

The Safe and Sound Community Safety Project in Kilburn was set up by Crime Concern in late 2003. They wanted to tackle crime and the fear of crime in a community plagued by drugs, violence and ASB. With funding provided by New Deal for Communities, Safe and Sound operates as a one-stop shop offering crime prevention and crime reduction advice to all residents.

The shop offers a range of community safety services including home safety checks and security upgrades and personal safety classes for the young and old. 20,000 leaflets have been sent to homes in South Kilburn on burglary awareness, domestic violence, personal safety and drug and alcohol awareness. The shop also works with Street Wardens and the police to identify hot spots and share intelligence.

Case Study 4

The Bury Safe Project aims to deal with people’s fear of crime by listening to residents. The Project has developed area based teams to bring services closer to the community and also give residents a say in how problems can be overcome. Bury Safe is about the police and other agencies responding to the needs at local level as well as making these services more accessible. By having this it is hoped that people will not be passed from one service to the next, but will have their issue resolved faster, which will also enable communities to takes responsibility for issues in their area. The Project was launched in October 2005 and runs to March 2008.

For more information visit http://www.burysafe.org.

Case Study 5

There are a variety of Neighbourhood Warden Schemes across the country. The aim of the schemes is to increase community safety among residents. Neighbourhood Wardens provide a visible, semi-official presence in residential and public areas, town centres and high crime areas with the aim of reducing crime and the fear of crime. They also deter low level crimes, such as anti-social behaviour, littering, graffiti and fly-tipping. Their overall purpose is to improve quality of life and contribute to the regeneration of the area. Priorities will reflect local needs.

Case Study 6

The Burnley Community Safety Partnership Television Network (CSPTV) went live on 27 April 2004 and cost £600,000 for a period of one year. This was based on a system on 10 screens with fill design and on-going technical support.

The partnership is a highly active group which has been successful in delivering crime reduction initiatives, but anecdotal evidence suggested that the public were not aware of the work of the partnership. Part of the partnership’s work includes consulting with the public about local priorities. The partnership had already used the usual methods of raising awareness about themselves, but wanted to try something different, which is where CSPTV came in.

The partnership placed screens in public locations across the town where they could broadcast community safety messages to thousands of people everyday. Images and video footage of local initiatives overlaid with key messages such as those from the Home Office are the type of information communicated to the audience.

One of the features of CSPTV is its flexibility and the capacity for immediate response. The system is a web-based programme which gives the capacity to add information to the screens with almost immediate effect. This is particularly useful in the case of a missing child, for example, when messages and images can be displayed across the town centre.

There have been many benefits to CSPTV. One being that more residents of Burnley are now aware of the partnership and their work.

Case Study 7

Young people hanging around in groups can increase people’s fear of crime. Research shows that in some cases young people do this for their own safety and not to cause problems to, or intimidate others. The example below is aimed at engendering responsible behaviour in young people.

In Whetstone, Leicestershire, the Youth Council raised over £10,000 including almost £5,000 from National Lottery grants to build their own skate ramp. The young people who use the ramp know it is theirs because it’s what they asked for, they have responsibility for it. This is important because the project was youth initiated rather than an adult perception of what they think young people want.

The skate ramp project is part of the youth council’s overall strategy to give young people a voice in their community and also to give some much needed youth recreation facilities.

Taking a large group of young people off the streets into a safe play area is an obvious benefit of this project to the community, but there are other less obvious achievements. The park had been identified as a no-go area at night because of young people congregating on the park making people feel intimidated. Groups still congregate but are now so engrossed in the skate ramp that they do not notice passers-by. The project has attracted more interest in the youth council because attendance has risen and young people want a more active role in other youth council projects.

Case Study 8

The Farm and Country Business Watch was launched by Lincolnshire Police on 31 January 2006. The scheme now has an enhanced ‘Watchline’ facility which enables police officers to send messages directly to members via phone, fax or e-mail. There is no charge for membership of the scheme or for the use of Watchline.

Farm and Country Business Watch is used as a two-way communication tool. One is where the police provide information to members which alert them to the presence of or potential for criminal activity in their specific area. The other is where people are asked to be vigilant, share their local knowledge and reduce opportunities for crime and vandalism by reporting anything suspicious to the police.

The aims of the scheme include:

• reducing opportunity for crime and vandalism;
• reinforcing community spirit so everyone can contribute to the protection of their property by mutual cooperation and communication;
• introducing early warning systems in farming and countryside areas and;
• improving the intelligence flow between the countryside community and the police.