Crime Reduction - Helping to Reduce Crime in Your Area

British Community Safety Award 2002

The British Community Safety Awards are designed to highlight innovation and best practice in the field of crime reduction. Now in their sixth year, the awards have become part of the crime reduction calendar. They are organised by Crime Concern and in 2002, were sponsored by Marks & Spencer.

The awards are open to projects in the community safety field. Five winning projects are chosen and winners each receive a trophy, 3 days of community safety training and two free places at all Crime Concern's conferences and events for the following year.

Details of the five winning projects in the 2002 awards include:

• Not another drop - Metropolitan Police and Brent Council
  A community based initiative aimed at tackling gun crime in the London Borough of Brent.

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

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

• Stansfield Youth Inclusion Programme - Crime Concern
  This project works with the local community and local agencies in Stoke-on-Trent providing support for disadvantaged young people.

• Pupils understanding problems in their locality - Cyon Valley Crime Prevention Panel
  This project was set up to promote crime prevention and personal safety issues for young people and reduce crime levels within local schools and the surrounding communities.

From the five winners, one overall winner will be selected to compete in the European Crime Prevention Awards (ECPA).

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

Not another drop (Metropolitan Police & Brent Council)

Feedback from Brent council’s citizen’s panel showed that fear of crime, and particularly gun crime was a major concern for local people living in the Harlesden area of the borough. To tackle this problem Brent council in partnership with the Metropolitan Police made a successful bid for £800,000 from the Targeted Policing Initiative. Launched in January 2001 the Not Another Drop campaign is a unique two-year project to deter ‘black on black’ gun related crime led by Brent Council and the metropolitan police. Since inception the initiative has achieved a 23% reduction in gun crime in the area.

Poulton Industrial Estate (Lancashire Police)

Lancashire Police became aware of rising vehicle crime across their division; crime statistics revealed that many of these incidents were situated in one specific location – namely the Poulton Industrial Estate. By adopting a successful problem-solving approach to cracking crime on the estate, they saw a 90% reduction in vehicle crime and 75% in other crimes

Stonebridge Housing Action Trust

Dense high-rise housing linked by a labyrinth of narrow poorly lit ‘walkways in the sky’, combined with poverty and high levels of unemployment created a haven for crime and anti-social behaviour on the Stonebridge Estate in north London. The HAT undertook a four-pronged approach to improve community safety on the estate including, consulting with residents to design a better layout for the estate, setting up a community safety group, targeting drug dealing and improving street lighting.

Results include a 12% reduction in crime, improved police and community relations, shoppers returning to the precinct and retailers reporting an increase in turnover.

Stansfield Youth Inclusion Programme – Crime Concern

A target group of fifty young people at risk of offending were identified from the local community to attend the project. The project works alongside the local community and local agencies to provide support for the young people. Activities have included midnight football, drama classes, hospital workshops, alcohol workshops and video projects.

Since the inception of the project there has been a return of community harmony, bridging the gulf between old and young people on the estate. 90% of the target group have not re-offended since engagement with the project.

Pupils understanding problems in their locality – Cynon Valley Crime Prevention Panel

P.U.P.I.L is a project, which promotes crime prevention and personal safety issues for young people, in order to reduce crime levels within schools and the surrounding communities. At present there are eighty pupils from six schools in participating in the scheme. The scheme covers many different subjects such as; property awareness, road safety, bullying, youth annoyance and substance misuse. The scheme is run as an extra curricular task, the number of participants is testimony to its success.

Last update: 03/09/03