NCJ Number
94965
Date Published
1983
Length
44 pages
Annotation
A police experiment in Amsterdam (Osdorp), undertaken to improve relations with the public and to reduce the number of offenses of burglary, theft, street robbery, and vandalism, is reported.
Abstract
The project was conducted between March 1 and October 15, 1980, and consisted of foot patrols in the Osdorp Square district, instruction on crime prevention, and special projects relating to burglary and vandalism. The Osdorp Square district consists primarily of postwar apartment buildings and the square itself, which contains a large shopping center and a cultural center. The experiment was carried out by a team of eight police officers and a sergeant from the uniformed police branch. To assess the impact of the experiment, representative parts of the population were surveyed by telephone both before and after the project; police registers were analyzed; and members of the team were interviewed about their experience in the project. The police team succeeded in fitting into the life of the community, and as a result, police-community relations improved. Another effect of the Osdorp experiment was an increase in reports to the police by the crime victims as a consequence of the visible presence of approachable police officers. In addition, residents' feelings of safety increased. The officers involved rated the foot patrol aspect of the experiment very highly, and said that their attitude toward the public had improved especially in comparison to the attitudes of colleagues who did not participate in the experiment. Nine tables and 15 references are included.