NCJ Number
131727
Date Published
1991
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Approximately 50 crime prevention and police experts representing 10 European countries and Canada convened a 2-day seminar to discuss the future role of the police in crime prevention.
Abstract
The seminar was held in anticipation of a November 1991 conference on urban safety, drugs, and crime prevention in Paris. Seminar participants concluded that police forces should improve the collection, processing, and analysis of crime data but within the framework of protecting privacy and individual rights. All police data should be systematically used for crime prevention purposes, and conventional police data about crime should be supplemented by data about unreported crimes, feelings of insecurity, and public opinion about policing priorities and crime prevention initiatives. Police units conducting preventive patrols should be assigned to fixed areas of limited size in order to implement the principle "to know and be known." Computerized systems with aggregated data about crime should be harmonized with relevant data systems of other public agencies. Seminar conclusions also focus on crime prevention planning, managerial and operational tasks, and international cooperation. Particular attention is paid to the importance of coordination between police forces and other public agencies, the establishment of clear crime prevention goals, the contribution of police to environmental and urban planning, and participation in crime prevention as an important element of police performance assessment and promotion.