NCJ Number
204057
Date Published
2003
Length
37 pages
Annotation
This chapter examines the strategy development and implementation of two British problem-oriented policing projects, one designed to reduce a high-volume relatively low-impact crime problem (cycle theft) and the other designed to reduce a low-volume, high-impact crime problem (gang-related shootings).
Abstract
The authors describe the processes through which the strategies were developed and implemented in the field; determine why some elements of the strategies were implemented, some were not, some were added, and some were altered; and identify the significant obstacles and facilitators of strategy implementation. The two projects were found to be very different in terms of problem type, scope, and type of interventions. The cycling project in Cambridge became essentially a situational crime prevention project; and the gang-related shootings project in Manchester applied a range of social interventions. Together, they reveal implementation issues faced by different forms of problem-oriented intervention in different contexts. A review of strategy development and implementation encompasses the specific objectives of each project and prevention (intervention) recommendations. A discussion of the details of the projects' implementation focuses on project staffing, management, main outputs, and outcomes. The authors identify a variety of reasons why the interventions that were implemented often failed to match those that were initially planned. Both projects found the following to be important in project performance: recruiting the right staff with the right skills; engaging, committed, and supportive management; and systems of coordination that facilitate communication between practitioners, daily administration, and information technology. 7 tables, 5 figures, 5 exhibits, and 17 references