Laycock Responsibility

Clarifying Responsibility for Crime and Safety Problems:Who is responsible for what? : 

Clarifying Responsibility for Crime and Safety Problems: Who is responsible for what? Gloria Laycock Institute of Crime Science University College London

Agenda: 

Agenda What’s the problem? Responsibility and competency Roles and responsibilities Identifying levers Some examples: Car crime Credit card fraud Shop theft Structural implications

What’s the problem?: 

What’s the problem? A large retail store has the highest calls for service within all 3 districts of the division They refuse to implement cp policies The main office and ‘legal’ refuse to let them meet with the local police – bad for their image The police say they’d like to take action but the company pays taxes to the city ….

Responsibility: 

Responsibility traditional assumption - the police In reality - local authority community/partnership groups commerce industry individuals etc

Competency: 

Competency Any individual or group with the power to change the situation, eg: motor manufacturers shop keepers head teachers Government departments fuel companies credit card designers etc

The Individual Should:: 

The Individual Should: Take sensible precautions to protect themselves, their families, friends and communities against crime Not commit offences themselves Not buy stolen goods Ensure that their children are safe and are not themselves offending Report crimes to the police Support the criminal justice process as victims or witnesses where appropriate

The Police and Their Partners Should:: 

The Police and Their Partners Should: Collect accurate information on crime and disorder and share it Ensure that they have the skills and knowledge to analyse their data and produce evidence-based responses on the basis of it Target hotspots Monitor the effects of their strategies and modify them where appropriate Learn to use ‘levers’ to get action from other agencies and organisations

Industry and Commerce Should:: 

Industry and Commerce Should: Design goods, services and policies with ‘crime in mind’ Understand that goods fitting the acronym ‘CRAVED’ will be stolen and need extra protection Resist marketing their goods in ways which risk drawing young people into crime Take some responsibility for the threat of theft, attack and other offences being directed at customers Take reasonable measures to protect staff from victimisation through thoughtful policies, practices and training programmes

Federal, State and Local Governments Should:: 

Federal, State and Local Governments Should: ... create a context within which we can all take responsibility for crime reduction, as individuals, as members of communities as directors of commerce and industry. This means: Providing an efficient and effective criminal justice system Encouraging the reporting of crime and the attendance in court of victims and witnesses Encouraging us all to take responsibility Ensuring that all those with the competency to contribute to crime prevention do so

Slide10: 

Goldstein’s hierarchy of ways to shift ownership Increasingly difficult Less cooperative Bringing of a civil action Legislation mandating adoption of prevention Charging a fee for police service Withdrawing police service Public shaming Pressing for the creation of a new organization to assume ownership Engaging another existing organization Targeted confrontational requests Educational programmes Straightforward informal requests

Motor Vehicle Theft: 

Motor Vehicle Theft Scanning: High rates of theft of and from cars Top of the league in international comparisons Vehicle crime accounts for over 25% of all crimes reported to the police Some cars are more popular with thieves than others Cars had poor security - inadequate locks and no immobilisers Requests for improved car security had been ignored Government advisory board established to make recommendations: we need a car theft index

Why Did We Need a Car Theft Index?: 

Why Did We Need a Car Theft Index? The government exercised its responsibility to press the car manufacturers into action and acknowledged the need for a lever: The car manufacturers alone had the competency to redesign the car

The Car Theft Index: 

The Car Theft Index Number of cars stolen of a given type divided by the number on the road Complications - What does type mean? How will security relate to the car type? Where can we get accurate data?

Some Techy Bits ...: 

Some Techy Bits ... Deciding how far to break down the car type was a major issue

Outline of the SMMT classification system for motor vehicles: 

Outline of the SMMT classification system for motor vehicles MAKE Ford Vauxhall Volkwagen (Approx 70 makes) MODEL Escort Cavalier Golf (Approx 290 models) RANGE Escort Mk1 Cavalier Mk1 Golk Mk1 (Approx 350 ranges) Escort Mk2 Cavalier Mk2 Golk Mk2 Escort Mk3 Cavalier Mk3 Golk Mk3 Escort Mk4 LINE 1987 1392cc Ford Escort GL Plus Mk3 (Approx 4,500 Lines) 1984 1608cc Ford Escort GL Diesel Mk3 1981 1598cc Vauxhall Cavalier L Mk2 1989 1796cc Vauxhall Cavalier GL Mk3 1979 1093cc Volkswagen Golf GL Mk1 1976 1499cc Volkswagen Golf GLS Mk1

Slide16: 

Ford Escort Mk2 Ford Cortina Mk5 Ford Sierra MK1 Ford Fiesta Mk1 Rover Mini Ford Fiesta Mk2 Vauxhall Cavalier Mk2 Rover Metro Mk1 Ford Escort Mk3 Source: Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Top 9 ranges in use at the end of 1989

Theft risks for the top 22 volume car ranges: 

Theft risks for the top 22 volume car ranges HIGH RISK FORD CAPRI FORD FIESTA MK1 FORD CORTINA MK4 FORD GRANADA MK2/3 FORD CORTINA MK5 VAUXHALL ASTRA MK2 FORD ESCORT MK 2 MEDIUM RISK (SELECTED RANGES) BMW 300 SERIES ROVER MAESTRO FORD ESCORT MK3 ROVER METRO FORD FIESTA MK2 ROVER MINI FORD GRANADA MK4 ROVER MONTEGO FORD ORION MK1 VAUXHALL ASTRA MK1 FORD SIERRA MK1 VAUXHALL CAVALIER MK1 FORD SIERRA MK2 VAUXHALL CAVALIER MK2

Notes ...: 

Notes ... Car security isn’t the only issue when thieves target vehicles some cars are more attractive to thieves older cars are more likely to be parked in high risk places and owned by poorer people who don’t fit security devices some spare parts are more difficult to get than others etc

Effect of the Index (1992): 

Effect of the Index (1992) The police loved it The manufacturers took it on the chin The insurance industry was supportive The consumer groups were keen The media picked up on it It avoided legislation It was very popular with the politicians

Slide20: 

The Effect of the Car Theft Index? Years in which Car Theft Indices published

Credit Card Fraud: 

Credit Card Fraud Scanning: Police report credit cards thefts are significant Analysis: losses rose by 126% between 1988 and 1990 across the sector Response: Report to financial institutions who worked together Established Association of Payment Clearing Services Raise floor limit of transactions Change method of sending cards to customers Assessment: losses dropped by 41% between 1992 and 1994

Slide22: 

Other Card not Application counter- Mail non- Lost & Total present fraud feit receipt stolen 1991 1.6 0.4 2.0 4.6 32.9 124.1 165.6 1992 1.0 1.3 1.4 8.4 29.6 123.2 165.0 1993 0.8 1.6 0.9 9.9 18.2 98.5 129.9 1994 0.5 2.5 0.7 9.6 12.6 71.1 96.9 1995 0.3 4.6 1.5 7.7 9.1 60.1 83.3 1996 0.5 6.5 6.7 13.3 10.0 60.0 97.1 1997 1.2 12.5 11.9 20.3 12.5 66.2 122.0 1998 2.3 13.6 14.5 26.8 12.0 65.8 135.0 1999 3.0 29.3 11.4 50.3 14.6 79.7 188.3 2000 6.5 56.8 10.2 102.8 17.3 98.9 292.5 Credit card fraud losses, UK, £ millions

Shop Theft: 

Shop Theft Scanning – Shop theft in Oxford Street, London 40% of shop thieves arrested in one store Analysis Special data collection exercise by store detectives £100 per thief to process through the CJS Arrestees mainly juvenile first offenders, UK citizens Store policy to detect crime rather than prevent it Reason for high crime rate: irresponsible marketing

Items recovered from thieves: 

Items recovered from thieves

Response: 

Response Recommended response: Move to prevention – adopt the ‘master-bag’ system Store said no! Compromise on the basis of threat: Move to prevention Lower height of displays Raise checkout platforms – improve sight lines Employ security guards, not store detectives Stop selling high risk computer tapes Tag popular items

Assessment: Average Monthly Arrest Figures: 

Assessment: Average Monthly Arrest Figures

The earlier example: 

The earlier example Large retail store with too many calls for service, theft by customers and staff, bad checks, theft of and from cars on the lot: Recommendations Better and additional cameras on lot and in store Greeters at all doors to check customers and look at receipts Thumb print on all checks with 2 forms of ID Large signs with cameras to lot about CCTV presence No to all!

So …..: 

So ….. Advice from Rana: Tell them the problems: give them the facts List the best practice responses – quote the POP guides Copy to corporate HQ – ideally to the President personally Say that the store said that Corporate HQ refused to let them take preventive measures and ask if that’s true Tell them that the press will be interested in their reply

Questions for scanning/response development stages: 

Questions for scanning/response development stages Whose problem is this? Who is the victim? Who bears the real cost? Who has the competency to change the situation? Are they motivated to do so (eg do they bear the cost of crime or profit by it?) Does leverage need to be applied to get action? If so, what? Who can apply that leverage?

Structural Implications: 

Structural Implications

Locally you need: 

Locally you need Good data and sound rationale Inter-agency working relationships Effective project management To identify who has the competency to act To make effective use of levers with the support of your local politicians

At Federal and State levels you need: 

At Federal and State levels you need A structure to ‘hear’ problems To identify ‘levers’ at national level An environmental scanning facility to respond to problems before they happen

What about academics?: 

What about academics?

Academics should …..: 

Academics should ….. Work with the police and others to: Understand the nature of crime Develop evidence based policies to prevent and detect crime Communicate clearly Train analysts Behave like scientists

A Word About Crime Science: 

A Word About Crime Science About reducing crime ethically using the techniques of the scientist: data Logic evidence rationality testing hypotheses Establishing knowledge Finding out what works, where and how

Medical Science and Crime Science: 

Medical Science and Crime Science

Future Prospects: 

Future Prospects By working together – police and scientists can: Really understand the nature of crime Reduce it to the lowest possible level Make communities safer But to do that they need: To take a problem solving approach Employ well trained analysts Use levers