Problem-Oriented Policing

A Presentation to Neighbourhood Watch Block Coordinators

Problem-Oriented Policing (POP)

• Incident vs Problem• Incidents responded to by individual patrol

officer• When incidents can be linked together by

recurring patterns of time, place, behaviour and/or subjects, then they can be defined as a Problem

Conventional Policing

• Modernized police forces evolved to efficiently deal with incidents (Incident Driven Policing)

• Technology tends to distance police from public, and efforts tend to get focused on law enforcement specifically

• Telephone reporting systems have increased demand for police service dramatically over last sixty years

• Centralized radio dispatch allows police patrols to be directed from forces outside of communities

Peel Principles• Professional policing started out as more

community oriented• Robert Peel stated that the “police are the public

and the public are the police”• Robert Peel’s Bobbies patrolled their blocks on

foot and knew their neighbourhoods and the people in them intimately

• Peel also believed that a busy department is not necessarily an effective one. The absence of crime is an important measure

Police Roles

• “Traditionally, the only way we’ve tried to prevent crime is by catching the person in the act. We believed that if we caught enough people in the act, we’d eventually lock up all the criminals or at least scare off the un-caught ones.” Chris Braiden

• Police are problem solvers, not just law enforcement officers. Tools used by police can include more than just the Criminal Code and other statutes.

Social Element of Crime

• “Crime and disorder are first and foremost social acts that take place in a community environment. As social acts they are caused or influenced by social forces and factors located in the community. ... So while a rapid police response may momentarily resolve an incident, the social location and context of that crime problem holds the key to its ultimate solution and prevention.” Chris Murphy

POP Models

• SARA – Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Assessment

• RCMP use a similar model (CAPRA), which includes a specific look at Clients and Partners

• Other useful models in POP include CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) and CPTSD (Crime Prevention Through Social Development)

Other Related Terms

• Community-Based Policing (CBP)• Neighbourhood Watch (NW)• Fredericton specific term: Neighbourhood

Action Team (NAT). NAT is an evolution of CBP and incorporates many elements of POP. NAT is team based and project based. There are north and south teams in NAT

Scanning

• Identify problems of concern• Prioritize problems and select one to work on.

Must only select problems police have the capacity to work on and one where they have a legitimate role

• Describe problem using a Problem Statement

Scanning - Problem Selection

Consider the following:• The impact and seriousness of the problem• Complexity and solvability of the problem• The interest people have in a solution to the

problem• The scale of the project, whether it is large or

small

Scanning - The importance of scale

• Can build over time with small wins in small scale projects. This helps gain momentum and partners

• One can also chip away at a larger problem with each small win

• Problems are also dynamic. Small wins allow flexibility to ever changing problems.

Scanning - Problem Statement

The selected problem needs to be specific (ex gang problem/looking at gang graffiti). The problem is stated in terms of the following:

• Victim• Type of harm (not limited to criminal definitions)• Problematic behaviour• Offender• Place• Time

Analysis

The following factors need to be taken into consideration:

• Actors (including third parties, whether present or not)

• Incidents/patterns/timing (is statistical analysis needed)

• Reactions/public support• Are there potential partners?• What is our desired outcome?

Analysis - Crime Triangle

• Victim• Offender• Environment

Or• Target• Willing Offender• Capable Guardians

Analysis - Desired Outcomes

The desired outcome must be determined at this stage. The Response will only be effective if the desired outcome is clear and realistic. Outcomes are:

• Displacement (time or place)• Reduction (often the most common successful

outcome)• Better response to future incidents• EliminationRealistically, a possible outcome is that the problem may

remain unchanged

Response

Response can be in one of four areas:• Enforcement – which is mostly short term in

effectiveness• Motive reduction – looking at social causes (this

is very complex and it should be understood that it may be impossible to be aware of all causes)

• Partnership – NW is an example• Opportunity reduction – an example of which is

to follow (CPTED)

Response - Action Plan

• List desired outcomes• List actions to be taken and resources required• List responsibilities of all partners and create

timelines for actions• Sometimes there is a need to seek authority

from others or sell them on a plan• Plan for assessment before implementation –

how do we define success?

Response – CPTED Example

• Territorial Control – people exercise control over an area

• Access Control – control access points to an area

• Natural Surveillance – increase visibility of an area

• Image – cues that an area is cared for• Target Hardening

Response - Target Hardening

Target hardening is also called Situational Crime Prevention

• Increase risk• Reduce reward• Remove excuses/appeal to conscience (ex

signs saying shoplifting is an offence)

Assessment

• Was the Response successful?• Why was there success or failure?• What did we learn that can be used to address

future problems?• If failure, we might need to return to the

Analysis stage and start the process again

Assessment - Considerations

• Recognize that the nature of some problems are circular and plan that the problem may have to be revisited at a later date.

• Sustainability issues may need to be addressed (ie increased patrols is a short term solution, CPTED is longer term)

• If displacement was a goal, did it displace to where you wanted it to go (there is both positive and negative displacement)

Closing

• A POP plan requires a Problem Statement, research into how best to achieve desired outcome, an Action Plan, and an evaluation

• POP looks at root causes of problems and seeks for community to take ownership of problems

Questions?