Policing Large Scale Disorder: Lessons from the disturbances of ...

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Home Affairs Committee: Evidence Ev w79 If we do nothing through a lack of strength or because we fear it might make us unpopular, we must prepare to face the consequences which, I have no doubt, will become more and more unpalatable over time. November 2011 Written evidence submitted by E-ngage Development Ltd I am writing to you following media reporting of the Home Office Select Committee and the issues around the disorder in various parts of the country during August. It appears that many of those in responsible positions in a number of organisations have been very quick to point the finger at new technologies as being to blame. With organisations such as the police struggling to deal with new technologies it seems they fail to understand the opportunities available to them. They remain determined to rely solely upon existing methods to engage the issues without seeing the opportunities and advantages that new technologies offer them. Since 1992, when a serving police officer, I have had the opportunity to work with a number of organisations committed to developing new solutions to existing issues using approaches that actively engage a wide range of participants. This has resulted in a number of IT environments that offer police officers and others the opportunity to actively engage with schools and the wider public in a safe and structured way that enables collaboration in addressing issues that benefit from mutually agreed solutions. Not only does the use of new technologies give students the opportunity to establish a relationship with the police in what is effectively a social network environment with which they are very familiar, but it also enables a very limited number of police officers to engage with large numbers of young people. This means resourcing demands are very limited indeed. This opportunity, which is available to the police service and other agencies, is rejected largely because it is not understood, whereas in Australia our work with the police and other agencies has enabled a small team to engage with over 25% of schools in that country. This has given the police the opportunity to encourage positive citizenship in a very large proportion of the young people in the country. It has also led to the police receiving significant information that has resulted in arrests, and given students a very favourable view of the police as being contemporary, in touch and approachable, all qualities that the police would appear to want to establish in the UK, but without seeming to be able to do so. With financial restraints and increasing demands we all need to be creative in our approach to these important matters, and recognising that there is no single solution, the need to explore all opportunities available becomes imperative. E-ngage has a team of former police officers, who have specialised in youth issues, teachers, youth workers and other professionals with appropriate experience, who are readily available to bring their expertise to the issues and can do so using highly innovative and cost effective means. September 2011 Written evidence submitted by Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd You may have seen reports in the media of our decision not to pursue claims under the Riot Damages Act in relation to the civil disturbances in August but I wanted to let you know personally because of your role as Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee. We could have submitted claims totalling up to £l million but decided it would be wrong to place additional financial and administrative burdens on police resources that are already under pressure. We think it is far better to allow police forces to focus on claims made by small businesses. We are supportive of the police service and have a number of partnership arrangements in place with them around the country, for example we have 34 police bases within our stores, and our Employer Supported Police pilot encourages our colleagues to become Special Constables and gives them time off to patrol and protect their local communities. This is part of our commitment to the communities in which we operate. We have also announced the extension of our Community Grants Fund by an additional £100,000. This money will be given to Sainsbury's stores in the areas affected by the riots so that our store managers can help rebuild their communities. Part of the reason for us not pursuing claims under the RDA is that we did not want to see resources diverted from front-line policing. As you will know, shoplifting and antisocial behaviour are not victimless crimes, nor are they trivial, although it seems to us that they are often viewed that way. In addition across the retail sector we have seen an increase in violence directed at shop workers, some of which goes unreported as the victims do not think it worthwhile reporting the attacks as retail crime is perceived to be near the bottom of police priorities.
Ev w80 Home Affairs Committee: Evidence We are appreciative of the support that police officers gave to our stores and to our customers and colleagues during the recent disturbances, and of the way that crimes are being dealt with seriously and swiftly by the justice system at all levels. This has demonstrated, amongst other things, that retail crime deserves to be taken seriously more generally not just in the context of looting and rioting. 14 October 2011 Supplementary written evidence submitted by Kickz Kickz is an enormously widespread initiative now involving 43 professional clubs in the Premier League and Football League, who are delivering 113 separate projects on the ground. We have 19 different police forces involved in delivering the project with the clubs, and 50,000 young people registered in the programme. Mark—on the specific question you raised on whether we have done any research into the effectiveness of the project. (Apologies, as Gary Broadhurst misinterpreted what you were asking about). The fact is that monitoring and evaluation of our projects is a hugely important element, as it is with any of our communityfocused initiatives in which we are investing significant money, time and resource. We look to carefully register and follow the young people involved and chart their progression in Kickz—often from participant, to volunteer, to part or full-time employment with the club (we now have 400 young people in paid work at clubs who came from the Kickz project, and 5,000 volunteers i.e. one in every ten on the project goes on to volunteer). Of course we also work with the police to monitor the impact of Kickz projects on crime and Anti Social Behaviour (ASB) levels in each area they exist. The Metropolitan Police Service for example have calculated the following about the existing London projects, comparing years 2010 to 2006 (prior to their existence). Areas in which Kickz is run there have been a: — 31% total reduction in Theft of Motor Vehicle offences—potential saving of over £7.4million to the Criminal Justice System (CJS). — 23.3% total reduction in Criminal Damage offences—potential saving of over £3.7million to CJS. — 25.7% total reduction in Robbery offences—potential saving of over £10.9million to CJS. — 2.1% total reduction in Violence against the Person offences—potential saving of over £6.2million to CJS. — 2.8% total reduction in Burglary in a Dwelling offences—potential saving of over £807,000 to CJS. Two specific examples include: — Elthorne Park, Islington. 67.2% reduction in Violence against the Person offences on Kickz project days—potential saving of over £3.2million to CJS. — Berner Estate, Tower Hamlets. 19.1% reduction in Violence against the Person offences on Kickz project days—potential saving of over £1million to CJS. Similar examples can also be found nationally and include: — Stockbridge, Merseyside. Violence Against the Person down 14.1% on scheme days—potential saving of over £426,600 to CJS. — Clifton, Nottingham. 21.3% reduction in Violence Against the Person on scheme days— potential saving of over £364,000 to CJS. — Fallowfield, Manchester. Violence Against the Person down 56.9% on scheme days—potential saving of over £1.7 million to CJS. — Oldham, Manchester. Violence Against the Person down 28.9% on scheme days—potential saving of over £2.2 million to CJS. The programme was also highlighted in the report Teenage Kicks commissioned by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and produced by charity think tank and consultancy New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), in which they studied one of Arsenal’s Kickz projects and found that one Kickz project creates £7 value for every £1 invested, by reducing costs to victims, police, prisons and courts. The attached briefing document gives you further information around all elements to the project. We have also recently published a short report to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the project which focuses on some specific case studies to have been affected by Kickz. Kickz Project Visit We would be very happy to arrange for you to see a project in action if you would like to see how it manifests itself on the ground. I think you will be enormously impressed with the impact it is having, not just
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