Anaheim Police Department (California, USA)

Anaheim police began receiving increased complaints of prostitution on Beach Blvd. High traffic volume, cheap motels, off-street parking lots, and carports invited prostitution. Prostitutes occupied cheap rooms and there are numerous locations to discreetly meet customers. Analysis of prostitute interviews revealed many were victims of human trafficking. Police made a dramatic change of tactics, with a new goal to rescue and assist human trafficking victims and to make Beach Blvd. unwelcome for prostitution activity. Tactics included: uniformed officer deployment, Neighborhood Watch, motel manager education, undercover operations, community “Flashlight Walks,” arrests of pimps, victim advocacy and support for the prostitutes.Of the 29 human trafficking victims rescued by the Anaheim Vice Detail, 74% have remained free from subsequent arrest and only three are known to have returned to prostitution.

Accountability, Mentoring and Enforcement: Problem Solving in Public Housing Finalist

Providence Police Department (Rhode Island, USA)

The Providence Police Department (PPD), the Providence Housing Authority (PHA) and other partners addressed violent crime and gang activity in two public housing developments—Manton Heights and Hartford Park. Residents expressed concern that young people were aggressively recruited into gangs and pressured to engage in criminal activity. Traditional enforcement responses had proven ineffective in sustainably resolving the problems. The new response strategy encompassed enforcement, intervention and prevention. Enforcement strategies emphasized trespassing infractions to keep known gang members out of the properties, and to inform prosecutors and judges of the more serious context of misdemeanor charges against violators. Intervention and prevention strategies involved a host of programs for youth and parents, including many that afforded Manton and Hartford residents opportunities to get to know each other and PPD officers in safe and non-territorial settings. Analysis of crime data and PHA eviction data, along with ongoing interviews with residents, show that Manton and Hartford are now remarkably safer. Juvenile arrests for the post intervention period 2006-2001 dropped by 52% in Hartford Park and 81% in Manton Heights. signals of greater collective efficacy abound; and new cross-agency partnerships have withstood tests of time and resource constraints.

Repeat Victimisation - Road to Reduction, Disrupting the Optimal Forager: Predictive Mapping and Super Cocooning in Trafford Finalist

Greater Manchester Police (United Kingdom)

Trafford Basic Command Unit sought to address the problem of burglary to dwellings by tackling repeat victimisation. Initial scanning showed 61% of burglaries in the 12 months prior to implementation would have been within a predicted area. A response was developed which involved examining the propensity of offenders to return to a familiar area and the placement of a capable guardian in these areas at the right time in an attempt to disrupt the offending pattern of the ‘optimal forager’. During the first 12 months, there was a 26.6% reduction in dwelling burglaries compared to the 12 months prior to implementation. This was further enhanced by an effective systematic programme of cocooning and target hardening based burglary risk. Over two years, this intervention has assisted in the 38.2% reduction in dwelling burglaries. 

School Violence Initiative Finalist

Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Center and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (Nevada, USA)

A drive-by shooting of a high school freshman in February 2008 sparked community outrage and calls for action address shootings in and around schools. An evaluation of existing police tactics found that critical information was being mismanaged in three significant areas: misplaced resources (school shootings were not strictly a gang issue); information silos (sharing information was not standard practice); and lack of coordination and accountability (primarily among four police agencies). After improving these major weaknesses by March 2008, no school shootings occurred despite school enrollment increases. There was no evidence of spatial displacement and some evidence of a diffusion of benefits.