2007 Goldstein Awards Winner & Finalists

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Blackburn with Darwen Family Intervention Programme Winner! 

Lancashire Constabulary (United Kingdom)

In 2003 a Family Intervention Programme was established with the purpose of working with families who were at risk of losing their tenancies through anti-social behaviour. The project was set up with in partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Twin Valley Homes (Registered Social Landlord), Lancashire Constabulary and NCH Childrens Charity but works closely with other landlords and partner agencies within the statutory, voluntary and community sectors. Through these partnerships families involved in the program were no longer a risk of anti-social behaviour to the community in 51% of cases, and that the risk had reduced in a further 41% of cases. The reduction in evictions also achieved considerable cost savings estimated at 127, 500.

Operation Abingdon Finalist

Lancashire Constabulary (United Kingdom)

Alcohol has been socially and recreationally used by many adults in the UK. However, excessive alcohol consumption has been negatively related to well-being; not only does alcohol have damaging effects on ones health, but also on society as a whole through alcohol related crime and disorder. The SARA Model of Problem Oriented Policing is used by Lancashire Constabularys Western Division in order to address alcohol related crime and disorder in a targeted hot spot for such incidents, the Walkabout Bar. This premise has been identified because it attracted rather young adults (18-24 years of age), involved excessive drinking, and most importantly, accounted for a portion of violent crime in the area. The main aim of Operation Abingdon was to reduce the amount of crime and disorder within the premise. Response to the problem involved the partnerships of police and other agencies, local engagement with the license holder and staff, recommendations, visits to the premises to gather evidence of actions and practices, collecting crime statistics, and reviewing/tracking progress. Results reveal a decrease in violent crime, thefts, and incidents attended by police from the 2006-2007.

Operation Kensington Finalist

Hampshire Constabulary (United Kingdom)

Apathy among police officers in taking large volume reports from commercial establishments led to chronic under reporting by area merchants. A project was launched to improve reporting of crimes by merchants through more effective and efficient investigation and detection, thereby reducing the time commitment of individual police officers into shoplifting incidents. This allowed officers to focus on more pressing needs. The project resulted in an overall increase in detected crime of 270% in the pilot area, retuning confidence and support in the service the police provided to the business communities.

Operation Safe Storage Finalist

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (North Carolina, USA)

Charlotte-Mecklenburg experienced a 28% increase in commercial burglaries in 2005 with burglaries at mini warehouse storage facilities accounting for 7% of all commercial burglaries. Analysis revealed little to explain crime at the problem mini warehouse facilities but examination of 75 facilities that did not experience crime identified the potential utility of disc locks on individual storage units. Officers conducted a test study using disc locks at three sites and developed a Best Practices guide to be distributed to owners and managers of mini warehouse facilities. The project resulted in a 58.3% reduction in the number of burglary incidents at the three test locations and a 68.9% decrease in the number of individual units burglarized.

The Boogie: When Jack Met SARA Finalist

Anaheim Police Department (California, USA)

A nightclub that operated in Anaheim for over 25 years, maintained a reputation as one of the most popular clubs in Southern California. The club was a chronic source of violence, alcohol, and drug related crime and disorder. Persistently, officers applied the SARA model with several iterations of formulating responses and assessments as new problems arose at and around the club. A traditional investigation led to the mounting of a criminal case against the owner and associates causing them to leave town. The effect was immediate: no more calls for service to the club, no more spillover problems to surrounding businesses, no more traffic congestion. Implicates the utility of relying on traditional detective work to break endless SARA cycles.