Evidence Based Policing

This essay will be discussing the relevance of crime prevention theories to evidence based policing. In order to do this both terms will be explained and crime prevention theories will be introduced, explained and evaluated In relation to evidence based policing. Trials which are relevant to the theories will also be included with evaluation.
Evidence based policing is a structured method of making decisions about policing based on the evidence and intelligence you gather about the situation. This method in effect uses scientific evidence to work out a plan that works best for the community and for the police. This is in direct opposition to previous methods of policing as everything is structured and nothing left to chance. This focused method
is being driven by the huge increases in demand for police services combined with cuts to police budgets and the drive to cut crime.
It’s a process which is still developing for a variety of reasons. One is people are now committing crimes ‘that never existed previously’ this means that the police have to be able to adapt and respond in a way befitting of the type of crime. This is also allowing the police to gather new sets of intelligence from newer technology that matches these new ways of committing crime. For example during the London riots police monitored social networks to try to anticipate the next wave of riots. However on this occasion they were looking in the wrong place as they were looking on twitter and Facebook. Meanwhile the rioters were using a private messaging sites to send notifications out across to hundreds of people notifying them where the next set of disruption would be. So on this occasion the police got it right but took a while to find out the right source as ‘many BBM messages are untraceable’ to the authorities.
A significant advance in evidence based policing came with the introduction of the National Intelligence Model. This was obligatory as ‘the Police Reform Act 2002 made it a requirement that each police force adopt the model by April 2004’ . This was a major event in terms of standardising intelligence procedures as there would be one compulsory method of gathering information and little variation from force to force.
This model is described as the ‘vehicle for delivering intelligence-led policing’ .
The fact these processes are streamlined means that cases are easily passed over to various forces and can be followed from beginning to end. It exists with three interconnecting levels. The first is local issues this deals with ‘problems affecting a basic command unit or small force area’ . It includes a ‘whole range of categories and levels of crime, notably volume crime’ . The second is cross border issue, this deals with problems that affect ‘more than one basic command unit’ or force area. This is on a different level as ‘intelligence needs to be shared’ as the incidents could cross many areas and centralising the investigation could save more, time and resources.
The third and final level is ‘serious and organised crime operating on a national or international scale’ . This is the most serious of the stages and will require ‘dedicated units and a preventative response on a national basis’ . However despite these issues being on a different level the can all interact and complement each other. For example information given by one member of the community could result in arrests in different areas/countries if the crimes are committed
nationally/internationally.
Crime prevention theories are methods devised to look into ways to prevent crime by looking at underlying causes. Problem Oriented Policing is one of these methods and uses ‘the application of scientific principles to tackling crime and disorder problems’ , this is directly linked to evidence based policing as you are researching and using scientific methods to try to ‘identify causes of problems’ . A key part of this is dealing with underlying problems rather than simply reacting to incidents once they have occurred. So this method could allow you to save time, money and resources by identifying problems earlier as then you can develop an approach that deals with the causes before they become a problem which would take longer to resolve.
The SARAH model is one way you could approach this type of policing, and stands for ‘Scanning, Analysis, Response, Assessment’ and Handover. This model is relevant to evidence based policing (EBP) as at every stage you are looking for and using information about the area to formulate a plan on how to respond to that areas particular needs. Also ‘each part of the process links to another part and should inform it accordingly’ , this is EBP is action as you are acting upon evidence you have gained by researching.
The scanning phases is where problems are identified with the area, you do this by using ‘a wide range of data and information’ such as local knowledge of the area and recent incident logs. You can also collect data from partner agencies such as the NHS as they will have some information that you will not have such as injury records and suspicious admissions. These can all help to build up a picture of the area as not every crime will be reported to the police.
The information you gather in relation to these problems will then be analysed. This can let you see if there are any ‘trends and patterns’ to the crime as data can be interpreted in different ways. This is done to see if you can find any specific problems or causes that could be effecting the area. This is linked to EBP as you are using the evidence you have gathered and trying to look for solutions and connections between the evidence. This allows you to develop a more tailored plan for the area and deliver evidence based policing that is good fit for them.
A response will then be authorised taking ‘suitable action to resolve the problem’ this takes the plan you have researched and actually implements it on the area. This could be as simple as replacing street lights in a darkened area of town so that people can always be seen and so it doesn’t attract the wrong sorts of people. There can be multiple sources of response as they ‘may be multi-layered’ , this allows you to attack the problem in different ways giving you a better opportunity to be able to correct it.
These results are then assessed to look for ‘the effectiveness of the response’ to the problems originally noticed in the scanning phase. To do this you would look at what worked, what didn’t work and if there have been any ‘effects of the response’ such as displacement of the problems to another area. You would also decide ‘whether all objectives have been met’ and if you have achieved what you set out to and if the problem has been eradicated. You would also look at the finances of the project and determine how much has been spent and compare it to similar projects. Any successes should be celebrate and rewarded as people are happier in jobs and work harder if they feel appreciated. This is also linked to EBP as information is being recorded/stored and then if necessary acted upon to improve the situation. This information is essentially evidence as it is being used to combat offender’s behaviour and correct the problem.
The project would then be handed over to the local community or your other partner agencies as other projects will need your attention. When the project is handed over to someone else it must be looked into whether they have the capability to keep on top of any problems that could arise and be ready to change and update the plan if needed. This is also linked to evidence based policing as although the police are no longer involved in this project it is in effect being policed and looked after by someone else. As this person will keep on top of problems, record new information, gather new evidence and act upon their intelligence to form new solutions to any future problems.
In essence this theory is incredibly relevant to evidence based policing as a policing response and this response is led and guided by evidence gathered by the team about the area and that particular problem. It has strengths in that it can be revisited many times by the team that you hand it over to renew and update existing plans This allows you to carry on the process and use new evidence to inform your decisions about the area. However the limitations of this theory is that the team you hand it over to might not have the capability to record/store all of the evidence/information about the problem. So they might be able to act upon initial problems but many encounter difficulties when moving further down the line.
To help identify the root cause of problems you can use the Problem Analysis Triangle. The three parts of the triangle are offender, location and victim. This exists to help ‘us visualise this and to understand the relationship between the three elements’ . If you fix one side of the triangle the other sides become in essence ineffective, for example you can’t have a crime without an offender. You take out one side of the triangle by taking preventative activity with it, for example you could make the crime harder to commit by target hardening.
This theory relies on evidence being given to the team so they can look to eradicate one side of the triangle, and as such would not be able to thrive if not for EBP. This is incredibly important when talking about EBP as to use the problem analysis triangle you have to have information/evidence about what/who is involved in each side of the triangle. As if you do not know who is offending, where the crimes are being committed or who the victims are then you cannot develop a plan do deal with it as there will be unknown factors. So you will have to find the evidence and react to the situation, which is the core message of EBP.

Situational crime prevention (SCP) is a theory that looks into details of the crime rather than the people who commit the crimes. This is because it ‘targets the near causes of crime’ , ‘rather than the distant causes of offenders’ criminality such as poverty’ . This theory tries to identify opportunities people have to commit crime and tries to reduce these chances, so it does exactly what it says it does; preventing crime opportunities by looking and changing the situation surrounding it. For example Area 1 is being targeted frequently because the area around it is dark and this allows people to go around unseen. To prevent it using SCP you would put lights up to illuminate the area and make it easier to identify suspects. This in turn would make them move on and limit the amount of crime they could commit in the area without being spotted.
However this has a disadvantage to it as if you come in and change things in one area to prevent crime you could have a problem with displacement.
As the offenders would simply move on to another area, so you may have to start the process again in another area which would be costly. An advantage of this is it focuses on ‘specific offences rather than crime in general’ , this allows you to personalise your plan of attack on the area you are dealing with rather than using a one size fits all process. This could be a problem in certain cases though as you could have multiple offences being committed in one area and you would have to design a different plan for each offence which takes up more time and will cost more
money.
Environmental crime prevention (ECP) is a theory that looks at working with the people who commit crimes or who are at risk of doing so. In contrast to the above this looks into the ‘distant causes of offenders’ criminality such as poverty’ , so looks to fix the problems that could be leading people into a life of crime before they find themselves trapped. For example certain studies have been conducted in respect to early intervention in at risk youths such as children in care and children from poorer backgrounds. They have found to be promising in reducing crime, delinquency and child abuse which could be a factor in future criminality . This could help to prevent future crime and disorder by cutting the supply of new offenders into the criminal circle.
This theory does have its weaknesses though as it could look to some as though it assumes those children are destined for a life of crime, so it could make them less willing to participate. This theory might also not be able to fix certain problems linked with crime such as money problems and mental health issues as they can be long term problems that can reoccur. However when used correctly this method can be used at the ultimate preventative as it cuts of the supply and should eventually problems like youth offending to drop.
How offenders are managed in England and Wales can have a big impact on whether future crime is committed by these members of the community, or whether they go on to lead productive lives once out of prison. There are various ways to help prisoners to better themselves such as giving them an education, teaching them a trade, helping them with a substance problems they may have, open communication with family outside and learn to deal with their issues in an acceptable way. This is a big step in EBP as if you can limit the number of former inmates from going on to commit another crime you could be starting a process by which less crime is committed as it is a ‘small number of people who repeatedly commit crime’ .
This stage is relevant to evidence based policing, as you have gathered evidence and intelligence about the problem and then you act on this evidence and try to fix the problem, which is what EBP is all about. You will already have the information about who they are as they will have been in the system either as a prisoner or as an arrested person. This is an advantage as the information is readily available to the investigators and if you work to fix this problem then reoffending rates could fall. A disadvantage of this is many will only want to participate in the project as they might get rewards in return, so they won’t be fully committed to it.
The broken windows theory is a belief that ‘if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest will soon be broken’ . This theory works on the basis that if you fix the first problem it will show the surrounding community that someone cares about the building and it will not be left in a state of disrepair. So it is less likely to become an area where local youths for example come to damage and cause disruption.
However as this method can be costly as you are fixing every little problem so that they don’t build up so you would have to have funds available. This would also be time consuming as problems take time to fix and paperwork would have to be written up so could take time away from police work. This method does have strengths though as if you keep on fixing the problems people will stop destroying it as it will be fixed straight away. It also stops the area from looking disused which will mean people won’t move away as this can bring its own problems. As if they do other people move in and they can cause more people to move away as they don’t like what the area has become.
In conclusion these crime prevention theories are very relevant to evidence based policing because to be able to prevent crime and serve their purpose they gather intelligence/information and use it develop a plan to combat crime. They are using evidence to plan out how the react and prevent crime. These methods are cost effective as they use the quickest and most effective way possible to fix a problem.