Collaborative working: the UK experience Chris Williams Head of Community Safety London Borough of Brent

Understanding the problem

Where we came from Pre-2004: offenders released from prison supervised if prison sentence over 12 months Prolific Priority Offenders programme: – Recognised small number of offenders did huge amount of crime – Supported on release, eg met at prison, access to drug treatment, help with benefits etc – Saw major decreases in reoffending

Integrated Offender Management Taking PPO on: – Prevent and Deter For younger prolific offenders – Catch and Convict Targeting those still offending – Rehabilitate and Resettle Longer term approach to tackling underlying causes

Holistic Approaches: R&R Addressing the full needs of the offender: – Accommodation – Education, Employment, Training – Finance, Benefits and Debt – Attitudes and Behaviour – Health and Mental Health – Drugs and alcohol – Families and Children

Tackling groups, not people People behave differently in a group – Groups carry the street code – Vendettas and rivalries If group dynamic is causing the problem, we need to identify the groups and engage with them – not the individuals within Doesn’t mean we don’t stop working with the individual!

A continuum? 7

Gang activity and drug markets Organised Crime Groups/Urban Street Gangs have core business in drug supply Identifying drug markets and disrupting them impacts on gang violence Violence undertaken as method of control over business area – defending boundaries and intimidating users

Do you understand: What drugs are being sold How drugs are being sold – On street? Safe houses? In licensed premises? Through the homes of vulnerable people? Who buys and sells drugs? – Network of suppliers – on behalf of….? – Casual users? Addicts? Age? Where the drugs come from – Links to Organised Crime Groups Where the drugs are being sold

OPEN DRUGS MARKETGANG AREAS OPEN DRUGS MARKET & GANG AREAS

What we’d like to do Eliminate gangs – Enforcement – Prevention and intervention Prevent gang offending Stop gang recruitment Separate gang members from gangs “Solve the gang problem” How likely is this?

Why what we traditionally do doesn’t’ work We keep doing things that have never been proven to work We address individuals, not “gangs” and groups Addressing individuals only works on an individual basis – doesn’t take out the market We do not engage directly with the street culture Let’s take back our town an area at a time…the message spreads

The Call-in Wide ranging partnership: police, council, housing providers, third sector Very small target population – the most violent Direct, sustained communication with offenders as groups Simple, unified message: – The community needs this to stop – We will help – We’re not asking: consequences are certain Meticulous follow-up

Understanding the street code Disrespect requires violence We’re not afraid of death or prison We handle our own business We’ve got each other’s back We’re victims We’re justified in what we do …is this the same here?

Strategic Intervention Direct, sustained engagement with street groups: community, services, police standing and acting together Face-to-face with gangs Explicit focus on violence (“Stop the violence and we will help you”)

Consequences Group accountability for serious youth violence: group dynamic, group sanction – Last chance has gone – Explained ahead of time – By any legal means: Achilles Heel – Most serious sanctions on impact players Careful promise: sanction on next incident of violence, and on the most violent group Reversal of pro-violence peer pressure Allows for an “honourable exit”

Moral Engagement Offenders can and will chose; are responsible human beings Enormous harm being done and the community rejects it Engagement with the dangerous and mistaken street code Everyone is important, everyone matters Works best if most influential nominals are involved

We Will Help Everyone who wants help deserves it Some will take it Has to be honest: we will do everything we can, but won’t promise what we can’t deliver Limited resources don’t change the core fact that the violence is completely unacceptable

Core Messages It has to stop. It’s wrong. You’re better than this and you don’t like it either. Your community and loved ones need it to stop You are hugely important and valuable The ideas of the street code are wrong We will do everything we can to help you We will stop you if you make us

Agenda for the day Police Commander – the enforcement message A&E Consultant – what happens to shot and stabbed bodies Grieving Parent– when your child is killed Ex dealer/gang member – how to get out Mentoring trust– opportunities for help

Results

Early Intervention: Troubled Families Holding the hands of the most chaotic families Each borough in London has to find c.800 of the neediest families – unemployment, crime, truancy, substance misuse Family allocated a keyworker to support journey to normality Linking offender and gang families into this will provide sustainable approach

Vulnerability Focus RJ Victim Offender ASB Case Panel Local Joint Action Groups Location MARACVictim SupportASBRAC Safeguarding Problem Triangle Troubled Families IOMPrevent

Questions? Chris Williams