Rapporteur
Jan MANS (Netherlands)

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DRAFT MANUAL

Introduction

Public and politicians alike are concerned at the high level of crime, violence and unrest in cities in Europe.

Elections are fought on this issue. International organisations are concerned. Combating crime and terrorism was a significant priority in the Final Declaration of the Second Summit of Heads of State of the Council of Europe; it is a key element in the priorities of the Secretary General for the years 2001-2005.

While there are a substantial number of recent successful examples of crime reduction and building a safe and confident community, there is still an alarming incidence of burglary of homes, garages, businesses, neighbourhood disorder, noise, graffiti, litter, visible signs of neighbourhood decline, vandalism, racially motivated crime, domestic violence, youth and city centre disorder, car crime, drug and alcohol-related crime and gratuitous acts of violence.

There is a rise in the number of drifting, homeless persons; the resurgence of begging in busy thoroughfares; the emergence of new trouble-spots, such as shopping centres and stations.

Such symptoms of a social malaise appear mostly in urban areas. Whilst major cities traditionally have been the arena for economic development and cultural achievement, they are also inevitably the places where the problems of society, such as crime, are most acutely felt.

Why has this happened?

Generally accepted as being amongst the principal causes of crime are unemployment and difficulties in securing legally an adequate income or living conditions; increased opportunities and decreased social control; social deprivation and exclusion; a monotonous or dilapidated physical environment; inadequate housing; family problems; loss of identity, of religious and moral references, of neighbourhood cohesion; and harmful effects of media violence.

In a wider setting, it can be argued that major structural and political movements in Europe, over the last decade, have had an impact on the type of urban crime and insecurity and have given rise to new trends in crime. The impact of refugees, demographic and population movements, economic disorder in some countries, lack of a political culture or ethos, greater tourism and greater intensity of communications – have given rise to a higher incidence of drug abuse and drug offences, the spectacular extension and sophistication of international organised crime, illegal smuggling of immigrants and clandestine immigration; economic fraud; diverting of raw materials; covert arms dealing; and concentration of criminal activities along new borders.

Particularly disturbing is the rise in crime linked to intolerance, whether this be directed at foreign cultures, other races, sexual preferences or physical peculiarities.

Detection rates have continued to decline. The percentage of minor offences reported to the police is falling. Citizens increasingly have little confidence in the institutions responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes. Reoffending rates remain high, to such an extent that they cast doubt on the relevance of current sentencing systems.

There are also highly publicised examples of political and official corruption, which adversely affect public confidence in political systems which are supposed to reduce crime.

On top of this, there is a fear of crime, strongest among elderly persons and women. Media interest in crime cases, particularly ones involving young persons, the consequent public awareness of such cases and the way they are politically exploited, can also contribute to citizens' sense of insecurity.

1. KEY TO CIVIC PEACE – THREAT TO DEMOCRACY – RIGHT TO A SAFE CITY

Urban crime and insecurity are a burning issue, a daily concern, a priority subject for research and debate, with local authorities at the front line.

Crime affects a significant percentage of the population; has high social and economic costs; results in loss, injury and emotional distress for families and victims and impedes citizens enjoying freely the benefits of material well-being.

It undermines public confidence in the democratic process, stimulates extremist movements, can provoke an anti-European sentiment, threaten human rights and democratic institutions, provoke an excessive public fear or insecurity; or worse, a sense of retaliation or ethnic confrontation.

It poses a real threat to democracy by appealing to racist and "reassuring" impulses and calling for a "simplified" form of justice paying no heed to the respect of freedoms and human dignity; for a parallel police force and courts as well as for the supposedly more rigorous and effective central government to step in to replace local authorities.

It also raises questions, when dealing with crime, about the right to privacy and possible infringements, eg., the role of CCTV, recognised as a legitimate crime prevention tool but nevertheless controversial as a means.

The European Urban Charter refers to the right of European citizens to "a secure and safe town, free, as far as possible, from crime, delinquency and aggression". Article 29 of the Amsterdam Treaty refers to the aim of the European Union to provide citizens with a high level of safety within an area of freedom, security and justice by developing common action among the Member States in the fields of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.

In order to deal with the above threats; and give citizens a sense and the reality of security, it is important therefore that governments, nationally, regionally and locally:

a. Recognise that there is no liberty without security and that living in a secure environment should be a basic human right;

b. Ensure that controlling crime is given priority and adequate resources;

c. Recognise that crime prevention is not only cheaper than repression but also an approach which places the highest value on human dignity;

d. Encourage a sense of citizenship amongst people and that, whilst citizens enjoy certain rights, they also have corresponding duties, in respecting the integrity and peace of mind of fellow citizens.

2. LOCAL AUTHORITIES - A KEY ROLE IN CRIME PREVENTION

Whilst central government has a clear responsibility in establishing a legal framework for crime prevention and repression, for provision of adequate financial resources and a political lead, it is nonetheless at the local level where the problem is most acutely felt and perceived and where a sense of insecurity is felt on a daily basis.

As a consequence, local authorities are best able to conduct policies and approaches dealing comprehensively with crime prevention policies, with alternatives to imprisonment, community policing, combating illiteracy, promoting civic education, dealing with research and communication and coordinating the programmes of different partners.

Given their proximity, people see municipal departments as the most approachable and best informed about potential or actual crisis situations.

Local authorities can also play an effective conciliation and mediation role and thus attempt to prevent tension rising before it becomes necessary to call in police and courts.

Local authorities can also play a key role indirectly, through influencing the objectives of a range of sectoral policies, for which they are responsible, in order to ensure that they have a security dimension. These can include:-

- urban planning, including public transport, street lighting and safety measures at road junctions;

- the provision of public amenities, schools, playgrounds, stadiums, swimming pools, socio-educational centres;

- family welfare and assistance policy, designed to help parents shoulder their responsibilities better;

- maintenance, supervisory and security staff in public institutions and agencies;

- out-of-school social and educational services;

- establishment of municipal police.

As a consequence, national governments, in close cooperation with local authorities, are asked to:-

a. Accept that local policies for reducing crime and urban insecurity are key elements in crime reduction programmes and that local problems require local solutions;

b. Strengthen local government and local democracy, along the lines of the European Charter of Local Self-Government;

c. Strengthen local government responsibilities for crime prevention, accompanied by appropriate financial resources;

d. Reduce the degree of centralisation and control by central government, in order to allow decisions to be taken at the local level, where local needs are best understood and where customised solutions can be identified;

e. Ensure that local budget and resources stay within a community;

f. Foster the development of community capacity through citizenship education.

3. PARTNERSHIP

Because the problem has a wide diversity of factors, crime prevention must be a joint responsibility of different sectors of society.

The police and the courts can no longer be regarded as the sole answers to the conflicts of everyday life.

Encouragement should therefore be given to the development of multi-sectoral bodies rather than single agencies for combating crime at a local level.

These can be very broad, eg., representatives of public authorities, politicians, the private and voluntary sectors, media, educational authorities, universities, police, local residents, youth and sport, social and health affairs, labour and employment, prison administration, the judicial system, youth councils, foreigners advisory committees, public transport authorities, social housing agencies, tenants' associations, the business community, doctors' and pharmacists' associations and the media.

Such partnerships must be accompanied by the necessary budgetary and operational resources to enable them to be effective.

Collaboration between the various bodies concerned is still a recent phenomenon. Some institutions - police, the courts, local government departments, voluntary organisations, private security companies and local inhabitants - are not used to working together. They continue to operate independently and according to their own rules. While they are aware of the importance of joint action, this can still create shock waves within each organisation as interdependence and the right of oversight of each other's affairs create resistance.

It may therefore be necessary to appoint local policy co-ordinators to overcome such difficulties and give partnerships a measure of permanency.

Such policies should offer a fresh approach to what has been attempted in the past; show that they can effectively substantially increase security; extend over a reasonably long period, eg., at least five years; and reflect the problems of the area concerned.

National and local authorities are therefore asked to:-

a. Accept that new policy instruments are required to bring a greater and more effective response to urban delinquency;

b. Take a more strategic and holistic approach, avoiding departmentalism, when tackling unsafe urban environments;

c. Understand that making urban environments safer is a complex process and requires inputs from a wide range of agencies working in partnership;

d. Integrate into partnership structures, systems of financing, auditing and measuring success;

e. Encourage the positive exchange of information between agencies to enable the best use to be made of scarce resources.

4. DIAGNOSTIC AND SURVEY

A more systematic approach to crime reduction should include an audit of crime-prone areas, with resources subsequently targeted to them; the identification of good practice and encouragement of the application of such good practice elsewhere; the identification of the precise role of different partners; the definition of measurable targets where progress towards achieving them can be monitored; and an evaluation of results for future reference, before embarking upon subsequent programmes.

Relevant information can be gained from a wide range of official public services, professionals and NGO's engaged in local community activities and concerned with the feeling of insecurity, unreported crime and interaction between different groups of citizens or communities. It can also be gained from sociological and psychological research, eg., major victim survey and information collected by neighbourhood police officers, in order to enable the police to fine-tune their response in difficult areas.

It follows, therefore, that local authorities should:-

a. Prepare a plan which defines the nature and type of crime to be tackled, objectives, timetable, proposals for action and based on a wide-ranging up-to-date survey of statistics and diagnosis of crime;

b. Carry out more thorough analysis of what works and why before recommending good practice;

c. Avoid short term approaches and take action which is sustainable in the long term rather than that providing short-term "fixes" within an electoral term;

d. Develop a more pro-active approach, anticipating and preventing problems rather than addressing them afterwards;

e. Prepare and update such documents in public, ensuring in the process a link between the local population, policy makers and specialists.

5. FEAR OF CRIME

The fear of crime, whether this be real or perceived, is of genuine concern to the public.

The feeling of insecurity, the fear of delinquency, and of being oneself a victim of such delinquency, haunts many citizens, particularly the elderly or fragilised section of society. It is not necessarily the most serious forms of delinquency which provoke anxiety. An analysis of fear of crime must include aspects of community life which, although they cannot be classified as “crimes” are regarded by the community as intrusions into the well-being and safety of its inhabitants.

However, it is also the case that acts of terrorism, whether by political or racial extremists or different kinds of fundamentalists, are another factor which increases the public's feeling of insecurity.

The fear of crime reduces public confidence in a community, affects adversely economic development and inward investment, and diminishes the quality of life in towns.

The media play a very significant role in shaping the feeling of insecurity. News of crimes is a major part of social communication. The media as impartial witnesses, in principle, cannot be made responsible for the feeling of insecurity. Yet, whilst the media has a crucial role in providing information about crime and crime prevention, it can also have a negative impact through over-dramatising and exaggerating crime.

It is important that local authorities:

a. Take appropriate means to reduce the fear of crime, for example, increasing the confidence of local residents through community development and victim support;

b. Take steps to encourage the media, in particular the local press, to take part in the efforts to improve the situation;

c. Ensure that programmes, for example, for young people, are highly visible and well publicised;

d. Stimulate the confidence of the business community, by associating it with regeneration and employment strategies.

6. SOCIAL POLICIES IN TOWNS

Many European cities contain areas of multiple deprivation, characterised by an accumulation of factors such as a breakdown of family life; the loss of community identity, a feeling of alienation; the lack of involvement of tenants in the management of housing; feeling of insecurity amongst inhabitants; the lack of collective facilities (crèches, leisure, sports facilities, etc); high incidence of drug abuse; high levels of unemployment; and lack of respect of social, racial and ethnic differences.

The undermining of family structures challenges the values and discipline accepted by previous generations. Parents' loss of authority and a sense of responsibility contribute to the disorientation of young people.

Other authorities, especially the church, which earlier fixed the bounds of individuals' behaviour, have ceased to fulfil that role, contributing to the moral and civic disorientation, of young people in particular.

The emergence of new drugs, the spread of drug addiction to new categories of users (young people, people who play sport, those who patronise certain entertainment events), drug users' need for money and the criminal ways of meeting that need, distribution channels and networks for laundering "commercial" profits - all these are features of the social environment of cities.

It is essential that local authorities:

a. Stimulate the return of inhabitants to the inner city, avoid deserted streets at night, ensure as far as possible in inner cities a mix of functions and avoid grouping minorities, the social deprived and the already delinquent in one place;

b. Take active steps to eradicate known criminal activities in particular areas within their municipal boundaries and avoid pockets of disadvantaged and deprived sectors of society, particularly those who feel they have nothing to lose;

c. Devise targeted policies against violence in the family; against the culture of violence; against inequality of race, religion, social background and gender; and foster the notion of citizenship;

d. Devise and conduct drug and alcohol abuse programmes, in partnership with health and social services; develop information programmes particularly for young people inside and outside schools;

e. Strengthen informal social control through appropriate policies for a mix of residential/commercial functions, adequate shopping facilities in housing areas, juxtaposition of schools and residential homes, etc;

f. Appreciate the role of family upbringing in reducing crime through implementing and supporting family-friendly regulations in housing schemes, education and social welfare schemes;

g. Improve access to sport and sports facilities for all people, irrespective of social background, economic situation and income, age, or ethnic group;

h. Ensure that such sport locations fit into local communities so that local populations can identify with them, encouraging a sense of ownership and thus reducing vandalism and delinquency.

7. MINORITIES

Migration is part of Europe's history.

This has often led to difficulties with local inhabitants, increasing in times of economic crisis and financial and social insecurity. Foreigners are thought likely to upset the balance of local communities and by competing for jobs and exercising their rights to housing and health care, are seen as a threat to the full rights of the indigenous population. They are blamed for much of the crime committed.

Such concerns are often further fuelled by ethnic and racial considerations, which some political movements are ready to exploit.

Many countries are the scene of racism that is sometimes expressed in less violent forms. Sport, especially football, is a particular focus for this form of crime. Both local and national sporting events are now tainted by racist behaviour and language.

Because of their number and their concentration in particular areas, immigrants' integration and assimilation into urban society is often difficult. For minority groups themselves, there is often a resulting widespread uneasiness, fear of the future and, particularly in the case of young people, a feeling that prospects are bleak.

Immigrant groups are undeniably over-represented in all criminal justice systems. The percentage of foreign nationals in the prison population is constantly rising, although their over-representation in the criminal justice system can also be attributed to a tendency for police to target this group.

Local authorities and police should accept that:

a. The different way of life of diverse communities, constituting an enrichment of the social environment, should be respected and if necessary particular measures taken in order to guarantee the individual expression of these communities;

b. The reception of refugees and their integration into the community, whilst difficult, should be carried out harmoniously, with support from central government;

c. The number of social workers and probation officers from minority communities should be increased;

d. The multicultural composition of society should be reflected in the choice of recruits into the police force, with function both in police management and "on-the-beat";

e. The police should be encouraged to develop closer contacts with foreign communities, with-consultative bodies on racism and multiculturalism;

f. Minority groups should be given a clear political role through, for example, the establishment of Consultative Councils and relevant national authorities should be encouraged to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on the participation of foreigners in public life at the local level.

8. YOUNG PEOPLE AND CRIME

There is an alarming incidence of juvenile crime and a corresponding increasingly young age of offenders.

Young persons who opt out of the school system, have poor attendance records, experience severe family problems and slip through the social services net, have come to symbolise Europe's young offenders.

Acts of vandalism, destruction of public amenities and public transport, setting fire to cars by young inhabitants of poorer districts acting in gangs, are a new form of violence. Urban tribes commit robbery with violence in commercial premises, intimidate people with knives and vandalise public property.

Whilst weekends are the natural occasion for young people to visit discotheques and take to the roads, such normal activities are often accompanied by the excessive consumption of alcohol, drugs and dangerous driving.

There is violence in schools.

Major criminal organisations are making increasing use of young people to carry out certain functions associated with their activities.

In a wider setting, thousands of children across the world are the victims of sexual abuse and violence, often remaining hidden, through fear or family pressures. Child prostitution is expanding rapidly in every country

Some factors in increased juvenile crime may be that young people are affected by the weakening of family structures; they bear the full brunt of unemployment and the lack of prospects; and are tormented by the feast of goods before their eyes, without always means to acquire them. Violence on the television screen also erodes the borderline between what is permitted and what is forbidden.

Resort to crime can often be seen, erroneously, as a means for self-assertion and dignity.

High levels of youth poverty affect stable family units, producing unattached men, vulnerable to the seduction of crime. The departure of the more stable members of the community deprives the community of leaders and positive role models.

Yet, it should be recognised that young people are the future of our communities and are very likely themselves to be the victims of crime. Local authorities should strive to ensure that young people, particularly those who are most at risk, are perceived not just as offenders but as victims and should find ways of involving them in civic processes at every level and not just in schools.

In particular, local authorities are asked to:

a. Accept that the traditional facilities and methods used to deal with juvenile crime are no longer appropriate. Everything - schools, courts and specialised institutions as well the staff – may have to be reviewed to remedy the situation;

b. Give formal recognition to the pivotal role of young people within neighbourhoods and actively seek to promote their involvement and co-operation;

c. Give particular attention to young people, seeking to engage those particularly at risk, to ensure that they have a meaningful role to play within the regeneration of their neighbourhoods;

d. Recognise that crime is linked to poor education and act to increase the current levels of educational achievement;

e. Establish genuine dialogue with young people, asking the right questions; listening to the answers; involve young persons in decisions that directly concern them, accepting that young people form part of the solution to their problems and that they must be treated as partners;

f. Accord financial support for youth initiatives, more local and regional forums, the establishment of permanent local youth councils;

g. Encourage the acquisition of social and vocation skills in "New Deal" type programmes;

h. Involve parents, police, the education authority, local residents' representatives and local councillors, in the management of schools, in order to improve relations with the surrounding community, conduct regular classes combating vandalism; provide guidance and psychological support for young people and educational advice; take stronger measures to combat school drop-out.

9. SCHOOLS AND VIOLENCE

Educational underachievement has an enormous cost, both in economic and social terms, for the individual and society. This lack of engagement of children and young people is also one of the key factors in violence in and around schools. It is particularly significant in drug misuse and bullying, both of which are serious problems for schools through Europe.

Too many young people, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds do not achieve their potential within the education system. The result is that too high a proportion of school leavers have serious difficulties with numeracy and literacy and struggle to obtain employment of any kind.

Reasons for this include: a lack of access to the range and quality of opportunities available elsewhere, lack of parental support, learning and encouragement, low family income and poor living conditions.

A particularly important factor in the behaviour and achievements of young people is the peer group with whom they choose to associate.

Factors which have been shown to improve achievement at school, reduce violence and bullying are:

- Dynamic and experience leadership from school authorities and strong support from the governing body;

- Clear targets shared by everyone;

- High quality and stable teaching and support staff;

- Strong parental involvement and support;

. Active involvement of local business and community organisations in school life;

- Promotion of active and effective support from other bodies, eg., youth services, careers services, libraries, sports clubs, social services.

Local authorities should:

a. Try to ensure that the schools for which they are responsible obtain the highest quality, well motivated staff and retain these staff, in order to provide a stable environment;

b. Require their schools to have clearly agreed policies and targets, including strategies for discouraging drug misuse and bullying;

c. Encourage the widest possible study support to be made available to school attenders, including support of learning during school hours;

d. Encourage the active support of other relevant services and facilitate links between the schools and youth services, careers services, the business community, libraries, arts, drama and sports facilities;

e. Ensure that the schools are provided with a full service of health and social care for their pupils, particularly those from disadvantaged areas who may require help from health and social services departments in tackling their educational underachievement;

f. Encourage school-community links and wider use of school premises. Similarly, using the local school as a centre of adult learning and for meetings helps regenerate and strengthen communities;

g. Encourage support from parents and local community organisations, which can be a crucial factor in combating social exclusion and in improving pupils attainment, motivation and expectations;

h. Where schools are experiencing particular problems such as drugs misuse, use a whole school approach to the issue, involving parents, governors, pupils, teachers and the community to agree a strategy, including integration into the curriculum.

10. WOMEN, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, THE ELDERLY AND CHILDREN

Violence against women in the home and the workplace is beginning to receive greater recognition, particularly by local authorities who have to deal with the social and health problems arising from such violence. However, women still remain very silent on the subject and the authorities all too often lend a deaf ear.

Domestic violence, both physical and sexual, is closely associated with secrecy, shame and solitude. Women fear reprisals and further assault if they lodge complaints or resist. Official statistics cannot offer a reliable estimate of the problem

Such domestic crime remains under-reported and police intervention is often fairly ineffective.

Domestic violence accounts in some countries, for a quarter of all violent crime, with in most cases, the aggressor being a man well know to the victim – generally the husband. Half the female murder victims are killed by their partner or ex-partner.

Such violence may be linked to unequal relationships between the sexes and to the continuing patriarchal aspects of our societies.

Women are also highly susceptible to the fear of crime, real, anticipated or potential. Insecurity restricts women's freedom of movement and independence.

Whilst elderly persons are less likely to be the victims of crime, they have a strong sense of insecurity.

They may be subject to violence at the hands of their immediate entourage, without this being brought into the open through fear of reprisals, the shame of coming into the open, financial dependency.

A highly alarming phenomenon is physical and sexual violence against children.

Local authorities are asked to take steps to:

a. Negotiate and adopt a definition of domestic violence and, as a consequence, develop specific domestic violence policies and good practice guidelines;

b. Establish objective monitoring and screening through the regular collection of data from service users; and listen particularly to the views of women and children using the services;

c. Ensure that services for abused women and children are a central rather than a marginal element in local authority policies;

d. Break the taboos and the silence surrounding this issue and create a climate of confidence in which women can express their fears and confront their aggressors;

e. Promote campaigns to alert people to the problem of physical and sexual violence suffered by women, involving posters and less traditional locations such as football stadiums, theatres and taxis;

f. Ensure that there is adequate protection for victims of domestic violence under criminal and civil law;

g. Carry out improvements to urban transport, such as night-time taxi services;

h. Help to ensure that elderly persons remain active, on the principle that those who still have a contribution to make to the community are less likely to experience a sense of insecurity;

i. Enrol elderly volunteers in activities with children, such as taking them home from school or organising entertainments outside blocks of flats;

j. Take steps in cooperation with police authorities to help to detect violence against children and sexual abuse.

11. THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Urban planning and design have often paid little attention to safety in cities. Few professionals have any training or experience in planning and designing for safe and secure communities.

Yet there is a direct correlation between crime and housing, in terms of its layout, standards, maintenance and types of management.

A badly conceived housing policy (demolition and rehousing elsewhere of inhabitants) can lead to the loss of the familiar environment, creates a climate of tension and insecurity, provokes a breakdown of collective life and lead to a growth in delinquency.

Vast soulless housing estates often in suburban areas, are breeding grounds for despair, loneliness and violence.

It is important that local authorities accept that crime and opportunities for crime can be reduced by a good quality urban environment and that the social stability of towns and cities is influenced by the environment;

An objective of town planning should be to produce a stimulating environment where individuality can be expressed, where there is a sense of belonging and where places are created in which the residents are proud to live.

As a consequence, local authorities are encouraged to:

a. Discourage continuing construction of high-density and monotonous housing, often accompanied by bleak, open windswept spaces;

b. Avoid the destruction of old and familiar buildings and their replacement by buildings of little social and architectural merit;

c. Retain the architectural heritage with older buildings being given a contemporary viability, whilst respecting their original flavour;

d. Promote pleasant surroundings by night and day, in all weathers, with particular attention being given to scale, form, colour, landscape, materials and maintenance of buildings and space;

e. Ensure that open space, river and canal banks, parks, pavements, pedestrian zones, are conducive for human activities and presence in order to give a sense of community control and security;

f. Develop a "Lighting Plan" for their towns which illuminates public places - bus depots, railway stations; blind spots; dark corners in order to give citizens a sense of safety; and ensure that there is an effective monitoring and reporting mechanism in order to maintain and repair lighting systems;

g. Maintain and develop the quality of public open space, avoiding vandalism and damage;

h. Ensure equality in the use of public space, between young persons, generations, the sexes, races and disadvantaged persons, with the aim of mixed, or balanced, uses;

i. Develop closed circuit television (CCTV), particularly in city centres to be carried out with the maximum of publicity with cameras being visible;

j. In respect of housing, reduce uncertainty about housing ownership and facilitate ownership in order to bring about investment, satisfactory levels of maintenance and a sense of commitment and belonging;

k. Use the opportunities generated by the current surplus of owner occupied and social housing in some areas to develop innovative approaches to meet local needs;

l. Promote collaboration between the police and professional designers and ensure that police officers are given training and advice on the relationship between crime and the built environment, through, for example, the appointment of architectural liaison officers;

m. Prepare and distribute explanatory brochures for the public on the causal relationship between crime and the environment.

12. PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND ROAD SAFETY

Many towns have not achieved a harmonious balance between all street users - public transport, pedestrians, cyclists and the private car.

Often, there is a saturation of towns by private transport, with accompanying increased risk to life and limb, uncertainty about journey times and pollution.

Equally, there has been a disturbing rise in fatal road accidents, particularly among young persons.

Yet, a good quality public transport system, offering reliable and frequent services, can significantly reduce private car use, improve the quality of the surrounding environment and improve security, as has been shown, for example, by the reintroduction of high quality tram networks in some European cities.

It is important, therefore, that local authorities:

a. Conduct strategies aimed at reducing public concern about crime and fear of crime associated with travelling on bus, cab, underground or rail or by walking, cycling or driving;

b. Introduce a system of "transport safety officers" and security and information agents travelling on or working in the vicinity of public transport, use CCTV and develop a satisfactory reporting system for cases of anti-social behaviour on public transport;

c. Recognise that there is a need for improving and extending the education of children about public transport and the need to respect it;

d. Use the pool of untapped experience available among the agencies concerned with safety, police, fire brigade and social services, which could be used by the planning, housing, highway and transport authorities;

e. Take steps in collaboration with police and educational authorities, to reduce road accidents, through increased penalties for infringement, ensuring respect of traffic regulations, encouraging educational programmes and obligatory programmes of awareness for serious offenders.

13. POLICE AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES

Neither police forces nor local authorities can conduct crime prevention policies without active mutual consultation and cooperation.

In some countries there is new legislation which imposes an obligation of partnership between local authorities and police forces.

Such cooperation can include matters such as decisions about police zoning and timing of local beats and mobile patrols; provision of advice to citizens on reduction of opportunities for crime and theft.

There may therefore be, in some countries, good arguments for the establishment of municipal police.

They are in the best position to listen to the town's inhabitants and the concerns expressed by the public and communicate with local inhabitants on crime matters and prevention campaigns.

They have a good understanding of local conditions and are in the best position to develop a sense of confidence with local communities.

They can take part in district meetings with representatives of all the other agencies concerned, contribute to prevention plans concerning young people, children and women.

They can play a mediating role, listen to what local citizens have to say, take part in any local authority publicity campaigns, ensure the presence of a police officer in every neighbourhood.

It is therefore important that local authorities:

a. Remove excessive bureaucratic and administrative obstacles in the way of crime reduction and co-ordination;

b. Ensure good co-ordination and prevent conflict between various organisations involved in crime prevention;

c. Recognise that uniformed foot patrols are perceived by the public as the best police methods for preventing local crime and that their increase is likely to produce improved public co-operation with the police in achieving better crime prevention;

d. Encourage police forces to reflect, in their composition, the diversity of the local population structure;

e. Discourage the proliferation of independent security forces, often operating outside democratic control.

f. Secure the necessary agreements, with relevant governmental and police authorities, to consider the establishment of municipal police forces;

g. Ensure that municipal police forces, once established under clear legislation, are placed under local authority control, have clear responsibilities, adequate finance, a high standard of technical equipment and qualified personnel;

h. Develop a system for co-operation between national and municipal police forces, with clarification of their complementary but distinct roles.

14. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

Involvement by the public in local democracy should be a rewarding two-way process which empowers local people and enables local authorities to respond to their needs and improve service provision. It should help to improve public confidence and contribute to the quality of life by reducing crime, fear of crime and anti-social behaviour.

Indeed, the participation of inhabitants should be at the basis of all programmes for community and social development of neighbourhoods in programmes for environmental improvement, in the planning, manning, improvement, and development of public services, particularly in ensuring an effective and economic service; in schemes aimed at stimulating employment.

A mix of simple measures applied consistently and involving local people in solutions are very effective. Local authorities should strive for the greatest possible involvement by local people in planning and delivery services.

It follows, equally, that the public be associated closely with crime prevention.

Relevant specialist non-governmental organisations, have value as a source of practical experience, information and networking possibilities.

Local authorities, therefore, are asked to:

a. Strengthen public involvement through neighbourhood watch schemes and other mechanisms which encourage citizens to stand up for their beliefs; protect their own safety and welfare; and recognise their civic duty to combat discrimination and take a positive stand against crime;

b. In cooperation with housing authorities, develop approaches for creating defensible space and making housing more secure, cleaning and maintaining residential areas to discourage vandalism and disorder, encourage local tenancy management initiatives and direct tenant participation in managing their estates;

c. Regularly seek the views of local people through surveys, open days, neighbourhood forums and themed questionnaires to continuously assess the public’s perception of crime and fear of crime;

d. Develop an active communications strategy using all possible techniques to ensure that communications and feedback is as wide as possible, making use of leaflets and newsletters, specific consultation documents, procedures for dealing with complaints, public meetings, meetings with local politicians, neighbourhood forums, surveys, citizens’ panels and partnership groups;

e. Ensure that consultation is conducted at a level which is appropriate to the issue and meaningful to the local people. Wherever possible it should be based on natural communities rather than artificial geographical areas.

15. MANUFACTURE, COMMERCE AND PRIVATE SECTOR

To reduce crime and improve safety, it is vital to develop partnerships and initiatives with the private sector. The business and commercial sector are vital to the quality of life of any community. High crime rates are major disincentives to inward investment and public perceptions about levels of crime affect the attraction of business to a region. If car crime and burglary have been significantly reduced then this will effect the attitude of insurers and reduce the costs of running a business.

Partnership work involving the private sector as key players in the initiatives themselves can produce dramatic results and create a business and city centre environment which local people will increasingly use. The use of closed circuit television, secured car parks and improved security to business premises are amongst the situational measures which can be used.

However, there are many other ways in which public/private partnerships can work. An obvious first is that of joint finance. Often this can be further consolidated by joint resourcing with staff drawn from a range of sectors putting some of their time into working together on a scheme. These could include initiatives to reduce shop theft, to reduce burglary and damage to business premises, to improve shopping centre security and safety and to make streets and car parks more attractive.

There is another important aspect to cooperation with the private sector in reducing crime and opportunities for crime, an aspect known generally as “situational prevention”.

Economic development and a deluge of consumer goods have encouraged crime. As the number of products has increased, those in everyday use have become increasingly vulnerable. Reductions in product size encourage theft. Technological improvements mainly serve to make goods more attractive, rather than harder to steal.

Countries have failed to adopt a uniform policy on marking products such as audio-visual equipment. Car design does not really consider the problems of theft. Nor do private or public buildings take into account a certain number of safety rules or use electronic means for controlling public access.

Although many countries have inspection systems for fire and other disaster precautions, they do not deal with insecurity generated by crime. Nor are designers and builders aware of the need to take account of security considerations.

Local authorities are asked to:

a. Consider forming task oriented partnerships with the private sector, involving
the manufacturing, commercial and private sectors in their consultation process;

b. Harness the expertise of private sector employees through short term secondments, work exchanges and including them in the work of multi-agency partnerships in the local area.

c. Encourage the local manufacturing and commercial industries to carry out situational prevention, ie., measures to reduce opportunities to commit offences and to increase the chance of detection;

d. Ensure that town plans be drawn up, with architectural rules and safety measures. Safety standards should apply to various settings, such as housing developments (type of parking, private garages), neighbourhoods (size, density, and height of buildings) or individual buildings (types of entrance, security devices).

16. ADAPTING JUSTICE, PENAL SYSTEMS AND VICTIM SUPPORT

The judicial system is often cumbersome and ill-adapted to cope with certain situations.

It not always sufficiently adapted to protect citizens adequately; it is not always seen as a sufficient deterrent.

Nor are such institutions always exempt from incidents and allegations of malpractice, with the result that the public no longer has full confidence in political and judicial structures to combat crime.

There is little to be gained from improved police productivity and targeted prevention policies if it takes too long to bring people before the courts; if the sentences handed down are inappropriate to the culprits or victims concerned; if courts are inaccessible.

Imprisonment is still the central pillar of the penal system, but is no longer sufficient to deal with the insecurity that reigns in our cities. The criminal justice system intervenes on a case-by-case basis, with little permanent or coherent policy. A poorly functioning criminal justice system can do as much to make citizens feel insecure as the level of crime itself.

A response to the large body of uncivil behaviour and petty crime has often for years been ignored by the criminal justice system.

The methods and activities of the courts also need to be given some thought. Provision ought surely to be made for geographical proximity and neighbourhood courts which could take rapid action in districts and suburbs, particularly in cases where there are alternatives to the classic procedures such as conciliation, mediation, compensation and community service.

Appropriate responses could be:

a. Decentralisation in judicial systems, with the establishment of local justice and law centres, which can undertake a range of activities, such as the application of sentences, services for juvenile offenders, legal advice, aid to victims and meetings between offenders and victims. Centres could be located in low income areas, distant from the nearest courts. They can be set up in co-operation with the local authorities, which contribute to their financing and operations.

b. A multi-partner body can be set up to deal with habitual young offenders.

It operates in deprived areas and is based on four principles: the courts do not offer the best response, the majority of offenders have the potential to change, there is a greater chance of success if all the agencies concerned combine their efforts and, finally, steps must be taken to maintain people within their own community.

c. The establishment of a national young offenders' contracts programme, which offers offenders the opportunity to take part in approved activities, such as employment or training, in exchange for which the prosecution is dropped.

d. The promotion and reward of civic courage, for example, in guaranteeing the protection of witnesses.

e. The development of a range of non-custodial alternatives to prison, such as community service work, and in pressing for legislation to facilitate the use of such measures.

f. Providing, or helping others to provide employment opportunities for offenders, including measures for providing access to and advice about the labour market, vocational training and education opportunities.

g. National agencies should be established for victims support to provide information, advice and emotional support for victims of crime and their families. Their members should include representatives from different sectors (police, social services, medical services and voluntary agencies).

17. OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL INTEGRITY

Abuse of public position for private gain has significantly reduced public confidence in the trust between people and their elected representatives and the capacity of the political system to deal satisfactorily with the problem of crime.

Local elected representatives carry out their duties within the framework of the law and in accordance with the mandate given to them by the electorate. They are accountable to the whole of the local population, including those electors who did not vote for them.

It is essential that respect for the electorate’s mandate goes hand in hand with respect for ethical standards; a relationship of trust is indispensable for elected representatives to be able to perform their role effectively.

Nonetheless, there have been a number of judicial scandals, in recent years, involving political representatives who have committed offences while in office and who have used public office to personal advantage or gain, often misappropriating public funds.

It is fundamental that elected local authorities:

a. Respect the standards of behaviour expected of elected representatives in the performance of their duties;

b. Act at all times in accordance with the law, in serving the public interest and not the private interest of individuals for personal benefit;

c. Avoid a conflict of interests and abstain from deliberation or voting questions in which they have a direct or indirect personal interest;

d. Avoid holding functions, occupations or appointments which entail supervision of their own responsibilities as elected representatives;

e. Refrain from any conduct which is qualified under national or international criminal law as active or passive bribery;

f. Ensure that, in the fulfilment of their duties, there is no misappropriation of public funds or their use being put to direct or indirect personal purposes;

g. Concerning relations with the public, publish or give grounds for all decisions;

h. Ensure that appointments of administrative staff within their local authorities are based on merit and professional abilities and experience;

i. Respond honestly and fully to requests from the media for information concerning the performance of their functions whilst respecting confidential information about the private lives of elected representatives;

j. Undertake to inform their electorate of the European Code of Conduct for local and regional elected representatives, as drawn up by the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE).

18. TRANSFRONTIER CRIME

There is a concentration of criminal activity along new borders, arising partly from the division between parts of Europe into Schengen and non-Schengen areas.

Frontiers can easily be crossed by criminal activities, particularly with the assistance of modern technology, whereas they still act as a barrier to police work and policies for prevention and repression.

The border is often the place where opinions about the neighbouring country are formed, in particular about European integration in general. Trade and exchange of articles coming from smuggling, such as drugs, weapons, cars and alcohol, particularly threaten border cities.

It is important that trans and local authorities:

a. Recognise that dealing with cross border crime requires sufficient resources and efforts:

b. Promote the establishment of transborder cooperation on crime prevention and crime control between local and regional authorities;

c. Remove the mental, legal and administrative obstacles which prevent local, regional, and police authorities from coping effectively with trans-border crime;

d. Promote the establishment of bi or multinational treaties which enable local and regional authorities and the police to combine their efforts on the basis of the "European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities" and thus enable agreements on transborder prevention and/or prosecution to be made;

e. Use the growing number of transborder organisations in Europe, most of which are represented in the "Association of European Trans-border Regions", as a vehicle for an exchange of experience and initiative.

f. Seek to encourage international organisations to devote funds for existing and new programmes of assistance for trans-frontier crime prevention.

19. NEW PROFESSIONS

A wider community based approach to crime prevention has resulted in local authorities identifying new professions.

Local authorities are encouraged to promote new activities and professions, such as:-

a. "Public highway wardens", responsible for supervising parking areas preventing forms of conduct that could pose a threat to security, such as demands for money by drug addicts or car thefts;

b. Residential caretakers, who undertake maintenance duties of a technical nature in shared parts of the buildings, keep watch on the immediate vicinity and act as the first point of contact for residents with any problems;

c. Local social mediators could operate in all public areas and act as channels of communication for the public services, as well as defusing conflicts;

d. "Night correspondents" in public housing estates with much after darkness activity, to keep watch on the shared parts of the buildings, enter people's homes where their help is requested, deal with alcoholism, family violence, runaway children and broken lifts, working in partnership with police, social workers and emergency services;

e. Use of offending young people in a voluntary association working in a shopping centre, to help elderly persons to carry shopping;

f. Security staff in hospitals, in response to an increasing number of confrontations between patients, visitors and staff.

20. EUROPEAN COOPERATION, INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

Crime prevention requires international cooperation between government, police authorities, independent agencies.

It also requires cooperation between local authorities, which have a key role in:

a. Encouraging partnerships between towns on crime prevention, particularly those with innovative successful approaches;

b. Sharing information and good practice and experience between countries, making the information easily understandable and widely accessible;

c. Making citizens feel less isolated by showing them that this is a crisis that affects everyone;

d. Collectively, with national or international associations, or as part of an intergovernmental organisation such as the CLRAE itself, in the Council of Europe, and the Committee of Regions in the European Union, to:

- Encourage integrated approaches to dealing with the problems of crime and security and promote successful experience;

- Take action to ensure that national governance systems are conducive to the establishment of safe living environments;

- Prepare reports and organising international cooperation on different aspects of crime prevention;

- Calls for programmes for action on the subject, to be undertaken by international bodies,

e. Promote the establishment of a network of documentation centres to facilitate the exchange of information on crime prevention, victim assistance and other subjects of common interest, between officials of central and local government, universities and other agencies.