a presentation on

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a presentation on

• Tackling City Centre Assaults in Foyle DCU

Tilley Award Winner Crime and Disorder
Reduction Category By Julie McNerlin and
Samantha Allen, District Police Analysts,
P.S.N.I 12th February 2004
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Catalysts to tackling assaults problems

• Policing Board targets
• Strategic Tactical Assessments
• Jill Dando Course

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Overview of Assaults Problem

• Total of 1948 assaults in Foyle DCU, in 12 month
  period equivalent to 5 per day
• More than one-quarter of all assaults in the DCU
  result in serious injury
• Approximately 10 of all assaults involved the
  use of a weapon or dangerous object
• Almost half of all assaults in the DCU occur in
  the City Centre approximately 16 per week

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Objectives of Strategy

• Reduce City Centre Assaults by more than 8
• Implement a media strategy
• Share ownership of the Assaults problem through a
  multi-partnership approach
• Investigate the myth of City Centre Assault
  Gang
• Improve police crime recording data

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Analysis of Problem

• The 5 Ws and an H principle used to identify
  patterns and trends
• WHAT was the problem
• WHEN did the problem occur
• WHO was the victim and offender
• WHY was the problem occurring
• HOW did the problem occur
• WHERE did the problem occur

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Key Initiatives

• Partnership with Bar-Owners/Managers
• Partnership with Local Public Transport
  Provider
• Partnership with Local Council
• Partnership with Department of Environment
• Partnership with Local University

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Education Media Campaign

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Difficulties encountered

• Use of police logos
• Resistance to establishment of Radio Link
• Political backlash from publication of
  photographs
  of offenders in local newspaper
• Involvement of local hospital

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Results
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Halloween Celebrations
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Other Assessment Evaluation

• Implementation of a media strategy
• Multi-partnership approach
• Investigate the myth of Gang related assaults
• Reduce the number of serious assaults and the
  number of assaults using a weapon
• Improve police crime recording
• The yellow jackets

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Spin-offs from the Strategy

• Partnerships developed
• Improvement in quality and use of CCTV tapes
• Use of yellow jackets
• Use of Video Identification Unit