NCJ Number
100296
Date Published
1984
Length
52 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the Metropolitan Police Department's community crime prevention program and evaluates it in terms of police resource allocations and police and community responsiveness.
Abstract
As of April 1984, the program consisted of 21 consultative, 15 crime prevention panels, a property-marking program, and 390 Neighborhood Watch schemes. An additional 509 Neighborhood Watch schemes are planned. The program's strategy combines force-wide and local initiatives using existing community structures. Startup and maintenance costs of these initiatives are high, and while divisions are barely coping with conventional demands, both conventional patrolling and service policing must be increased as a prerequisite for community participation. Public response to the program has been best in areas with a high percentage of owner-occupiers and among those already involved in volunteer work. It has been poorest in areas with the worst social conditions. Police response to the program has been enthusiastic at all levels. Finally, claims about the success of the initiatives is difficult to document, and the action plans have not generated the necessary management information for effective program monitoring. Recommendations for improving the program are presented; appendixes provide additional program information in tabular form. 15 references.