Best Value Review

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Street Crime Sustainability DCS Michael
Barton
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Scanning
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Vancouver December 2001
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Vancouver December 2001
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Street Crime in Lancashire

• Average of 30 robberies per week across
  Lancashire (now reduced to less than 25)
• Robbery not seen as a problem in Lancashire not
  in the Control Strategy
• No career robbers robbers committed many other
  crimes
• Most robberies in or near open drug markets

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Issues relating to drug fuelled crime in
Blackpool Lancashire

• 2001 30 Increase Burglary, Autocrime, Robbery
• Crack Cocaine Increase
• Poor Post Charge Targeting
• Prison Population 73,000
• E.C.H.R. Bail and sentencing
• Probation, Police and Prisons
• Drug Treatment Waiting Lists
• 5th Highest Drug Related Deaths

Slide
Funded by Communities Against Drugs Supported by
Police Standards Unit
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Analysis
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NIMROD Problem Solving
Offender. Nimrod-Level 1-2 arrest and
disruption. Proceeds of Crime
Victim. Treatment Plans, Tower project, D.A.T. Edu
cation,Coaching CARATs Scheme.
Drug Markets
Location Nimrod-Level 1arrest
and disruption. Drugs market assessments Community
Plans, availability data etc.
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Target Locations - Characteristics

• Substance misuse related criminality of great
  concern to communities
• Class A drugs were easily accessible in highly
  visible open markets
• Most prevalent MO involved users contacting
  dealers mobile phones from centrally located
  telephone kiosks
• Majority of dealers - white males in 20s and
  30s
• Heroin was most prevalent drug. Crack available
  in most areas in lesser quantities
• Crack dealers in Blackburn had been predominantly
  Asian
• Crack increasingly seen being sold by organised
  groups of Merseyside dealers
• Organised Crime Groups from other areas targeting
  our open drug markets

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Response
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Operation Nimrod

• Application of National Intelligence Model
  disciplines
• Redirected - Open and Semi Open drugs markets
• Reassurance of beleaguered communities
• Targeted at drug dealers involved in and
  generating volume crime

• Rotating team of 2 x 12 Test Purchasers (no
  separate backroom)
• Over 30 drugs dealers per month
• Sentences usually over 3yrs imprisonment
• Guilty pleas the norm (8 cases out of 500)

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Darwen, Dec 2003 Regional Co-ordination
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Nimrod

• Charged on 27/06/02
• 1x supply heroin
• 1x offer to supply
• Sentenced 15/10/02
• 3years imprisonment

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Operation Nimrod- Reassurance

• Community Reassurance plan objectives.
• Communication (secrets)
• Reassurance(raid a day)
• Prevention of acquisitive crime
• Sustainability(breathing space,other agencies)

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Assessment
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Operation Nimrod - results

• All 6 Divisions covered 5 divisions in one day.
• By Dec 2003 over 500 Class A Drug Dealers were
  arrested.
• Dealers described robberies to u/c officers
• Virtually all Guilty Pleas (8 cases u/c officers
  gave evidence).
• Most sentences over 3 years imprisonment Prison
  Space?
• Inclusion of community impact statement Amos
  sentenced to 8 yrs

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Nimrod - Links to Street Crime

• Percentage of Nimrod targets arrested and
  convicted who have previous Street Crime
  convictions
• A Western (Blackpool)
  83
• B Northern (Fwood,Lancaster,Morecambe) 73
• C Southern (Chorley,Skelmersdale)
  82
• D Central (Preston)
  77
• E Eastern (Blackburn,Accrington)
  54
• F Pennine (Burnley,Nelson,Colne)
  53
• Force 72 - 141 targets imprisoned of which 101
  have previous convictions for street crime

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Operation Nimrod - Outcomes

• Open Drug Markets can be closed
• Preserving tactics protects experts
• Some deals now 1 heroin not 30
• Im happy with my methadone and 2 cans of
  Stella
• Evidence of Dealers from Merseyside avoiding
  Lancashire
• Tackling Jamaican Crack dealers on arrival
• Smaller communities towns and rural communities
  empowered

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Tower Project

• There are currently 120 clients on the scheme of
  which
• 48 are in prison.
• 39 are in Tower drug treatment and supervision.
• 32 have been exited off the project.
• 6 are refusing all help.
• 39 are on a probation licence or order.
• Axis has been developed for persistent offenders
  U18yrs.

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Social Exclusion Unit Reducing re-offending by
ex-prisoners

• 9 key factors
• Education
• Employment
• Drug and alcohol misuse
• Mental and physical health
• Attitudes and self control
• Institutionalism and life-skills
• Housing
• Financial support and debt
• Family networks

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Social Exclusion Unit Report -Reducing
re-offending

• Being in employment reduces re-offending by
  between a third and a half
• Housing having stable accommodation reduces
  re-offending by a fifth
• Ex-prisoners are effectively excluded from these
  essential services
• Access to learning and drug treatment is hard
• Access to housing and benefits is harder

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What have we achieved?

• 25yrs of ineffectual sentencing 62 convictions
  620 or 6,200 crimes committed? sentenced in
  all to 24 months
• Nimrod 3 days effort 8 weeks from deployment
  to arrest remained in custody guilty plea
  40 months

Nothing if she re offends!!!
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Issues

• Fighting street criminals through targeting open
  drug markets (Nimrod ) and coercive drugs
  treatment (Tower) appears to work
• There is a lack of resources for and
  co-ordination of drug treatment services which is
  adversely affecting crime and reassurance
• Especially doctor time and treatment workers
• Prison Space impact on sentencing?

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Street Crime Sustainability DCS Michael
Barton