Abstract
This paper focuses on descriptions of crime prevention projects identified as ‘good practice’, and how they are captured and shared in knowledge bases, with the purpose of improving performance in the field as a whole. This relates both to evidence-based approaches to practice, and to growing attempts at explicit knowledge management. There are, however, fundamental issues in the transfer of effective practice in the crime prevention field, which few working knowledge bases have properly addressed. Evaluation often remains weak and descriptions of successful projects do not always contain the right information to help practitioners select and replicate projects suitable for transfer to their own contexts. Knowledge remains fragmentary. With these concerns in mind this paper systematically examines the projects contained in the UK Home Office ‘Effective Practice Database’, a repository of project descriptions volunteered and self-completed on a standard online form by practitioners. The Home Office descriptions (and their equivalents elsewhere) reveal significant limitations of richness, retrievability and reliability. Ways of addressing these issues are discussed, ranging from the media and processes of ‘knowledge-harvesting’ to the use of more purpose-designed frameworks such as 5Is. But the fundamental issue remains one of taking knowledge management seriously and investing sustained time, money and leadership effort to make it work.
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Notes
Available at: www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/epd/index.cgi
Since this research was conducted the HOEPD has made various improvements, some on the basis of our observations. These include allowing registered users to view and add ratings in addition to providing comments on the project summaries. These ratings are based on the overall strategy, transferability and impact the initiative has made to address the original problem. Stronger links have also been made with the Tilley Award (these reward good practice in problem-oriented policing). Further changes are planned.
Simply, a systematic review is a synthesis of existing evidence related to a particular topic.
A volume in the crosscutting ‘problems solving tool’ series of COPS (Brown and Scott 2007) does make more of the kind of information needed to guide selection and replication but this has yet to percolate through the problem-specific guides.
Ekblom (2002a) distinguishes between ‘know-about, know-what works, know-where, know-who, know-how and know-why’).
The database allows search on key words or there is an advanced search facility which enables you to search by ‘operational topics’ along with characteristics of victims and offenders and location type. You can also search on ‘organisational topics’ (e.g. governance of initiatives or cross cutting solutions) and ‘hallmarks of effective partnerships’ (e.g. skills and knowledge, community engagement, intelligence-led processes, effective leadership).
Discussion with the Home Office reveals an intention for the headings to evolve on the basis of consultation with users and reviews.
The ‘Distington project’ www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/cgi-bin/epd/index.cgi?action=viewidea&ideaid=1061), ‘Walsingham project’ www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/cgi-bin/epd/index.cgi?action=viewidea&ideaid=1065)
The system is described in Ekblom (2002b, 2005, 2007) and a range of further guides and case studies is at www.designagainstcrime.com/crimeframeworks. An example of a detailed project description, on preventing underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, is at www.designagainstcrime.com/web/5iscco.docs/gpps05.doc. A simplified format for capturing project information using 5Is is at www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/ipak/evidencebase/burglary005.htm. A trial knowledge management system based on 5Is is under development by the Australian Institute of Criminology at www.aic.gov.au/research/projects/openaxis.html. Other good examples include a description, in a report for the New Deal for Communities programme (Adamson 2004) of a youth crime project using intensive supervision; and a domestic burglary reduction project from the Home Office’s own Crime Reduction Programme (undated) which can be found at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/r204sup5bacup.pdf
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For helpful comments we are grateful to Jessica Anderson, Jason Roach and Aiden Sidebottom, plus an anonymous referee
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Bullock, K., Ekblom, P. Richness, Retrievability and Reliability–Issues in a Working Knowledge Base for Good Practice in Crime Prevention. Eur J Crim Policy Res 16, 29–47 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-010-9116-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-010-9116-9