ELIMINATING CRIME The Essential Principles of 7Police-based Crime Reduction Dr. Irwin Cohen Dr. Darryl Plecas Amanda McCormick Adrienne Peters SCHOOL OF CRIMINOLOGY & CENTRE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY & CRIMINAL JUSTICE CRIMINAL JUSTICE RESEARCH Eliminating Crime: The Seven Essential Principles of Police-based Crime Reduction Dr. Irwin Cohen Dr. Darryl Plecas Amanda McCormick Adrienne Peters © 2014 Len Garis, University of the Fraser Valley Publisher: Len Garis, University of the Fraser Valley Len Garis, Fire Chief for the City of Surrey in British Columbia, is an adjunct professor at the University of the Fraser Valley’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Dedication This book is dedicated to Mayor Dianne Watts, LL.D (Hon.) who was fi rst elected as the Mayor of Surrey, British Columbia in 2005 and was re-elected to a third term in November 2011. Under her leadership, the City of Surrey implemented its award-winning Crime Reduction Strategy, which refl ected a deep commitment to the underlying principles of crime reduction. Since its introduction in 2006, Surrey has achieved signifi cant progress in increasing public safety and much of this success can be attributed to Mayor Watts’s vision and leadership on the issues of crime and public safety. Eliminating Crime: The Seven Essential Principles of Police-based Crime Reduction About the Authors Dr. Irwin M. Cohen Dr. Irwin M. Cohen is a faculty member in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of the Fraser Valley, the holder of the University Senior Research Chair, RCMP for Crime Reduction, and the Director of the Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research. He received his PhD from Simon Fraser University for his work on the disutility of state torture. Dr. Cohen has also published many scholarly articles and book chapters, delivered many lectures, conference papers, and workshops, and written policy reports on a wide range of topics including policing issues, restorative justice, serious and violent young offenders, Aboriginal victimization issues, and terrorism. Dr. Cohen has been the co-principle investigator on dozens of research projects on a wide range of policing, youth, policing, public policy, and Aboriginal issues. For his research into binge drinking, Dr. Cohen received the 2007 Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Citizens of Distinction Award for Research Prevention/Education. Dr. Darryl Plecas Dr. Darryl Plecas is Professor Emeritus at the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of the Fraser Valley. He is the author or co-author of more than 200 research reports and publications addressing a broad range of criminal justice issues. He holds two degrees in criminology from Simon Fraser University, and a doctorate in Higher Education from the University of British Columbia. He is currently the Member of the Legislative Assembly for British Columbia representing Abbotsford South and Parliamentary Secretary for Crime Reduction to the Minister of Justice. Amanda V. McCormick Amanda V. McCormick is a faculty member in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of the Fraser Valley where she teaches courses related to social policy, young offenders, and mental health issues related to crime. She is also a Research Associate with the Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research and the UFV Centre for Safe Schools and Communities. Her research interests focus on policing strategies, at-risk youth, and mental health issues among serious and violent young offenders. Amanda is also a doctoral student at Simon Fraser University where she is completing her dissertation on personality disorders and serious and violent young offenders. Adrienne M.F. Peters Adrienne M.F. Peters is a research assistant for the Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research and an instructor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of the Fraser Valley. Her research interests include best practices in policing, collaborative crime reduction strategies, young offenders, mental health and its association with delinquency, serious and violent youth offending, young offender rehabilitation, and the Youth Criminal Justice Act and young offender policy. Adrienne is a doctoral candidate in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University where she is researching specialized probation caseloads for serious-violent/gang-involved and mentally disordered young offenders. She is also the research director for the Study on Specialized Community Case Management of Young Offenders. Table of Contents Acknowledgements 1 Forward 2 Introduction 3 Chapter 1: Be Information-led 5 Chapter 2: Be Intelligence-led 15 Chapter 3: Focus on Offenders 39 Chapter 4: Focus on Problems 51 Chapter 5: Develop Meaningful Partnerships 69 Chapter 6: Be Preemptive 99 Chapter 7: Be Performance-based 123 Conclusion 139 Appendix 142 Eliminating Crime: The Seven Essential Principles of Police-based Crime Reduction Acknowledgements he authors would like to thank the following Mike Sekela, Director of Investigations, Alberta people for sharing their experiences and Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), Alberta. Texpertise: Rick Lucy, Deputy Chief Operations, Abbotsford Adam Palmer, Deputy Chief, Investigation Division, Police Department, British Columbia. Vancouver Police Department, British Columbia. Ryan Prox, Special Constable, Analytic Services Alex Tyakoff, Senior Crime Analyst, Port Moody Coordinator, Vancouver Police Department, British Police Department, British Columbia. Columbia. Brian Foote, Sergeant, Instructor/Field Coordinator, Sarah Palmer, Criminal Intelligence Analyst, RCMP, National Performance Programs, RCMP “E” Division, Kelowna Detachment, British Columbia. British Columbia. Shane Barber, Inspector, West Vancouver Police Brooke Thomas, Crime Analyst, Burnaby RCMP, Department, British Columbia. British Columbia. Shelley Cole, Crime Prevention Coordinator, Crime Colin Thomson, A/Inspector, Operations Control Prevention Unit, Community Services Sections, New Branch, Abbotsford Police Department, British Westminster Police, British Columbia. Columbia. Sherry Mumford, Fraser Health Director of Clinical Dan Barnscher, Deputy Fire Chief, Facilities/ Programs, MHSUS, Langley and Maple Ridge Mental Emergency Planning, City of Surrey Fire Service. Health and Child, Youth, and Adult Substance Use Services, British Columbia. Don McKenna, Inspector, OIC of “K” Community Policing, RCMP, Alberta. Taylor Quee, Constable, Police Mental Health Liaison Offi cer, Surrey RCMP, British Columbia. Jim Begley, RCMP Superintendant (Retired). Tim Shields, Inspector, Regional Duty Offi cer, BC Kevin Kunetzki, Sergeant, Detachment Commander, RCMP, British Columbia. RCMP, Beaumont Detachment, Alberta. Tom McMahon, Senior Addictions Outreach Worker, Len Garis, Fire Chief, City of Surrey Fire Services. Fraser Health, British Columbia. 1 Forward ere is a book that provides the tools for any so in a very short period of time. Yes, we should still fi nd police organization to drive down crime. It ways to support young people who are at higher risk Hsets out the proven principles for making a of being drawn a criminal lifestyle, and yes we should community safe. It will allow police leaders and agencies work with our partners to help people who commit to design their own strategies to solve the unique crime because they are drug addicted or mentally ill. challenges to make any community safe. These are good initiatives that create the promise of better community health in the long run. But, fi rst and Criminologists have been working on the causes of foremost, the mission of police must be to drive down crime for many years. Theories and studies abound, each crime and make our communities safe. explaining part of the puzzle. Unfortunately, for a number of years, police and community leaders believed that if Police have tried a lot of different strategies and programs social, psychological, and demographic factors were the to make this happen. Some worked, some did not. It root causes of crime, the corollary was that police were turns out the right strategies will depend on the specifi c powerless to substantially reduce crime in a community. challenges in the community being served. There is no The mindset was that police were competent to solve a doubt that some communities do present larger challenges given crime, but the only way to make the community than others; however, the fundamental principles remain safe was to solve the underlying community issues that consistent. This book lays out the working principles that were driving the commission of crime. Until the 1990s, will reduce crime. It is a great blend of crime fi ghting this “understanding” of crime was endemic in police stories and a summary of the research showing what has thinking, without reference, evidence, or discussion. worked and why. It provides a template for any police agency of any size that wants to change the “way things William Bratton, the Commissioner of the NYPD in are” and contribute substantially to reducing crime in the mid 1990s, famously pointed out that, in reality, it their community. It will also help a police agency already was people who were committing crimes, and the police down this path by providing a checklist to see if they are play a critical role in stopping people from committing fi ring on all cylinders. In the fi ght to reduce crime, the crime. In other words, whatever the root causes of crime trick for us all is to incorporate those ideas,