Getting residents involved in neighbourhood safety: Are you doing things right or are you doing the right things?

Research findings: what to consider when promoting citizen participation in neighbourhood safety policy

The project has not been evaluated yet, therefore concrete conclusions cannot be formulated. However, from the pilot in the neighbourhood Transvaal  (The Hague, the Netherlands) some recommendations have been formulated:

• Municipalities should see to good conditions for neighbourhood safety;
• Determine which groups of residents are most important for the safety of the neighbourhood and get together with this group in order to discuss the topic;
• Find out what is already being done in terms of safety and work from this point forward to see what else can be done in order to improve neighbourhood safety;
• Residents have another logic than the government/municipality. Choose to work from the point of view of the residents.

The methodology will include a checklist with these recommendations. Van Marissing: “The method consists mainly of building blocks. The basis remains the same but the content can differ per city or neighbourhood.”

Identify initiatives to match the target

The researchers have found that it is not always the case that all initiatives in the area of neighbourhood security contribute to the goal. Van der Beijl: “What we would like to see in neighbourhoods is an agreement on certain points from which the goal and the organisation can be determined. Which initiatives work well and which initiatives do not work in order to reach the goal? The fact that you are doing well does not mean that you are doing the right things.”

Provide good conditions to promote participation

The pilot in Transvaal also brought forward the importance of a municipality to create good conditions to launch citizen participation. Van Marissing: “You cannot expect people to become active and participate out of themselves. Certain points have to be considered first. What about the residents? Do they feel a sense of urgency to participate? Are they organized or not? Are there bad relationships, conflicts or competition? For example, you might be thinking about neighbourhood fathers, but then you need a group of men who are involved in their neighbourhood. If this group does not exist then you can invest in neighbourhood fathers, but this will not result in anything.”

The government should listen to what residents are saying

According to van Marissing the government should not bring people together in order to discuss themes which the government finds important but rather the other way around, to discuss aspects which matter to the people. “This has been a very important lesson from the pilot. Not only should the government strive to have all people focused on the same goals within citizen participation but they should also try to understand why people see certain points the way they do”. To find out how the residents of neighbourhood Transvaal really think about neighbourhood safety the researchers have chosen to work with hard to reach target groups such as women, entrepreneurs and Moroccan men and boys. Standard questions resulted in little. Finding a connection to the real world in which residents live was far more effective. Van der Beijl: “The women were a difficult group. They are very fragmented and talking about safety with women proved to be difficult. There was little urgency and many taboos. In order to create a connection with this group we had to focus on issues which are of importance to the female residents, like language and work. I would advise others to try to find out which motives there are for people to engage in neighbourhood participation and how this can be connected to the theme of security and safety.”

Sense of urgency is important in citizen participation

Working with target groups has made it clear amongst others that a sense of urgency is necessary in order to get residents to participate in neighbourhood safety. Van Marissing: “Within the group of entrepreneurs we have seen that the urgency is high enough to make real steps towards active participation.” Van der Beijl adds that a visit abroad made it clear to the entrepreneurs that others in the same field in different countries encounter similar problems and have similar interests as themselves. The entrepreneurial association now has more support in order to address safety issues.”

The logic of the citizens is different from the logic of the government

The pilot in Transvaal also brought to light that the experience of citizens is different from that of the government. Van Marissing: “One should be aware that steps are being made which will affect the perception of the people. For example, projects are ended while people have no idea about the reasons for quitting the project.” Van der Beijl: “The government thinks in big steps and wants to see quick results. The people think in small steps, but these have very significant value to them. Neighbourhoods need a strong basis, clear structures and distinct groups. This does not happen overnight. It takes time.”

Background of this research on neighbourhood safety

This project started in 2008 and it is commissioned by the Centre for Crime Prevention and Safety (CCV) in the Netherlands. The executive parties in this research are the Verwey-Jonker Institute, TNO Research Institute and Twynstra Gudde. In order to find the right information for the pilot the researchers ‘lived’ in Transvaal for a week.