The project serves two Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership areas (CDRPs) in the Mansfield and Ashfield area, which constitutes the Nottinghamshire Police ‘A’ Division.

Mansfield is a large market town, badly affected by the decline in the Nottinghamshire coal mining industry. It suffers from multiple factors of social deprivation including a crime rate higher than the national average, particularly in terms of drug misuse and burglary.

Lack of suitable housing is a significant barrier to the rehabilitation of offenders and developing productive links with housing providers initially proved to be difficult. The introduction of Criminal Justice Intervention Teams has enabled the problem to be addressed.

The objective of the project is to reduce acquisitive crime, defined as burglary, street crime and serious auto crime. It was recognised that a relatively small number of offenders were responsible for disproportionately high levels of acquisitive crime.

In the majority of cases, the criminal behaviour was fuelled by the need to maintain an expensive drug habit. The aims of the project are to identify the prolific offenders and by working in partnership with key agencies, provide a choice between rehabilitation or enforcement

The unit is staffed by officers from the police and probation service and includes a drugs worker and an Access into Education, Training and Employment worker.

A simple “carrot and stick” approach is adopted. Shared intelligence is a key factor. Building on the Mansfield Unit, the prolific offending approach has been rolled out across the Nottinghamshire police area with the Sherwood Project.

A unique initiative coming out of the prolific offender unit approach has been the development of a central multi agency intelligence team (MAIT) consisting of police, prison service and probation personnel working alongside a crime analyst with administrative support.

Since the introduction of the Unit, burglary and robbery in the Mansfield and Ashfield area has dropped dramatically. Overall, crime has been reduced by 30%. A scoring matrix assesses the criminality of individual offenders. Offending behaviour two years prior to and after registration with the unit is recorded to measure progress. The level of crime has dropped by 56% and the offending profile changed to less serious offences. Many offenders have moved out of the criminal justice system altogether.

The project has been evaluated by Kings College London on behalf of the Police Standards Unit and by the Home Office.

The community

The main partners in the project are the Police, Probation Service, Prison Service and the National Health Service.

Regeneration East Midlands (REM)
info@regenerationem.co.uk

//2003

case

Urban Policy > Housing > Housing quality

Housing improvement