--- title: "The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield" type: "pdf" year: "2013" canonical: "/projects/799" --- # Enfield Community Safety Partnership # Table of Contents - [Enfield Community Safety Partnership](#enfield-community-safety-partnership) - [The Robbery of School Age](#the-robbery-of-school-age) - [Victims in Enfield](#victims-in-enfield) - [(London, United Kingdom)](#london-united-kingdom) - [Agency and Officer Information](#agency-and-officer-information) - [Project Team Members](#project-team-members) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [Project Contact Person(s)](#project-contact-persons) - [Address](#address) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [Summary](#summary) - [Scanning](#scanning) - [Analysis](#analysis) - [Victims](#victims) - [Offenders](#offenders) - [Locations](#locations) - [Response](#response) - [Victims](#victims) - [Offenders](#offenders) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [Locations](#locations) - [Assessment](#assessment) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [Scanning](#scanning) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [Analysis](#analysis) - [Victims / Targets](#victims-targets) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [Offenders](#offenders) - [Locations](#locations) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [Response](#response) - [Victims / Targets](#victims-targets) - [Victims / Targets](#victims-targets) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [Offenders](#offenders) - [OFFENDERS](#offenders) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [Locations](#locations) - [LOCATIONS](#locations) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [Assessment](#assessment) - [Recorded Crime Data](#recorded-crime-data) - [Enforcement \& Intervention](#enforcement-intervention) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [Effectiveness of Responses](#effectiveness-of-responses) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [Diffusion of Benefits](#diffusion-of-benefits) - [Conclusion](#conclusion) - [Glossary](#glossary) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK)](#the-robbery-of-school-age-victims-in-enfield-london-uk) - [Bibliography](#bibliography) ## The Robbery of School Age ## Victims in Enfield ### (London, United Kingdom) ![img-0.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-0.jpeg) Sandeep Broca, Youth Crime Analyst Iain Agar, Community Safety Analyst ![img-1.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-1.jpeg) # Agency and Officer Information ## Project Team Members - Community \& Voluntary, Enfield Street Pastors - Community \& Voluntary, X-Bus - Community \& Voluntary, Youth Engagement Panel - Enfield Business and Retail Association - London Borough of Enfield, Community Safety Unit - London Borough of Enfield, Educational Welfare - London Borough of Enfield, Local Education Authority - London Borough of Enfield, Trading Standards - London Borough of Enfield, Youth Offending Service - London Borough of Enfield, Youth Support Services - Metropolitan Police, Safer Neighbourhood Estates Team (Housing Projects based officers) - Metropolitan Police, Safer Neighbourhood Parks Unit (Park and green spaces based officers) - Metropolitan Police, Safer Schools Team (High School based officers) - Metropolitan Police, Safer Transport Team (Transport Hub based officers) # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) ## Project Contact Person(s) Name: Sandeep Broca Name: Iain Agar Position: Youth Crime Analyst Position: Community Safety Analyst Phone: 02083791861 Phone: 02083794069 Email: Sandeep.Broca@enfield.gov.uk Email: Iain.Agar@enfield.gov.uk ## Address Community Safety Unit, B-Block North Civic Centre Silver Street Enfield EN1 3XA Greater London England, UK # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) ## Summary ## Scanning - Increasing levels of youth crime (+18\% from 2007-08 to 2009-10) - Notable rises in youth street robbery - Widespread condemnation by media, politicians and residents - Research with high school pupils identified over 50\% worried about travelling to and from school due to threat, or perceived threat, of being bullied or attacked and having their possessions stolen/robbed - Qualitative analysis revealed robbery was often a precursor to violent incidents - Youths significantly over-represented as victims of street robbery ( $10 \%$ of local population but $44 \%$ of victims) - Project focus youth street robbery ## Analysis - High rates of offending/victimisation involving high school pupils (10-17) ## Victims - Vulnerable, wealthy looking targets, in possession of expensive mobile phones - Motivations were strongly connected to offenders perceived need to acquire luxury goods - $69 \%$ of victims had their mobile phone stolen - Victims fearful of reprisal, would not attend court ## Offenders - $96 \%$ offenders were males, often in the high school year above their victims - $70 \%$ multiple suspects involved - 30\% offenders had been excluded or externally suspended from school - Those who misused cannabis reoffended at higher rates than non-drug users - $50 \%$ offences were not sanctioned # Locations - Temporal and seasonal data showed a strong correlation with school terms and immediate after school hours (3pm-6pm) - Offending reduced dramatically in locations beyond 750 m from high school - 1 in 5 of all robbery offences took place within 0.5 m of a secondary school between 3pm-6pm ## Response - Previous enforcement focussed responses had no impact ## Victims - Victim awareness for all transitional pupils prior to high school - Mobile phone registration for pupils on national database - Online anonymous reporting system - Anti-bullying scheme - Dedicated victim support worker to assist victims through criminal justice process ## Offenders - Group dispersal zones - Anti-Social Behaviour Orders - Internal exclusion policies in high schools - Truancy enforcement - Peer-to-peer mentoring and outreach # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) - Substance misuse programmes - Robbery Q-Car ## Locations - Staggered school closing times - Diversionary activities and outreach - Mobile youth centre - Disrupting stolen goods markets - Time-location targeted patrols - Community Help Point Scheme - Deployable CCTV ## Assessment - Reduction over four years of -59.2\% (318 fewer offences) - Total cost saving of $£ 2,151,110$ - Increase in offenders under supervision, 321 to 526 - $50 \%$ of drug misusing offenders in treatment did not reoffend - $256 \%$ increase in number of offences captured on CCTV - $83 \%$ increase in number of persons arrested at scene with aid of CCTV - Youth street robbery in spatially-temporally targeted areas fell 19 percentage points more than in non-targeted areas and 51 percentage points more than the reduction among adult robberies # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) ## Scanning From early 2000, youth crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the London Borough of Enfield rose steadily. Whilst this initially consisted mainly of low level incidents amounting to nuisance, the offence types became steadily more serious over a number of years. By 2005, almost 1,100 offences were being reported annually, an average of 21 per week. At this time, the most common youth related crimes were violence, robbery, theft and drug offences. These occurred in various settings; in particular, violence was focussed around high streets, robberies often took place around schools and transport hubs, thefts occurred almost exclusively in commercial areas and drugs offences were mostly located in residential estates. Between 2007-08 and 2009-10 fiscal years, youth crime in Enfield increased by 18% (1,680 reported crimes). Most categories of crime had remained stable or even in decline except robbery and violence, both experiencing increases in excess of +20% (see Chart 1). Robbery (34% of youth crime) ![img-2.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-2.jpeg) # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) and violence ( $40 \%$ of youth crime) accounted for $74 \%$ of all youth crime in Enfield. Robbery in particular at this time was a strategic priority for Enfield's Community Safety Partnership (CSP), contributing to our serious acquisitive crime (SAC) target. The rising trend in youth robbery and violence attracted widespread condemnation across the community, including: - Negative media coverage, with newspapers claiming youth crime was 'affecting us all'1 - Political parties highlighted concerns publicly, resulting from the 2009 Enfield Residents Survey whereby $81 \%$ of respondents highlighted community safety issues relating to teenagers as a problem. - Enfield was the $16^{\text {th }}$ highest ranked area nationally for robbery, with an annual increase of approximately $10 \%$ being recorded year on year to $2010^{2}$ London Metropolitan University were commissioned to carry out independent research on youth crime in Enfield. They convened 21 groups with the local community and community stakeholders, including pupils and staff at six high schools across Enfield in 2009. During the research 100 one-to-one interviews were conducted with local pupils. This revealed further demand: - More than half of those interviewed stating they felt threatened travelling to/from school - This was due to threat, or perceived threat, of being bullied or attacked and having their possessions stolen/robbed - Qualitative analysis from verbatim responses revealed that robbery was often a precursor to violent incidents [^0] [^0]: ${ }^{1}$ Enfield Independent (2008). Youth crime affects all of us, says Conservative Party. Available: http://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/2023301.youth_crime affects all of us says conservative party/ Last accessed $20^{\text {th }}$ May 2013. ${ }^{2}$ Home Office (2010). Crime in England and Wales 2009 to 2010. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crime-in-england-and-wales-2009-to-2010-findings-from-the-british-crime-survey-and-police-recorded-crime. Last accessed $20^{\text {th }}$ May 2013. # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) Enfield educates over 18,000 young people daily (second highest in London) in 24 high schools. This large student population leads to significant demand on local resources, including transport, policing and environmental services. As youth crime worsened, it became evident that these young people were being affected as both victims and perpetrators and that a greater understanding of the issue was required. Proportionately, those aged 10-17 account for 10\% of Enfield's population. Where robbery was concerned this age group was hugely overrepresented - present in $44 \%$ of all street robbery offences recorded between 2007-08 and 2009-10. According to the Home Office, the average socio-economic cost of a robbery offence in London is $£ 8,810$. The total cost of youth street robbery in Enfield between 2007-08 and 2009-10 was $£ 12,166,610$. Furthermore, research from the annual British Crime Survey estimates that $82 \%$ of victims are emotionally affected, including 20\% losing confidence and feeling vulnerable, 25\% becoming more fearful, $14 \%$ have difficulty sleeping, $11 \%$ suffering panic or anxiety attacks and $12 \%$ suffering depression. Such emotional impact has a wider negative effect on education and future employment, for example days of lost output and attainment levels. Due to these factors, the project focus was refined to addressing street robbery involving those aged 10-17 in Enfield. # Analysis Analysis includes police recorded crime data, survey/interview data with young people, qualitative data and academic research. Youth crime is defined by the Metropolitan Police and Youth Justice Board of England \& Wales as involving those aged 10-17. ## Victims / Targets In Enfield 44\% of all street robbery involves victims aged 10-17. Within this cohort those aged 12-16 had the highest rates of victimisation (Chart 2), accounting for $80 \%$. In terms of ethnic appearance the breakdown of victims is reflective of the population ethnicity breakdown for this age group. In terms of gender, males ( $86 \%$ ) are far more likely to be targeted in street robbery offences. ![img-3.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-3.jpeg) Research with young people and young offenders (locally and in the London region) identified that victims were selected who were deemed to look wealthy or who were known to be in possession of expensive items. Offenders interviewed identified their victims as 'rich' or 'posh' people. # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) Just over 50\% of all street robbery offences in Enfield include a mobile phone being stolen. This rises to $69 \%$ for victims aged 10-17, a further $26 \%$ included cash/currency being stolen. Offences whereby a mobile phone is the only item taken accounts for $31 \%$ Enfield wide and rises to $45 \%$ for those aged $10-17$. ## Offenders Mobile phones have a special status value amongst young people as a primary fashion accessory. To purchase a hi-spec model can cost in excess of $£ 300-500$ therefore the majority of school-aged children are unable to generate the income needed to purchase one legitimately. In Enfield $33 \%{ }^{3}$ of children reside in deprived households. Local and regional research revealed that young people judge each other according to styles and status objects and being unable to meet these standards can increase vulnerability and risk of bullying. Where this is unattainable and the imperative to conform is overwhelming, the only option is to acquire these products illicitly through stealing or buying at a reduced cost from offenders knowing it has been stolen. ${ }^{4}$ London based research revealed that a significant proportion of street robbery offenders were from households headed by single female parents and households with no adults in employment ${ }^{5}$. Furthermore, motivations for offending were strongly connected to their perceived need to acquire luxury goods their parent/s could not provide. Crime data in Enfield shows that $96 \%$ of all youth street robbery offenders were male. Within the youth cohort the proportion of offenders increases notably at 15 to 17 (compared to 12-16 for victims). Suspects tended to be in the school year above their victims. [^0] [^0]: ${ }^{3}$ HMRC (2010) Child Poverty Data http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/child-poverty-stats.htm\#3 Enfield had the $12^{\text {th }}$ highest proportion of children in poverty of 326 districts in England. ${ }^{4}$ Enfield's Life Opportunities for Young People research and the Youth Justice Board Young People \& Street Crime in London research. ${ }^{5}$ Census 2011 data for Enfield shows $8.5 \%$ of households with dependent children and no adults in employment, and $11.8 \%$ of households are lone parents with dependent children. Both indicators rank in the worst $1 \%$ nationally. Street robbery was commonly committed by multiple suspects, with $35.4 \%$ of offences having two suspects and $35.1 \%$ having three-or-more suspects. When suspects outnumbered victims, victims would hand over their possessions without resistance. In $29 \%$ of cases a knife was threatened or intimated by the suspect(s). There was no correlation between knife use and the number of suspects. Some suspects committed offences whilst on external exclusions from school, or whilst playing truant. In 2009-10 54 (30\%) suspects subject to youth offending orders had been excluded from school or had been truant at the time of their offending. Drug and alcohol dependency was not a facilitating factor commonly associated with young street robbers; however, those who offended in groups or who were repeat offenders revealed to youth workers that they were frequent cannabis users. In 2009-10 Youth Offending Service (YOS) data showed $10 \%$ of youth street robbers were known for drug offences. They had committed an average of 4 street robbery offences compared to 1.7 by those not known for drug offences. Half of all offences reported to police are not processed through the Criminal Justice System and at 2009-10 just $21 \%$ of offences were detected. Although data is unavailable, the general consensus from practitioners suggested that young victims were frightened/unwilling to appear at court due to fear of reprisals. This was a real possibility as many victims and offenders were recognisable to one another from school/school routes. # Locations Seasonal trends for street robbery correlate with school term times - offending decreases during school holidays. Temporally the vast majority of offences occur during the acute time frame of 3pm6 pm , see Chart 3 (the immediate after school hours, high schools finish around 3pm). ![img-4.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-4.jpeg) Hotspot maps of youth street robbery offences were clustered, with were several notable areas across Enfield closely correlated with schools and routes used by pupils to travel to transport hubs (Chart 4). ![img-5.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-5.jpeg) # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) Over a three year period $72 \%$ of youth street robbery took place within a 1 mile radius of a high school whilst $39 \%$ took place during the 3pm-6pm time frame. Furthermore 1 in 5 offences took place within a 0.5 mile radius of a high school within the 3pm-6pm time frame on school days (Figure 1 below). ![img-6.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-6.jpeg) Figure 1 - Youth Robbery Hotspots Schools, we established, were acting initially as crime generators with pupils from all areas of Enfield and surrounding districts coming into the area for reasons unrelated to criminal motivations. However, in the after school hours, the schools and their immediate proximity become a crime attractor where offenders (deprived young men) targeted vulnerable victims (slightly younger, wealthy looking pupils with high value mobile phones). Victims and offenders did not necessarily attend the same high schools - in some cases victimisation was an extension of bullying resulting from school rivalries. In the most intense hotspots multiple # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) school premises, of varied attainment levels drawing pupils from varied socio-economic backgrounds, were in close proximity to one another. The initial target which was set, as part of a drive to reduce serious acquisitive crime in Enfield (burglary, robbery and vehicle crime), was to reduce total street robbery by $\mathbf{- 7 . 5 \%}$ per fiscal year (or $\mathbf{- 2 0 . 9 \%}$ at 2012-13). # Response Prior to 2009-10 responses to street robbery and youths were limited to police based enforcement initiatives (random patrols at hotspots, not time targeted; knife arches and weapon sweeps at transport hubs; and arresting named suspects - collectively known as Operation Blunt). As the effects of this were limited, a partnership oriented problem solving approach to street robbery involving youths in Enfield was implemented holistically in 2010. ## Victims / Targets Personal safety sessions (Junior Citizenship Programme) were initiated for all transitional students prior to joining high schools in Enfield, delivered annually to 4,000 pupils (harden targets). This includes information and advice ## Victims / Targets - 12-16 high school pupils - Male, vulnerable, easy targets - Latest mobile phones taken, high value - Fearful of reprisal during criminal justice process / refuse to appear at court regarding keeping property concealed, staying safe on public transport and other crime awareness. Follow up work in the first weeks of high school included Welcome Sessions being carried out covering safety, online bullying and ways to ensure that young students do not become victims of crime. Robbery and theft of phones, often an extension of bullying, is now a topic covered by Enfield's Anti-Bullying scheme, making it clear to pupils and parents that stealing mobile phones is a criminal offence that will not be tolerated (remove excuses). Enfield is a core member of the Anti-Bullying Alliance organisation. Additionally, all high school pupils are notified about initiatives such as 'Immobilise' (Figure 2) which can enable ![img-7.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-7.jpeg) Figure 2 - 'Immobilise' property recovery initiative # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) property, such as mobile phones, to be recovered if stolen (reduce rewards). These leaflets are produced in several languages to increase accessibility to Enfield's diverse youth population. ${ }^{6}$ To support victims through the criminal justice process, a dedicated Victim Support Worker has been employed, specifically to assist school age victims. This includes escorting victims to interviews and court sessions, liaising with their family and school and fully explaining the process at each step (increase risks). ## Offenders In areas where reports of rowdy behaviour by groups overlapped with street robbery hotspots Dispersal Zones were utilised. Dispersal powers can be used to move groups of two or more from a designated area for preventative purposes. ## OFFENDERS - Male high school pupils 15-17 years olds - Multiple offenders per incident ( $35 \%$ by groups of 3 or more) - $30 \%$ truant/excluded at time of offence - $10 \%$ drug users (commit $2.3 x$ more than non-drug users) - $29 \%$ knife enabled - $12 \%$ detected / $50 \%$ cases dropped (see Victim support) - Low risk / high reward Furthermore, to deflect known offenders from crime attractor areas and potential targets, repeat offenders have been subjected to Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBO's). Sixteen individuals who were involved in 60 robbery offences have received ASBOs since 2010. These orders contain terms which an offender must abide by, including exclusion from specified areas, non-association with named individuals and door-step curfews. Breaches of the order result in imprisonment (remove excuses). Offenders on external suspensions from school would continue to loiter in groups within close vicinity of the school grounds. In order to deflect offenders away from these crime generator areas, internal suspension policies were initiated at Enfield high schools. Thus, when pupils are suspended, they are now confined to a supervised area within the school, rather than being sent home and left unrestrained (increase effort). [^0] [^0]: ${ }^{6}$ At the 2011 Census, $35.1 \%$ of Enfield's residents were born outside the United Kingdom. There are Turkish, TurkishCypriot, Greek, Somali, Congolese, Caribbean and EU Accession (Polish, Bulgarian, Romanian) communities in Enfield. Enfield Community Safety Partnership Targeted truancy work is carried out in partnership (police and Educational Welfare services). This includes patrols and monitoring of truancy levels. Individuals whose truancy reaches a trigger level are visited at home with their parents by partnership officers in order to ascertain the reasons for absence. Where appropriate, pupils are referred to community groups for mentoring intervention. Within the last 12 months, over 200 young people have been visited due to truancy (increase effort). The Enfield Youth Engagement Panel (YEP) comprises of 60+ qualified youth workers, aged 17 to 28, with very diverse backgrounds, many being ex-young offenders and gang members. The charity delivers peer-to-peer mentoring to young people involved in offending and/or at risk of suspension from school. This includes regular outreach sessions, weapon awareness courses as well as a variety of other support programmes. This work is delivered by credible local messengers who are able to engage with and relate to their mentee (reduce provocation, remove excuses). Offenders who are known substance misusers are referred to the local Substance Misuse Group Work Programme (SMGWP) for young people, with the aim of resolving their dependency issues in order to reduce the likelihood reoffending (remove excuses). To reduce weapon carrying by pupils, the 'Sharp System' was introduced at high schools. This allows for anonymous reporting of information and intelligence by teachers and students, particularly related to young people who may be carrying knives in and around schools. Previously, a 'no snitching' culture led to few reports being filed by fellow students. The idea for online reporting was voiced by young people in independent research for Enfield. This has been supplemented by the use of weapon sweeps and knife-arch operations around robbery hotspots to deter weapon carrying. Age related test purchase operations are also carried out in stores suspected of selling knives to children (increase effort, increase risk). In order to increase the risk of offenders being captured in the aftermath of an offence, a robbery 'Q-Car' was introduced and is operational 12 hours per day, covering the after school robbery peak. # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) This police vehicle is located in robbery hotspots and is available for instant deployment to pick up robbery victims and drive around the local area in order to identify the perpetrator (increase effort, increase risk). ## Locations A local school uniform database (school colours/uniform design) is available to the Enfield CCTV Control Centre. Thus, if a school pupil commits an offence in view of a surveillance camera, the school which they belong to can ## LOCATIONS - Seasonality linked to school term times - Acute temporal patterns (after school hours) - Close proximity to high schools - Victims and offenders from different schools located in close proximity easily be identified. This footage is then reviewed by the relevant 'Safer Schools' officer with extensive local knowledge of their school (increase risks by reducing anonymity). In order to control access to facilities in which crime occurs Zip-Cards (free travel cards for 11-18 year olds) are now confiscated from those arrested for offences which take place on public transport. This increases the difficulty for that offender to commit further similar offences by screening exits. To decrease the volume of school children, including potential victims and offenders, coming into contact with each other in the journey home after school, and to reduce disputes caused by local school rivalries, staggered school closing times have been introduced (increase effort). Diversionary schemes have been developed in hotspot areas (Figure 3). This includes a mobile youth ![img-8.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-8.jpeg) Figure 3 - Youth diversion schemes targeted in robbery hotspots centre, known as the 'X-Bus' (Figure 4) being deployed, detached youth outreach teams working with young people in parks and re-development of existing youth centres in order to attract a greater number of young people. To reduce potential rewards and to disrupt stolen goods markets, work has been carried out by Enfield's Trading Standards team with local pawn shops. This includes identification being mandatory if mobile ![img-9.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-9.jpeg) Figure 4- X-Bus mobile youth centre phones are traded in, and keeping records of individual sellers. Records are available to police and are regularly cross-checked with items stolen in robberies, as well as other crimes (reduce rewards). To strengthen formal surveillance, targeted high visibility patrols were designed for the identified key locations. These take place after school ( 3 pm to 5 pm ) Monday to Friday. These are carried out by police, voluntary and community groups, Youth Engagement Panel, Youth Support Services and aim to engage young people, signpost them to positive diversionary schemes and provide a reassuring presence. On vulnerable routes between schools and transport hubs, 'Community Help Point Scheme (CHPS)' were created. CHPS are local businesses (Figure 5) which volunteer their premises as designated safe havens for young people in times of distress or vulnerability. ![img-10.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-10.jpeg) Figure 5 - Community Help Point Scheme in a local store Surveillance has also been extended in order to efficiently monitor robbery hotspots, with improved links between cameras in transport hubs and the local authority CCTV centre. Environmental ![img-11.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-11.jpeg) Figure 6 - CCTV improvements, including clearer sightlines improvements, such as trimming back of trees and shrubbery has also improved sightlines (Figure 6). Additionally, there are 14 portable 'DomeHawk' CCTV cameras available for rapid deployment to cover locations with emerging spates. Between 2010-11 and 2012-13 approximately $£ 765,000$ was spent on response activities in Enfield, with around $£ 100,000$ annually towards youth diversionary activities (Boxing Clubs, Karate Club, X-Bus). The remaining costs were towards the setting up, establishment and training of those involved in now self-sufficient schemes and community interest companies. Small # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) amounts of money were used as one-off start-up costs for initiatives such as the SHARP system and CHPS scheme. # Assessment The reductions in youth street robbery had a significant impact on overall robbery figures for Enfield. From 2009-10 to the end of 2012-13 there was a total reduction of $-21.5 \%$ in street robbery, exceeding the $-20.9 \%$ target for this date. ## Recorded Crime Data Chart 5 shows the trend in youth street robbery offences in Enfield since March 2008. It is clear that offending regressed to the mean in the 6 -month period following full implementation of all responses. However, the downward trend continued, leading to lows previously unseen in Enfield. ![img-12.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-12.jpeg) In the three years pre/post the project start date youth street robbery declined by $-23.9 \%$, however, between 2009-10 and 2012-13 there was a reduction of $-59.2 \%$ (from 537 down to 219), with consecutive annual reductions. The total cost savings equate to $£ 2,916,110^{7}$, with a project expenditure of $£ 765,000$. Table 1 - Offending Levels and Socio-Economic Burden | Financial Year | Youth Street Robbery Offences | Change | Cost of Youth Street Robbery | Change | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | $2007-08$ | 405 | | $£ 3,568,050$ | | | $2008-09$ | 439 | +34 | $£ 3,867,590$ | $+£ 299,540$ | | $2009-10$ | 537 | +98 | $£ 4,730,970$ | $+£ 863,380$ | | $2010-11$ | 472 | -65 | $£ 4,158,320$ | $-£ 572,650$ | | $2011-12$ | 359 | -113 | $£ 3,162,790$ | $-£ 995,530$ | | $2012-13$ | 219 | -140 | $£ 1,929,390$ | $-£ 1,233,400$ | | 2007-10 (3-years pre-response) | 1,381 | $-23.9 \%$ | $£ 12,166,610$ | $-£ 2,916,110$ | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2010-13 (3-years post-response) | 1,050 | | $£ 9,250,500$ | $(-£ 2,151,110$ including project costs) | The proportion of offences which are knife enabled or intimated has remained stable at $30 \%$ over the past 6 years, this may suggest that activities such as weapon sweeps, knife arches and age related test purchases have little impact. Similarly, mobile phones continue to account for a stable $65-70 \%$ of items taken from youths in robbery offences. However, both knife enabled offences and those which involve mobile phones have declined in volume in-line with the overall average reductions for total youth street robbery. # Enforcement \& Intervention Between 2007-08 and 2009-10 there were 321 individuals subject to YOS orders for street robbery (64, 143 and 114 for each respective fiscal year). This increased to 526 between 2010-11 and 2012- [^0] [^0]: ${ }^{7}$ A robbery offence has socio-economic costs of $£ 8,810$ according to the UK Home Office (2011). See bibliography for further details. 13 (147, 175 and 180 for each respective fiscal year). The number of individuals subject to intervention has increased (despite reductions in offences). This includes increasing the length of interventions and restraints in place, increasing the effort and risks, removing excuses, through the identified years of peak offending age (15-17). Of the 16 individuals who were subject to ASBO's, none committed further robbery offences whilst this sanction was active. There were eight individuals who breached conditions relating to nonassociation and entering exclusion zones and three individuals who persistently breached their order received prison sentences. There was some evidence of crime type displacement, with prolific offenders becoming involved in drug dealing and more minor theft offences. Data from the SMGWP shows that 22 offenders attended in 2011-12 of which: - $18 \%$ free from dependency - $27 \%$ reduced substance misuse (cannabis) - $50 \%$ did not offend after engaging (to date) Between 2009-10 and 2012-13 there was a $+256 \%$ increase in the number of street robbery offences which were captured on CCTV across Enfield ( 97 up to 346). Furthermore, in the same period there was an increase in the number of persons arrested at the scene with the aid of CCTV of $+83 \%$ (54 up to 99). # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) ## Effectiveness of Responses The CHPS scheme, which aims to extend guardianship through utilisation of place managers, has 220 stores currently signed-up. In the last 12-months CHPS businesses were used by 581 young people. Responses where no data is available includes: - No. phones recovered as a result of being property registered with Immobilise - No. of anonymous reports made using the Sharp System - No. of sanction detections as a result of Q-Car Furthermore, it is difficult to quantify how many offenders were deflected and targets protected by spatially-temporally targeted high visibility patrols, diversionary activities, truancy enforcement and internal exclusion policies. Nonetheless, levels of recorded youth street robbery in spatiallytemporally targeted areas fell by 19 percentage points more than in non-targeted areas and 51 percentage points more than the reduction among adult street robberies. | Change in recorded Street Robbery by area / age group | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Youth Street Robbery | 2009-10 Street Robbery Offences | 2012-13 Street Robbery Offences | Change No. | Change \% | | 0.5 Mile Radius School (Targeted Area) | 151 | 53 | $-98$ | $-64.9$ | | 0.5-1.0 Mile Radius School (Buffer Area) | 241 | 87 | $-154$ | $-63.9$ | | Other Areas (Not Targeted) | 145 | 79 | $-66$ | $-45.5$ | | Total | 537 | 219 | $-318$ | $-59.2$ | | Adult Street Robbery | 2009-10 Street Robbery Offences | 2012-13 Street Robbery Offences | Change No. | Change \% | | 0.5 Mile Radius School (Targeted Area) | 82 | 58 | $-24$ | $-29.3$ | | 0.5-1.0 Mile Radius School (Buffer Area) | 244 | 210 | $-34$ | $-13.9$ | | Other Areas (Not Targeted) | 266 | 246 | $-20$ | $-7.5$ | | Total | 592 | 514 | $-78$ | $-13.2$ | Table 2- Change in recorded Street Robbery by area / age group # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) As shown in Figure 7, responses targeted around schools with historic robbery problems have significantly decreased the number of incidents now being reported. Before: Latymer School robberies 2009-10 ![img-13.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-13.jpeg) After: Latymer School robberies 2012-13 ![img-14.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-14.jpeg) Figure 7 - An example of the effectiveness of responses around one of Enfield's High schools. ## Diffusion of Benefits Feedback from frontline staff was positive regarding staggered school closing times. It was felt that controlling the flow and volume of young people enabled frontline officers, including police, and public transport workers, to manage transport hubs more effectively. Total youth crime in Enfield declined by -36\% between 2009-10 and 2012-13 (1,680 down to 1,059). This included a $-77 \%$ reduction in youth violent crime, from 634 down to 353 . Additionally, as shown in Chart 6, local perceptions of youth crime and ASB improved significantly since $2010^{8}$. [^0] [^0]: ${ }^{8}$ Data from the Residents Survey for Enfield (2006-2013), which has over 1,500 respondents annually. Enfield Community Safety Partnership ![img-15.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/13-30_enfield_csp/img-15.jpeg) # Conclusion The youth street robbery project work has been ongoing for three years and is monitored strategically every six months and operationally on a fortnightly basis within the local SAFE tasking meeting (CompStat style meeting). The implementation of responses has fortunately been absent of major problems, however, going forward there are financial constraints which may impact on some aspects of work (such as youth diversionary activities supplied by the voluntary and community sector, and businesses closing potentially reducing the coverage of CHPS). Due to the number of responses implemented to address victims, offenders and locations, it is difficult to solely credit one aspect of this project to the notable reductions achieved, however, there are clear correlations between changes in offending and spatially-temporally targeted work and the results of integrated offender management have shown notable reductions in re-offending. Furthermore, Enfield continues to build on this positive performance in order to ensure the long term safety of the borough. WORD COUNT: 3912 # Glossary Anti-Bullying Alliance a partnership initiative working to stop bullying and create safe environments for children ASB Anti-Social Behaviour any behaviour that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress ASBO Anti-Social Behaviour Order ASBO's are statutory measures that aim to protect the public from behaviour that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. An order contains conditions prohibiting the offender from specific anti-social acts or entering defined areas CCTV Closed circuit television CHPS Community Help Point Scheme a store or local business which is a recognised safe haven for young people displays the CHPS logo CSP Community Safety Partnership collection of statutory bodies responsible for addressing crime, disorder and ASB in a local authority district CSU Community Safety Unit a section of the local authority which has responsibility for crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour CJS Criminal Justice System is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts Dispersal Zones a designated boundary covering a geographical space enabling officers with powers of dispersal, including dispersing groups of 2 or more people where there is persistent anti-social behaviour Domehawk mobile CCTV surveillance Educational Welfare carries out the local authority statutory duties in respect of the promotion and enforcement of regular school attendance EBRA Enfield Business \& Retail Association network of local businesses in Enfield ESP Enfield Street Pastors volunteer and community organisation utilised for high visibility patrols and engagement of young people to signpost to diversionary activities Junior Citizenship a partnership initiative aimed at giving young people the skills to deal with a wide range of emergency situations, and to enable them to make a valued contribution to their local community through good citizenship Immobilise a national property register. Safer Schools Officers work with pupils at all High Schools to ensure that they registered their mobile phones Local Authority or Local Government a geographical region within a city, county, metropolitan area or region within England Local Education Authority a section of the local authority which has responsibility for education and children services Operation Blunt an operation carried out by the Metropolitan Police, including Safer Neighbourhood Estate Teams, aimed at tackling knife carrying and knife enabled robbery Q-Car unmarked police vehicles tasked with targeted enforcement work against known offenders, including disrupting activity, and dealing with responses to crimes in the immediate aftermath SAFE fortnightly tasking and coordination of resources, CompStat style meeting for Enfield SAC Serious Acquisitive Crime domestic burglary (residence), theft of a motor vehicle, theft from a motor vehicle and robbery (people and business) # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) Sharp System a reporting system of any incidents which occur within the school and local community SNET Safer Neighbourhood Estates Team a policing team with special responsibility for social housing estates (projects) and neighbourhoods SNPU Safer Neighbourhood Parks Unit a policing team with special responsibility for parks and open spaces SSO Safer Schools Officers each High School in Enfield has a designated police officer, known as a schools officer STT Safer Transport Team a policing team with special responsibility for transport hubs and modes of public transport SMGWP Substance Misuse Group Work Programme a programme that aims to take advantage of opportunities within the criminal justice system for accessing drug misusing offenders and moving them into treatment, away from drug use and crime Targeted Multi-Agency Patrols (High Visibility Patrols) High visibility policing at targeted times and locations. These are carried out by multiple agencies in Enfield including Estates (SNET), Parks (SNPU), street pastors (ESP) youth support (YSS), youth engagement (YEP) and, schools officers (SSO) transport teams (STT) Trading Standards a section of the local authority which enforces a wide range of legislation related to environmental health, health and safety, licensing and so on Victim Support Worker supports young victims, including escorting them to and from interviews with officers and court sessions, liaising with their family and schools and ensuring that victims understand the criminal justice process Youth Engagement Panel voluntary youth organisation / charity in Enfield # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) X-Bus a mobile youth centre which delivers engagement, mentoring and diversionary schemes for young people YJB Youth Justice Board is a non-departmental public body to oversee the youth justice system for England and Wales YOS Youth Offending Service a multi-agency team co-ordinated by a local authority which is overseen by the YJB YSS Youth Support Service provides a wide range of positive activities for young people aged 13 to 19 Zip-Card a travel card available for young people aged 11-18 which allows free travel on the public transport network across London # The Robbery of School Age Victims in Enfield (London, UK) ## Bibliography - Brantinghams (1993). Environment, Routine and Situation: Toward a Pattern Theory of Crime .In Routine Activity and Rational Choice, Advances in Criminological Theory, Vol. 5, edited by Ronald Clarke and Marcus Felson. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers. - Fitzgerald, M; Stockdale, J. and Hale, C. (2003). Young People \& Street Crime: Research into young people's involvement in street crime, Youth Justice Board for England and Wales. - Hallsworth, S. and Young, T. (2009). Improving Life Opportunities for Young People in Enfield, London Metropolitan University. - Her Majesty Revenue \& Customs (2010) Child Poverty Data http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/child-poverty-stats.htm\#3 - Office for National Statistics (2012) Census 2011 data sets http://ons.gov.uk/ons/search/index.html?newquery=census+2011 - Revised Home Office cost of crime estimates https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment data/file/118042/IOM-phase2-costs-multipliers.pdf