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Neighbourhood Security
Working Group
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| A partnership initiative which is making council estates in Islington safer places to live. The project brings together Islington Council, the
Metropolitan Police and local neighbourhood community groups to devise and implement public safety strategies for selected council housing estates.
This case study from February 1997 is
presented in the original format as provided by the Local Government Management
Board in the UK, as part of the cross-sectoral Local Agenda 21 case study
project.
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 Local needs
 Safety
 Empowerment
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Project Summary
In response to increasing concerns about public safety on housing estates, the London Borough of Islington has established neighbourhood security working groups in each of its twelve neighbourhoods. Working groups are charged with developing estate-based initiatives in consultation with local residents and community groups, the police and other concerned parties. First, groups focus on a particular estate within their neighbourhood, map the crime and community safety problems and draw up plans of action. These are then converted into bids for funding and submitted to a group chaired by the Borough's Assistant Chief Executive.
Project aims
The project has been set up in response to increasing local anxiety about rising crime on housing estates. It aims to allay the fears of residents and others who use council estates in all twelve neighbourhood areas.
Who has been involved ?
Within Islington Council, departments involved in the project include Neighbourhood Services, Play and Youth, Legal and Chief Executive's. Local community and resident groups and the Metropolitan Police Divisional Commanders of the Islington and Holloway areas are also closely involved.
How was it started ?
The neighbourhood security initiative began in response to concerns expressed by the residents of a particular estate about growing youth delinquency in the vicinity. The Council established the initiative in April 1994. The idea was well received both by resident groups and the Metropolitan Police, who were already committed to an enhanced service on Islington estates.
OUTCOMES
Achievements
Since 1994, the range of work undertaken to improve public safety on council housing estates has included crime prevention measures, estate-based youth work, a scheme to support older people and reclamation of under-used estate land.
Most notably, Canonbury Estate Security Working Group has proposed a co-ordinated multi-agency strategy to reduce antisocial and criminal behaviour on the Marquess Estate. The basis for the strategy is to take decisive action against a small number of families from which much of the trouble is seen to emanate. This will set a clear example to other antisocial and criminal elements on the estate. The strategy coincides with phase two of an estate improvement programme, costing around £2.5 million, which will be crucial in designing out some of the physical features which create problems on the estate. The cost of implementing phase one of the programme was inflated by vandalism and it is hoped the security strategy will reduce these problems and save the money invested in it many times over.
There are five key elements to the Marquess initiative which will cost an estimated £40,000 for the first year:
- Estate management support and co-ordination provided through a part time housing project worker;
- Fast track legal assistance to take action against problem families;
- Professional surveillance and witnesses - tenants on the estate are afraid to come forward as witnesses. Careful targeting of professional surveillance will provide the evidence needed for court action;
- Youth work support - neighbourhood office staff are working towards re-opening a youth club on the estate, closed due to extensive vandalism;
- Policing support - there is strong police support for the initiative. A named local police officer, who has built up good community links with local people, is being deployed as part of the police support team.
The Marquess Estate strategy illustrates well the benefits of the multi-agency approach: better co-ordination between agencies and departments; establishment of a wide range of options and solutions supported by local community groups; development of an 'expert witness' scheme; and an opportunity to train key staff such as caretakers and site housing managers.
Unexpected outcomes
Neighbourhood working groups are focusing on the importance of youth work as a way of understanding the causes of delinquency. There has also been a marked desire by estate communities to have some say in how they 'police' themselves.
RESOURCES AND MANAGEMENT
Human resources
No additional staffing resources have been allocated to the project. Instead, the agencies involved have redirected existing personnel resources towards the initiative. For instance, the Metropolitan Police has made the project a local priority and dedicated local policing resources towards making Islington estates safer.
Funding and expenditure
Islington's Neighbourhood Services Committee allocates around £180,000 each year to fund locally proposed schemes.
Project management
The managers of the twelve Council neighbourhood offices are responsible for convening meetings to map the incidence of crime on estates in their areas and to select an estate for concentrated effort in that year. Resident and community groups are then asked to draw up an action plan to tackle identified problems. Proposed schemes can be funded centrally by the Neighbourhood Services Committee or from local budgets. A central estates security group provides guidance to local groups, makes funding recommendations and monitors and evaluates outcomes.
Measuring success
1996/97 is the first year that funding has been available to all twelve neighbourhoods. The Council is in the process of setting up systems to monitor the progress of all schemes which receive funding.
Problem areas
In the past, the selection of estates receiving funding for security measures has been made largely on the basis of ad hoc and anecdotal evidence. Now, the police have access to computerised crime data allowing detailed analysis and the mapping of crime 'hot-spots' in each neighbourhood.
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
The Neighbourhood Services Committee will continue to fund schemes into the next financial year, 1997/98, when it is expected that the neighbourhood security working groups will select different estates on which to concentrate the work. A seminar to discuss this year's successes and failures is to be held, which will help guide progress next year.
Contact address
Michael Pollak
Principal Community Safety Officer
London Borough of Islington
Islington Town Hall
Upper Street, Islington
London N1 2UD
Tel: 0171 477 3135
The Local Agenda 21 Case Study Project Steering Committee
has selected case study projects as examples of interesting (and not necessarily
'good') practice. Case study selection is based on the opinions of the
individuals comprising the Steering Committee and does not necessarily
reflect the views of the organisations participating in the Case Study
Project.
At the time of publication and to the best of our knowledge,
the information contained in this case study was correct.
The Steering Committee cannot vouch for any of the organisations
involved.
© EURONET/ICLEI Consortium, 1996. See Impressum.