Perceptions of antisocial behaviour and what can be done
Inspector Pat Duffy, Violence Reduction Unit, Strathclyde Police
John Bird, Founder and Editor-In-Chief, The Big Issue
The Police Violence Reduction Unit (PVRU) was developed in response to increased crime levels and perceptions of crime in Strathclyde. The programme aimed to contain and manage anti-social behaviour and change attitudes to bring about a permanent and sustainable change.
He then discussed the specific challenges faced in Saracen. The main concerns identified by the community were drugs, youth crime, lack of confidence in the police and fear of crime. To combat these perceptions, the PVRU piloted a Public Reassurance Programme to address issues of ASB, visibility and access and communication. The pilot successfully improved public perceptions of crime and also the number of actual incidents.
John Bird addressed the role that the media plays in creating a sense of fear around ASB. He acknowledged that the media do play a role with their "if it bleeds, it leads!" attitude, but he also pointed the finger of blame at the public. He claimed that, in reality, the public do not want good, positive stories headlining our newspapers and evening news programmes.
Despite this, as the editor-in-Chief of the Big Issue, John feels he has a responsibility to change attitudes. As a result he has committed The Big Issue to focusing on good news stories and focus on creating solutions and sharing best practice.
Moving on to consider the extent to which social housing estates are seen as the focus of crime, he suggests that most drug dens and drug barons are focused in areas with a high proportion of social housing and void properties. He went on to say that the current benefit system is responsible for trapping people in poverty and poor quality housing. However, he clearly advocated social housing as one of the best ways of spreading social justice but claimed we need to find a way to motivate and drive people out of benefit traps.