Archives for October 10th, 2003

MOVE TO STOP PERSISTENT RE-OFFENDING

Headlines, PublicNet: 10 October, 2003

A strategy has been launched in the north west of England to stop persistent offenders returning to a life of crime after leaving prison. Figures show that three quarters of those who have served a short sentence for burglary or theft are reconvicted of similar offences within two years and crime committed by ex prisoners is estimated to cost at least 11 billion pounds nationally.The strategy to break the cycle of re-offending will bring together the prisons and outside services such as the probation service, police, local authorities and a wide range of other agencies which come into contact with offenders. It will focus on the problem areas for people leaving prison including employment, accommodation, learning and skills, life skills and offending behaviour, family and social support, drug and alcohol misuse, health, finance, victims and community.

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MORE BOBBIES ON THE BEAT DID NOT WORK

Headlines, PublicNet: 10 October, 2003

More bobbies on the beat is seen by many communities as the way to reduce crime and the fear of crime. A three-year experiment in a North Yorkshire village to test the theory was abandoned early because it did not work. Under an arrangement with North Yorkshire Police in 2000, the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust agreed to pay 25,000 pounds a year for an additional 24 hours of police time per week in a relatively low-crime neighbourhood. The project was intended to increase the residents’ sense of security through a visible police presence.Hopes of employing a single community police officer who could get to know residents were disappointed. Three different officers held the post in the two years before the contract was terminated almost a year early. The officers found difficulty in fulfilling their community policing duties because emergencies and more pressing crime incidents elsewhere tended to draw them away. Sick leave, holidays and training further reduced the time spent in the village.

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Making Progress Towards e-Government

Features, PublicNet: 10 October, 2003

By John Thornton. Reproduced by permission of eGov Monitor Weekly Councils have to present annual reports on progress and plans on implementing e-Government to the ODPM next month. The author presents an overview of the scene from the perspective of the Director of e-Government at the Improvement and Development Agency. He suggests that thinking is changing and that e-Government no longer means getting all services online, but improved service quality and strengthened local democracy.

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