Interesting anti-crime initiative in England

See this article from the Guardian, "Brighton cheer: A scheme that tackles persistent shoplifters' drug addiction is reducing crime." From the article:

The project targets the city's most persistent shoplifters, and by dealing with offenders' drug addiction, it tackles the root cause of shoplifting. But what sets it apart from other initiatives is intensive outreach work. Before the project started in 2004, offenders such as Bartley were usually issued with Asbos that they would inevitably breach, leading to prison.

John Patience, Communities Against Drugs development officer at the Brighton and Hove Drug Alcohol Action Team, which oversees the project, explains: "It's about breaking habits, not just enforcement. We knew our street outreach project for the homeless was working well, so thought the same kind of outreach approach might work with a different client group."



Index Keywords: public-safety