In Da Ghetto

WE’VE discussed the problems of inner city deprivation before: South Central LA, Tower Hamlets or the “banlieus” of Paris have all seared themselves upon our collective consciousness.

This week though, it’s the turn of Brackley, Northants to take centre stage. For those of you not familiar with the area, things in Brackley are now so bad, they’ve had to come up with an operation; it’s called “Operation Viking”. So that officers can familiarise themselves with the concept of “Viking”, Northants Police have provided a politically-correct definition of a viking: “Courageous Explorer, Determined Pathfinder”. For the rest of us though, the word Viking means “Rapist in a novelty hat.”

I love operations like “Viking”, mainly because they mean getting paid more for doing the same things. In this case, it may mean high-visibility foot patrol on at least time and a half, with all your Stop-Search forms marked “Viking”. Here’s the full text of Op. Viking (if you notice a buzz-word missing, please let the organisers know):

VIKING: COURAGEOUS EXPLORER, DETERMINED PATHFINDER
17 October 2006

Operation Viking has been developed to coincide with the introduction of the SCT in Brackley Town. The initiative will focus on enhancing community safety issues in Brackley Town, through collaboration and problem solving methodologies.

The Viking title has been chosen for a number of reasons, primarily that the Brackley SCT is the pathfinder for South Northamptonshire, but also that we recognise the need to be bold and courageous in transforming Policing in Brackley from a reactive service that is distant in many ways from its statutory partners and the community it serves, into a formidable, cohesive alliance.

The challenge of Viking is not to commit local Police to working harder, but through collaboration and effective, meaningful problem solving partnerships to work smarter. Problem solving models have been developed to address the root causes of crime and disorder in the Town and we will systematically dismantle these. Viking will forge new partnerships and balance respective agendas, enabling the realisation of intelligence led Policing.
Where we lack resources, we will be innovative, when we respond, we will be lawfully audacious and by harnessing the potency of collaborations, we will ignite synergy.

Vision, Transparency, Ingenuity – we welcome you to Operation Viking.

Problem-solving, partnerships, root causes, igniting synergy, cohesive alliances, enhancing community safety issues…it’s all there, you just have to know where to look.

For those of you still awake, it gets better. Viking actually has nine aims, some of which make some sense, some that make no sense and some that are contradictory. Here are those aims in full (my favourite aims are aim 2.4 and aim 2.6):

2.1 To launch a high profile identifiable campaign to tackle Anti-social behaviour and reduce criminal damage offences in Brackley Town, generating internal and external recognisance. Creative marketing via all media outlets utilising the Viking theme internally, whilst externally promoting the work of the safer community team.

2.2 To increase the detection of criminal damage incidents in the Town.

2.3 To achieve and sustain a reduction of anti-social behaviour.

2.4 To collaborate with key statutory and non-statutory partner agencies, including all key stakeholders to formulate meaningful problem solving approaches to local issues.

2.5 To promote and implement timely, intelligence led Police responses to Anti-social behaviour and damage hotspot areas.

2.6 To engage more fully with the local community encouraging neighbourhood driven local Policing where appropriate and fostering a more inclusive approach to community safety issues.

2.7 To lead and mobilise the local community on all community safety issues, to explore the concept of a youth forum.

2.8 To develop the Brackley safer community team into a formidable and innovative problem-solving group, driven by the principles and frameworks of the NIM and SARA concepts.

2.9 With partners, to build a case and application for the national Tilley awards September 2007 (Problem solving approaches to community safety)

I’m working on my own Tilley award winning project. It’s in the planning stage at the moment (aren’t they all) but will be called “Operation Hutu Militiaman” and will involve distribution of automatic weapons to key stakeholders and developing the Newtown safer community team into “posses”. Wish me luck.

Posted: 27th, October 2006 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink