Researchers from the School of Social Sciences launch policies to aid external partners

Dr James Hunter and Dr Becky Thompson from the School of Social Sciences showcased the results from two research projects with the view to help external partners.

The Enhancing Community Engagement and Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour event, which took place on Monday 30 July, drew practitioners from across the country to Nottingham Trent University to showcase the results from two research projects conducted by staff from the Quantitative and Spatial Criminology Research Group.

The morning comprised of the national launch of the Community Engagement Area Classification (CEAC). Dr James Hunter developed this bespoke online policy tool to help police forces and their partner organisations shape their engagement strategies and target initiatives more effectively.

The CEAC uses publicly available datasets and advanced statistical modelling to predict scores for neighbourhoods across England relating to five key domains: neighbourhood belonging, social diversity, fear of crime, satisfaction with public services and volunteering / participation. These predicted scores are then used to classify all of the localities across England into 15 different neighbourhood types.

The user can access the CEAC via an online interactive map. The map also allows the user to compare the community engagement profile of different neighbourhoods with levels of deprivation and the latest police recorded crime data.

The development of CEAC was funded by the East Midlands Policing Academic Collaboration (EMPAC) and the NTU Safety and Security of Citizens Follow-on Funding Scheme. The classification (which features in the new National Neighbourhood Policing Guidelines recently published by the College of Policing) is now currently entering a twelve-month trial with ten police forces in order to evaluate its effectiveness as a policy tool.

The afternoon showcased the findings from a project led by Dr Becky Thompson exploring ‘who experiences anti-social behaviour (ASB) and in what context?’ This 18-month Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project explores who experiences ASB as well as the harm caused by these incidents. The project also examines ASB reporting patterns, likelihood of repeat and perceptions.

The project uses data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, the UK Census, the English Indices of Deprivation and Understanding Society. Taken together, this data provides a comprehensive picture of individuals, households and areas, as well as ASB victimisation. This data is used to develop a better understanding of who is most likely to experience different types of ASB as well as who is likely to report the biggest impact on their lives.

Both projects are designed to influence policy and practice. Practitioner-focused events like this are invaluable as they provide an opportunity to share findings and obtain feedback from a range of organisations.

To find out more about the CEAC, email: Dr James Hunter. To learn more about the ASB project, email: Dr Becky Thompson.