IEA Blog

The news that the Metropolitan Police is to order officers to stop walking the beat in pairs and to go solo is a huge step forward.

For over a decade the IEA has been highlighting what works and what does not work in policing with:

●  Visits by top US officers who have seen crime tumble;

●  A special issue in December 2007 of its journal Economic Affairs on Policing A Liberal Society; and

●  As recently as December 2008 an article in Economic Affairs by retired officer Roy Bailey entitled “The importance of solo patrol in policing a liberal society”.

In the lead article in “Policing a Liberal Society” I wrote:

Ed Davis achieved a 70% drop in crime in the late 1990s as head of the Lowell, Massachusetts, Police Department thanks to three major initiatives. Firstly, he decentralised his police force, opening small and highly visible police shops on city main streets, rather than having one massive and imposing police building. Secondly, he gave his officers control over their own “turf “: officers were regularly assigned to the same areas and were expected to take responsibility for them…[Davis] took officers out of their cars and put them on the streets on foot and on cycles – solo. He reports that the amount of low-grade but vital intelligence coming into his department exploded. Finally, he committed his officers to being preventive rather than reactive. Lowell’s officers were taught not only to see crime but also the conditions that allow it to flourish.

Later I added:

A US study has proved that solo car patrols are no more dangerous than working in pairs, possibly because police are more inclined to take risks when partnered. Police departments that have adopted this measure have improved their response time to officers who need assistance. In many areas in the UK, however, dangers to police are negligible, even if there is anti-social and low-grade criminal behaviour. Foot and bike officers can be sent on solo patrols too. The immediate benefit is that these officers, without the temptation of a fellow officer to talk to, now talk to the public…Solo patrols establish communication and trust, and the public not only feels more comfortable with a consistent and visible police presence, but also is more inclined to share information and tips that can lead to crime prevention and arrests.

Retired Officer Roy Bailey responded:

Blundell, in developing this theme, argues that foot and bike officers should also be deployed on solo patrols…This contrasts with the current position, where officers predominantly patrol in pairs, talking and interacting with each other and failing to engage meaningfully with the community. Not only does this practice lead to alienation from the public, it is also wasteful of scarce resources, effectively halving police presence. Solo patrols, conversely, would enable officers to establish communication and trust, leading to a greater degree of public confidence in the police. Such a visible and consistent police presence would also encourage the public to pass on vital information and intelligence, resulting in higher detection rates.

Imagine it is 2010. The Conservatives have won the election and Dominic Grieve is the new Home Secretary. What can he do to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour?

Recruiting thousands of extra police officers will take years and cost billions, but the public demands swift action and results. Introducing new laws, regulations and directives – New Labour’s solution – will burden forces with extra bureaucracy. Grieve is therefore left with one practical option: he must get the Chief Constables to deploy the resources currently available to them in a more effective way.

This means slashing the paperwork burden on officers and introducing a framework based on decentralisation, responsibility and accountability.

Chief Constables would be urged to increase time on the beat from the current average (under 20%) to closer to 80%. And car patrols would be replaced by solo patrols on foot – to increase dramatically the level of contact with the public and thereby improve the flow of useful information.

Grieve should also press forces to give small teams of officers long-term responsibility for particular neighbourhoods. In this way they would develop a sense of ownership over their ‘patch’ and enjoy the benefits deriving from local knowledge and the trust of residents.

Change is also needed in the internal culture of the police. The beat should become central to officers’ careers and a route to promotion to the highest ranks.

In the USA such measures have been an outstanding success. They enabled Chief Ed Davis, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to cut crime by 70%.

So it can be done. An incoming Conservative Home Secretary will have a unique opportunity to reform policing practices. Through the better deployment of resources already in place he can cut crime without having to raise billions more from hard-pressed taxpayers.