The results of the alcohol misuse needs of PPOs in South Bedfordshire are now available. The report presents a series of recommendations to meet the needs of this specific client group and provides the foundation on which to develop local alcohol interventions. One of the key findings to emerge from the consultation with professionals and prolific offenders in this area is the difficulty they have in agreeing the type of service that works best to meet their needs. Some suggest that this client group would benefit most from a dedicated alcohol service; others recommend existing services can respond to alcohol misuse and offending needs.
For this reason this portfolio of work needs to be placed within in the wider development of offender management pathways whereby the consideration of offenders needs is reviewed against service availability across agencies. Perpetuity are working in several locations to explore Integrated Offender Management (IOM) approaches looking at how local partners work better together to make a real difference by enhancing and extending the reach of offender management frameworks.
There is no doubt that the biggest challenge for providing alcohol treatment services is funding. Realistically for many areas raising the profile of existing services/reconfiguring services to make these more accessible will be beneficial and more cost effective.
If you would like to know more about this work, or other services offered by Perpetuity, please email prci@perpetuitygroup.com
The Police and Justice Act 2007 has placed a legal obligation on key partners to share information specifying the datasets required. For health this, in part, includes depersonalised records on hospital admissions relating to assaults and domestic abuse.
Many assaults that lead to A&E treatment are not reported to the police, and A&E departments offer an invaluable source of information about locations, dates and timings of assaults, and trends in weapon use.
Perpetuity has been working with Government Office for London to review early progress made towards the establishment of data sharing systems between a number of pilot A&E departments and CDRPs. These systems, drawing on a good practice model from Cardiff, facilitate the sharing of anonymised data on assaults and other forms of violence. Under the umbrella of the local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs), the data is then shared with the police and local authorities.
A&E data-sharing can enhance the capacity of CDRPs to tackle and reduce violence. To learn more about this work please contact us on prci@perpetuitygroup.com or 0116 222 5555.
Perpetuity (on behalf of Nottinghamshire DAAT) have recently started phase 2 of the evaluation of the Substance Misuse and Supported Housing (SMASH) scheme. Preliminary findings in phase 1 were positive, the quality of the self contained units was held with high regard amongst residents and local professionals. Although it is still early days, the residents living in the SMASH units were optimistic that this opportunity had assisted them to remain drug free and had significantly reduced their risk of re-offending. One resident made the following comment about the scheme:
“It has given me a chance to start afresh, a chance I would not have had if it was not for SMASH. This has definitely had a good impact on my life.”
The SMASH scheme is still in its infancy. However there are early indications that the scheme is providing recovering drug and alcohol users with stability and hope for the future. Any new scheme will have its teething problems and SMASH is no different, however there is real commitment from local partners to address any emerging difficulties. The action research model used for this evaluation has assisted local partners to address the weaknesses that transpired in the phase 1 evaluation.
Phase 2 of the research comprises of repeat visits to residents to obtain their feedback six months on, by this time some of the residents will have been in the units for almost 12 months. As new units are developing across the county, the research team will engage with clients to discuss their experiences. Feedback from local professionals will be incorporated to obtain views on the process and impact of the scheme. The evaluation is ongoing until September 2009.
If you would like to know more about this work, or other services offered by Perpetuity, please contact prci@perpetuitygroup.com or 0116 222 5555. For more information on the SMASH scheme itself please contact Paul Pearson, SMASH project manager, paul@newgroundconsultancy.com.
Perpetuity is pleased to have been commissioned by South Bedfordshire Community Safety Partnership (in conjunction with Bedfordshire Police) to undertake an assessment of the needs of Prolific and Priority Offenders (PPOs) with alcohol misuse issues. The purpose of this small scale study is to obtain the views and experiences of PPOs with alcohol misuse issues and local professionals to better understand the needs of these offenders. The research has been designed to focus specifically on what treatment is currently offered, whether what is being offered is needed and what should be offered.
The report will provide the partnership with a series of short and long term recommendations and will provide the foundation on which to develop alcohol interventions for this client group in this particular geographical area.
This piece of work supports a wider alcohol needs assessment undertaken by Perpetuity in 2008. The findings of the needs assessment for Bedfordshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team and its local partners provided them with a body of evidence to inform the development of a local alcohol strategy.
If you would like to know more about this work, or other services offered by Perpetuity, please email prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
The University of Leeds Residences have received the police Secured Environments accreditation. They are unique in that they decided to obtain the accreditation for their Residential and Commercial Services which includes all of the Halls of Residences, as well as the conferencing facilities. Mike Leonard, the Residential Property Manager at the University of Leeds describes their reasons for applying for the award and the process.
‘At The University of Leeds, staff in both University Security Services and in Residential and Commercial Services, have been working hard to reduce the level of crimes on University residential sites, and raise the level of student satisfaction with security measures on the sites. So far, significant improvements have been made in both areas, BUT we also need to identify where we can make improvements, and whether we can demonstrate that we manage security in an effective way.
We initially heard about Secured Environments at a Student Safety and Security Conference in London in October 2008, and made contact with Perpetuity shortly afterwards. This national scheme seemed to offer a third party audit of our security management within Residences, and if we were successful, would recognise the efforts of all staff involved, and the award could potentially offer reassurance to both students and their families, that we operate a safe living and working environment in Residences, at The University of Leeds.
Once registered, we were asked to submit an array of security management assessments, reports and information as initial evidence, prior to the audit visit. The audit then took a complete day to look at University Residences and Security Services, and the comprehensive programme included a visit of a number of sites, followed by discussions with various staff from across the complete range of the workforce, from Assistant Director down to Domestic Assistant level. We felt that the audit was conducted in a thorough and professional manner, and it has provided some impartial advice on where we can improve.
In summary, the award of Secured Environments accreditation has recognised the hard work that has been undertaken by all staff, and which still continues at The University of Leeds. We certainly aim to incorporate the Secured Environments logo within our marketing material, so that we can demonstrate that we take security seriously, and that both students and staff can expect to work and live in a safe environment in Residences at The University of Leeds.’
For more information on Secured Environments please contact 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com
Perpetuity has been working with the NASUWT to explore the issue of gangs and schools, firstly to see if there is a problem to be managed, and secondly to scope out existing school and youth based interventions that are designed to tackle these issues. Phase 1 of the work is now complete. Copies of the report can be requested by emailing prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
Phase 2 of the research is now underway and the team are conducting a mapping exercise across the UK to learn more about existing interventions. We are keen to hear from anyone who runs or contributes to a school or youth based gang intervention project to find out what works, what doesn’t work and recommendations that you or your organisation have to respond to these problems. Your input will help us to further develop our understanding of existing provisions to tackle gang culture and identify national and international good practice.
Using all of the information gathered in phases 1 and 2; the final task will be to develop a flexible toolkit that will enable schools to develop tailor made solutions to tackle gang related problems in their local area. If you have any thoughts or ideas on what you would like to see in this toolkit, we would be interested in your views.
To contribute to phase 2 of the research please contact Perpetuity on prci@perpetuitygroup.com or 0116 222 5555
Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International, a spin-out company from the University of Leicester, has announced the appointment of Stuart Hunter as the new Security Consultant.
Stuart Hunter said:
“This is a great opportunity for me and I am looking forward to working in the team at Perpetuity. My role will be to assist in continuing our current work which includes security audits and risk assessments, penetration tests, procurement advice and contingency planning and helping to develop new areas as the company grows”
Stuart has 30 years experience in the field of security and public safety, which includes a period of 10 years served in Greater Manchester Police where his background lay in CID and Crime Prevention. He has held senior management positions within the security industry since 1986, including positions with national and international companies such as Tesco PLC, Group 4, and Burns International Security. Stuart has worked for both the NHS and the DSS where he was responsible for the assessment, devising and implementation of Security and Health and Safety policies. He has also been responsible for writing, publishing and implementing security policies for such major retail and wholesale companies as Tesco PLC and the Roy Hall Group. Stuart was Head of Security at The Lowry Centre, a major art gallery and theatres complex in the north west of England, and has worked most recently for Local Authorities in the North West project managing CCTV specification and implementation alongside devising Corporate security strategies and policy document in line with Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. He holds qualifications in NVQ assessment, Home Office Emergency Planning systems and holds certifications in Health and Safety Risk Assessing.
Stuart is currently working with Kirklees Metropolitan Council to develop security strategy, policy and procedures, that will help maximise the effectiveness of their CCTV systems. Work is also underway with Hyndburn Borough Council on CCTV Project Management and Audit helping them to install new public safety cameras. Projects are also underway with Bassetlaw and Winchester Councils to maximise the benefits of CCTV in key areas.
Serious violence is a wide ranging category incorporating offences including homicide and serious wounding, offences involving weapons, domestic violence, hate crime and serious sexual offences including rape. Although these crimes only account for about 1% of all crime, the impact on the victim and their family, but also on the wider community in terms of fear of crime, is significant.
Last year the Government published an Action Plan on Violent Crime - Saving Lives, Reducing Harm, Protecting the Public. The plan sets out a range of actions on gun and gang-related crime; knife crime; and sexual and domestic violence.
Perpetuity continue to support local partnerships in their efforts to tackle violent crime. We have recently completed work with the NASUWT looking at the impact of gangs on schools. We are supporting Tackling Knives Action Programme (TKAP) areas to deliver local knife crime surveys to understand the prevalence of knife carrying and crime amongst young people. We are also working with CDRPs to produce training guidance on tackling hate crime and domestic abuse.
The government are placing an increased priority on reducing re-offending. The Policing Green Paper 2008 proposed that the statutory duties of Community Safety Partnerships should be expanded to include reducing re-offending and their membership altered by adding probation trusts to the list of responsible authorities.
Whilst it is indisputable that crime causes harm to victims and communities, investing in helping offenders turn away from crime will help to achieve a safer community.
Perpetuity are working with criminal justice and local authority partners across the Midlands to explore increased efficiency and effectiveness in the management of offenders – notably those not under formal or statutory supervision.
By reviewing the good practice that can be drawn from schemes such as the prolific and priority offenders schemes and applying the lessons to the management of all offenders local partners can reduce the cyclical nature of offending.
If you would like to discuss how your area can work better to maximise support and management options for offenders, contact Perpetuity on 0116 222 5555 or email prci@perpetuitygroup.com
Perpetuity is working with Community Safety Partnerships to understand why other partnerships in their most similar family are more successful. A comparison of the different structures, processes, partnership working and interventions with the three most successful partnerships in the group helps to identify areas for improvement. The review enables partnerships to understand why they were not seeing the reductions in crime that other areas are benefiting from and provides recommendations to improve.
One Head of Community Safety said:
"The work conducted by Perpetuity was very useful for the Partnership, as it presented an objective view of how and where improvements could be made to aid our performance and ultimately ensure that our communities felt safer. Perpetuity was able to compare and contrast our working practices with those of better performing CDRPs and identified potential initiatives which we could adapt and adopt."
You too can find out why other members of your most similar family are more successful at tackling crime. We can advise you on who you are likely to learn the most from or if you prefer you can choose the partnerships that you are most interested in.
Using a review of crime data and documentation supported by interviews with a cross section of partners and observations of key meetings we can help to identify where you can improve. We can provide a report containing key recommendations and actions in order to make your partnership more effective based on learning from those most similar to you.
To find out more or to commission your own review contact Perpetuity on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com
Perpetuity is delivering burglary awareness workshops for Registered Social Landlords (RSL) across Liverpool in conjunction with the local Community Safety Partnership. As part of the work the Partnership team is doing with the many RSLs in the city, they thought that training housing officers on the steps that they can take to tackle burglary would help to make the difference.
Based on what we know from talking to burglars themselves, the sessions explain what housing officers can do to help secure properties, such as responding quickly to damaged properties and ensuring that security measures are up to date and functioning. Frontline staff can also act as an excellent source of information for residents, highlighting the importance of using security such as locks and alarms and keeping doors and windows closed. It also stresses the importance of working with new residents in the area who are at an increased risk of burglary.
The sessions last half a day and are interactive using quotes from burglars themselves supported with local photos to highlight poor security.
If you would like to know more or are interested in your own workshops, please contact Perpetuity on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com
As part of its ongoing work with the NASUWT, Perpetuity has been exploring the issue of gangs and schools in the UK. Stage one of the research which is now complete has adopted a case study approach in four urban schools in England, supported by a literature review of recently published and unpublished material covering the areas of gangs, street culture, schools and school related interventions in the UK. Interviews have taken place with staff and young people in schools to investigate whether there is a problem that needs to be managed. The research has also unveiled some examples of interventions and policies that have been implemented in schools to prevent the problems from escalating further.
Perpetuity are due to launch the second phase of the research which is intended to be two-fold; in the first instance a mapping exercise of existing school based and youth interventions designed to tackle gangs and gang culture in and around schools in the UK will be undertaken. This will be followed by the development of a toolkit for schools which will provide an information bank of effective practice to tackle gangs and gang culture.
To learn more about Perpetuity’s work on gangs and youth crime please contact prci@perpetuitygroup.com or 0116 222 5555.
The University of Bath and the University of Bristol are the first universities in the country to achieve the police-approved Secured Environments award. The Head of Estates at the University of Bristol commented "Secured Environments is the first real heavyweight in terms of the security world; others have not got the academic rigour and background". Feedback from the panel who conducted the audit in Bath showed the University scored highly for its commitment to providing a secure environment and for the way its security team is managed and run.
Brian Schofield, Head of Security at Bath, said: “We are very proud to receive this national security award. We work very hard to ensure that all our staff and students can work, study and live in a safe and secure environment. This accreditation is just reward for all that effort and will further boost the University’s standing both nationally and internationally as one of the safest places to study.”
The audit at Bristol showed that the University had invested in effective processes and management in order to reduce crime and the fear of crime and worked hard to provide a balanced approach to security.
Jerry Woods, Head of Security at Bristol, said: “After significant re-organisation within the security department over the last few years and the hard work of all security staff to increase professionalism of the service we provide, I am delighted that we are seen as making a difference to the many thousands of students and staff who study and work here. This award is a culmination of that effort.”
Alan McInnes, General Manager of ACPO Secured by Design (which is owned by the Association of Chief Police Officers and works in partnership with Perpetuity Group to deliver Secured Environments), said: “We are pleased Bath and Bristol Universities have achieved this award. It demonstrates to staff, students, and potential students that the university authorities are committed to a safe and secure environment, not just on the day of accreditation, but as an important ongoing feature of management and university life.”
This month we are launching a new service, offering organisations a Security Health Check to assess the extent to which security is fit for purpose.
The Health Check provides comprehensive information and recommendations on all aspects of security including access control, information security, use of technology, security personnel, staff awareness and training. Its scope and format facilitate a fast track to:
100% certainty that you are doing everything possible to protect your organisation.
Minimised risk of major loss or incident, damage to reputation, regular minor security breaches.
An action plan completely in tune with your organisation and available resources.
Confidence that you are meeting regulatory requirements relating to public and staff safety, including corporate manslaughter legislation.
Cost savings while also using manpower and technology as effectively as possible
Invaluable insights into how evolving crime may impact on the risks that you face.
Compelling data for the Board on future actions, indisputable benefits and cost-savings.
How does it work?
One of our highly experienced consultants will visit your organisation and work closely with you so that we fully understand your specific needs.
We will carry out an assessment of your current practices based on over 130 criteria that have been identified as key to truly effective security.
You will then receive easy-to-follow recommendations on how security can be improved, where savings could be made, what your top priorities should be and how best to tackle these. You will also be able to compare your performance with other organisations.
Fact-finding liaison will take place over only 2-3 days, and the whole process is complete within a limited time-frame.
And how much would you expect to pay? We are charging just £3,000 plus VAT for this. There are no hidden extras. This is not a survey but an overall security health check. Why not call us to make an appointment.
Perpetuity is pleased to announce the release of the ‘One More Broken Window: The Impact of the Physical Environment on Schools’ report as covered in The Guardian Education on the 20th January 2009 http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jan/20/pupil-behaviour-school-environment. This report was undertaken on behalf of the NASUWT to explore the relationship between schools and their physical environment. More specifically a case study approach was used to assess the impact of three environmental ‘blights’, namely a closed down funfair, footpath and substandard housing, on three schools across the UK. Teachers, parents, students and residents were consulted to obtain their views on the effect of these ‘blights’ on issues such as pupil behaviour and academic attainment. The research is based on the ‘Broken Windows’ theory of a spiral of decline.
As part of the Security Research Initiative, Perpetuity is developing a web based toolkit which will provide the tools and guidance to support security departments to write their own security strategy. This will be available free of charge. We have consulted heads of security from around the world representing a cross section of market sectors and types of organisations. However, we are now looking to speak to people with experience of developing and implementing strategies outside the field of security, for example in finance, HR, operations, sales and marketing. If you think you might be able to help us or know someone who can please contact Katy Owen at k.owen@perpetuitygroup.com or 0116 222 5564.
The toolkit is being developed following evidence to suggest that having a security strategy in place can provide a range of benefits to the organisation, and not having a good one can cause a range of problems. Despite this a lot of organisations do not have a security strategy and where they do it is out of date or ineffective. Indeed anecdotal evidence suggests that less than a quarter of organisations have a security strategy and even fewer have one that that is fit for purpose. The toolkit will be available via our website free of charge and will provide tools, guidance and support to develop and implement a security strategy in any type of organisation.
The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, is warning that violent crime could grow by nearly a fifth based on increases seen during the last recession. But the academic evidence suggests that won’t be the only crime type that’s set to rise; fraud, forgery, burglary, robbery, theft, and arson have all been linked to recession and unemployment[1].
The relationship between the economy, unemployment and crime, is a well researched but complicated topic. Some argue that it’s easy to blame rising crime rates on economic adversity when in fact economic factors provide only part of the explanation[2]. This is of course true but although the underlying causes may be complex, on the whole there is clear evidence to suggest that the downturn will mean an increase in crime alongside rising unemployment.
So what does this mean for you? It’s clear that at a time when budgets are being reduced cutting back on crime reduction and security is not an easy option which could result in rising costs of crime. Instead it’s a good time to review your existing spend and processes to identify any opportunities to improve efficiency and work smarter to cut costs, achieving greater value for money.
Perpetuity have been working with local authorities and the private sector to maximise the value for money achieved through spending on crime reduction and security. If you need assistance in exploring how you can make the most out of your current investments – contact prci@perpetuitygroup.com
[1] Cook, P. and Zarkin, G. (1985) Crime and the Business Cycle in Journal of Legal Studies, vol XIV January 1985; Neustrom, M. and Norton, W. (1995) Economic Dislocation and Property Crime in Journal of Criminal Justice, Vol 23, No1, pp29 - 39 [2] Scorcu, A. and Cellini, R. (1998) Economic Activity and Crime in the Long Run: An Empirical Investigation on Aggregate Data from Italy, 1951 – 1994 in International Review of Law and Economics 18:279-292
The Home Office and the Ministry of Justice announced the launch of five IOM pilot areas in July 2008, namely Nottinghamshire, Lancashire, West Yorkshire, West Midlands and London. The research team at Perpetuity have been commissioned to assist with the development of IOM in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) with a view to identifying options for developing inter-agency offender management locally.
Document reviews and feedback from local stakeholders and practitioners working in IOM pilot areas will be used to identify opportunities for developing integrated approaches to offender management in LLR. The development of IOM will focus on building upon existing delivery frameworks and establishing cost effective approaches to addressing any identified gaps in the overall approach.
If you would like to know more about this work, or other services offered by Perpetuity, contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com
The Major of London, Boris Johnson, recently announced the trial of live CCTV on 21 London buses to help transport staff to deal with crime and disorder more effectively. For six months, 21 buses on one London route will have a live CCTV link to the Transport for London (TfL) incident control room enabling staff to access live images on buses on the selected route in the event of an incident. Perpetuity has been commissioned by TfL to undertake an independent evaluation of the trial to determine whether live CCTV improves the response to incidents committed on London buses.
Graham Daly, Head of Crime Reduction and Police Liaison with Transport for London said that “This is not a test of the technology, which has already been proven, but a chance to assess the effectiveness that live access to on-bus CCTV images has in providing the best bus controller and police response for drivers and their passengers”.
“We are delighted to be working with Perpetuity and using their expertise in this field to help us evaluate the effectiveness of this trial”.
For more information about this piece of research, please contact Perpetuity on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com
This demonstrates a rise since 1999/2000 although there has been a reduction in both violent attacks and verbal abuse in the last year.
Perpetuity takes safety and security in schools seriously and works with a number of partners, including the teaching union NASUWT and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), to provide up to date information, support policy development and develop tools that education providers, including schools, colleges and universities can use to improve their response to security and incidents.
Perpetuity recently completed a study reviewing the impact that the physical environment can have on pupil behaviour within schools following the findings of the Home Office Safer Schools and Hospitals evaluation. Furthermore, both the Universities of Bristol and Bath are currently being audited as part of the ACPO lead Secured Environments accreditation to encourage organisations to take security seriously.
For more information on any of these initiatives or research please contact Perpetuity on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com
In 2008, Bedfordshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team (B:DAT) commissioned Perpetuity to undertake an alcohol needs assessment. The main aim of the assessment was to gather a body of evidence to inform the development of a local alcohol strategy. The needs assessment invited contributions from local professionals, service users and significant others who commented on current alcohol treatment service provision covering education/prevention and treatment, with a particular focus on gaps in services and recommendations for improvement.
The findings of the needs assessment provided B:DAT and its local partners with a body of evidence to inform the development of a local alcohol strategy. Some of the key recommendations to emerge from the study have provided a foundation on which local partners can commission a treatment system that is built on evidence based practice.
For a copy of the executive summary of this report please visit our publications page.
Plans to fast-track measures to cut form-filling in the ten Tackling Knives Action Programme (TKAP) police forces have been announced by the Home Secretary. Bureaucracy relating to the lengthy stop and account forms will be replaced with a card receipt setting out what to do if a person is not satisfied with the way the encounter was carried out saving officers around 380,000 hours a year.
Drawing on our experience of researching gangs and violent crime, Perpetuity is currently supporting local partners from the police and local authorities as well as charitable organisations to better understand knife crime and consider effective responses. To learn more about our studies in this area contact Perpetuity on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
Perpetuity is pleased to announce that they are working with Nottinghamshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) to evaluate the Substance Misuse and Supported Housing (SMASH) scheme. The scheme consists of the development of 24 units of supported accommodation for substance misusers in treatment, or as part of an aftercare package, and in particular those moving on from Tier 4 provision and/or those at risk of offending.
The main purpose of the evaluation is to understand if and why SMASH has succeeded in creating stability enabling service users to integrate into their local communities and remain drug free. The 12 month evaluation is based on an action research model and local professionals and service users will be involved throughout the evaluation to present their views and experiences. The SMASH project manager Paul Pearson has made the following comment:
“The evaluation of the SMASH project to be carried out by Perpetuity provides the DAAT and our partners a real opportunity to evidence the impact of the scheme on the lives of people recovering from drug and alcohol problems. The evaluation process will help us establish what the scheme is achieving; learn lessons for its forward development and apply these lessons to future developments of this kind. We believe that SMASH can provide a model for this kind of provision regionally and nationally and are confident that the evaluation will provide firm evidence of its success.”
If you would like to know more about the services offered by Perpetuity please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
Last month we announced that companies could now benchmark their security by use of a free on line service. We have identified 139 critical factors every security department should have. Here is your chance to see how well you measure up against those criteria, and also against other companies. It is free (no charges whatsoever) and it is anonymous.
If you would like to use the tool please go to www.perpetuityconsultancy.com others have and we are receiving very positive feedback.
On 1st October 2008 the NTA published good practice guidelines on how to conduct a young person’s needs assessment to inform the development of specialist substance misuse treatment plans for 2009/10.
If you are looking for assistance to undertake a full needs assessment or require a refresh of your needs assessment, the team at Perpetuity can help. We have extensive experience of conducting needs assessments in line with nationally agreed methodologies to inform the development of young people’s specialist substance misuse treatment plans. You can request an example of our previous work by visiting the publications page on our website.
Perpetuity can support either the qualitative aspects of needs assessments and gap analysis including consultation with young people, service managers and other local stakeholders and/or quantitative analysis including treatment mapping and understanding unmet need.
If you would like to know more about the services offered by Perpetuity please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
On 16th October Katy Owen presented at the Ensuring Student Safety and Security Conference about the Secured Environments initiative. The presentation also gave feedback from The University of Bristol, who unfortunately could not attend, about their experience of going through the Secured Environments process.
For a full copy of the presentation please click here.
The NTA have recently announced that templates and guidance to support the completion and submission of 2009/10 treatment plans will be available on their website from October 2008. On their website you can also find a copy of the guidance published in July 2007 to assist commissioners and partnerships with the needs assessment process.
If you are looking for assistance with your needs assessment, the team at Perpetuity can help. We have extensive experience of conducting needs assessments in line with nationally agreed methods to inform the development of adult treatment plans. You can request an example of our previous work by visiting our publications page.
Perpetuity can support either the qualitative aspects of needs assessments and gap analysis including consultation with service users, service managers and other local stakeholders and/or quantitative analysis including treatment mapping and/or treatment bullseye. We also have experience in conducting similar exercises to understand the needs of young people and parents and carers.
Bedfordshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team commissioned Perpetuity to provide the BDAT Needs Assessment 2007-08. This piece of work formed the basis for our Treatment Plan 2008-09, providing a review of provision, identification of local need and recommendations for commissioning priorities around substance misuse in Bedfordshire.
"Perpetuity provide a well planned systematic approach to the needs assessment process, providing a clear brief and project plan, clear timeframes, and excellent assessment tools. They engage extremely well with a broad range of stakeholders, providers and service users and carers. They are supportive, professional and extremely approachable providing a high standard of work. I have no hesitation in recommending their services to other commissioners of Substance Misuse Services."
Barbara O'Rourke Head of BDAT and Commissioning
If you would like to know more about the services offered by Perpetuity please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
Comparing your crime rates against your most similar group is a very useful process in order to identify where you are succeeding, or are perhaps not so successful, in managing crime. However, simply comparing crime rates does not provide enough information to understand the reasons behind your success or why you may be falling behind other areas, which makes it very difficult to know how to respond. It is for this reason that one Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) commissioned Perpetuity to carry out a benchmarking study.
One CDRP contacted Perpetuity after they noticed that some of the CDRPs within their most similar group were achieving significant reductions in some crime types. They wanted to know more about the reasons behind the significant reductions and whether they could learn anything from the members of their family. They were keen to understand whether the differences in the crime rate were due to differences in data collection or whether they were the result of partnership structure, funding, resources or interventions that could be replicated locally. All of the CDRPs involved will be receiving a report highlighting the successes, and areas for improvement, in their local area. The results of the review will be feeding into action plans for the coming year.
If you want to know more about the members of your most similar group and are interested in a benchmarking review do not hesitate to contact uson 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
The recent Home Office Research Report (Mason and Dale 2008) reviewing Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Activity Based Costing data supported the findings from Perpetuity’s reviews of PCSOs in two areas. The report summarised the findings from the Activity Based Costing data completed by PCSOs across England and Wales and found that on average PCSOs spent most of their time on visible patrol. Perpetuity found that this was also the case in two forces they reviewed in order to assess PCSOs impact to provide evidence to encourage partner funding and improve effectiveness.
The Home Office report found that 64 percent of PCSOs time was spent on visible patrol during 2006/07, their other main tasks were nonincident-linked paperwork, briefings and meetings and community involvement. However, the actual amount of time spent on each task varied across the forces according to different powers and priorities. Our findings supported this; in one area PCSOs spent more than 40 percent of their time on high visibility patrol and 56 percent of their time in contact with the community. It certainly seems that PCSOs are providing the role specified in the guidance issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in 2002 to significantly contribute to the policing of neighbourhoods, primarily through highly visible patrol with the purpose of: reassuring the public; increasing orderliness in public places; and being accessible to communities and partner agencies working at local level.
Both of our local reviews have collected evidence by speaking to members of the public and local community in which the PCSOs work and partner agencies, such as representatives from the Local Authority, in order to demonstrate the good work of PCSOs. Furthermore our review of activity based costing data in addition to consultation with PCSOs and their supervisors has provided forces with the information required to provide them with a greater understanding of how their PCSOs are currently working. Our clients have found the evidence collected a useful objective and independent review of the value of PCSOs locally and their impact in order to encourage continued support and funding to make their roles sustainable.
If you are interested in a review of your PCSOs please contact us on 0116 222 5550 or email prci@perpetuitygroup.com
We were delighted to learn that we have been shortlisted for a Security Excellence Award. The Security Research Initiative has been shortlisted under the ‘Security Partnering Initiative’ category. This is the second year running the SRI has been shortlisted and we are keeping our fingers crossed. Indeed, the SRI, goes from strength to strength. We have just started Phase 2 and we have 18 companies who are supporting it, these are:
Advance
Barclays
Carlisle Security
Case
Caterpillar
CMP Information
Corps
Gratte Brothers
KPMG
MITIE
Nexen Petroleum
National Security Inspectorate
OCS Resolution
Reliance
Royal Mail
Perfectus
VSG
Wilson James
The current study is looking at ‘developing a security strategy’ and our aim is to develop a template that can be of use to the whole industry. Anyone interested in knowing more should contact Perpetuity on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
Perpetuity is pleased to announce the release of the final report for phase one of the Security Research Initiative (SRI): Organisational Perspectives on the Value of Security. The aim of the study was to gain a better understanding of the view of the security function from those in senior management positions within organisations. The main survey (although there is more than one) is of 500 members of the Institute of Directors. The report explores managers’ perceptions of the role of security, its importance and its value. Their views of security are compared to those of other functions such as Human Resources, Finance and Marketing. The results are surprising. In ways security compares quite favourably, fifth out of seven in the listing but in the same grouping as human resources, marketing and finance, but more than facilities, and much less than sales. However, not all aspects of security are viewed the same. Computer and information security is viewed as of high importance, while some aspects of physical security are deemed to be of little value to the organisation. Directors’ opinions on how security can add value to an organisation, and what makes security effective are examined. Click here if you would like to send us an email to request a PDF copy
In advance of the new academic year, several universities and schools have registered to become a Secured Environment. George Blanchflower, Chair of the Association of University Chief Security Officers (AUCSO) said:
The Secured Environments initiative is entirely in accord with the core AUCSO aims and objectives of improving professionalism and standards in University Security. The process requires the formalising and analysis of risks and identifying of appropriate security objectives so that proportionate responses can be developed. The process is one which I would wholeheartedly endorse.
The Headteacher of a primary school stated:
Achieving the Secured Environments award has raised our school's profile in the local community. The parents were proud to achieve the award and it has given them confidence in us as an organisation. Prospective parents have commented on the award, the fact that it is police accredited has particularly impressed them.
The innovative Secured Environments award has been developed in collaboration with the Association of Chief Police Officers Crime Prevention Initiatives (ACPO CPI) and is operated by Perpetuity. Secured Environments is applicable to any organisation.
Achieving the award is a great way to:
Demonstrate to staff and clients that security is taken seriously
It is important that Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships implement effective, value for money solutions to crime and disorder problems. Perpetuity is working with a number of CDRPs to examine funding allocation and spend, and the benefits achieved by crime reduction interventions with regards to their cost effectiveness.
The reviews support the process of financial planning by identifying which activities require further investment and which could be mainstreamed into core budgets.
If you are interested in exploring whether you are achieving value for money please contact Perpetuity on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
Building on their previous and ongoing work on gangs and weapons, Perpetuity have contributed to a knife crime report unveiled in Parliament last month that calls for current and potential knife carriers and users to be actively targeted in both primary and secondary schools with urgent preventative education and mentoring campaigns.
The report, published by Kids Count, a grass-roots think tank that aims to find practical solutions to issues that affect children and young people, identifies vulnerable at risk children and young people and calls for education to be applied both in school and in the community for those most at risk of involvement in knife crime. More information on the report can be found on the Kids Count website
To learn more about how we are working with practitioners at the local level to address gang and weapon crime contact Perpetuity on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
The team at Perpetuity has been commissioned by Leicester Youth Offending Service (YOS) to help them to develop a better understanding of the nature of first time offending by young people in Leicester. Feedback from local stakeholders and young people will be used in conjunction with data analysis to build a body of evidence to direct the future work of the YOS and local partners to reduce the number of FTEs in the city. Some of the key areas of interest include building a profile of FTEs in Leicester, identifying what work is currently underway to prevent first time entry into the youth justice system and its effectiveness, gaps in current provision for those at risk of entering the system and key areas for development. This work will conclude towards the end of 2008.
If you would like an informal discussion regarding the different types of research Perpetuity has undertaken or if you require further information on Perpetuity’s services please contact Perpetuity on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
Martin Gill and Kate Broadhurst are conducting a study into Victims of Identity Fraud and are keen to speak to anyone who has been a victim about their experience. If you have been a victim of ID fraud in the last year or so and would be keen to share you experience please contact us. The interview will be conducted over the telephone and will be anonymised.
To be part of this study please contact Perpetuity on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
In the last issue of the newsletter we said we would update you on approaches to evaluation. We were therefore delighted when we found out that a recent review of evaluation research on CCTV in the US (which has attracted quite a bit of attention in north America) concluded that the evaluation undertaken by Martin Gill and Angela Spriggs on behalf of the Home Office was the best. The review is from a practitioner (John Honovich ) who has assessed the evidence from that viewpoint and it includes an assessment of studies undertaken in the UK, but especially north America.
The review contains a summary of findings. It highlights the generally disappointing results of CCTV in reducing crime but its potential to act as a good post event investigation tool. It concludes that the evaluation undertaken by Martin Gill and Angela Spriggs is,
"The most frequently cited review in the literature, basically the authoritative source. I found it to be the most comprehensive and nuanced, providing details on operation, technology used, costs plus breakdowns of effectiveness by types of crimes. Despite its length, absolutely worth reading. 176 pages."
The Tackling Gangs Action Programme (TGAP) was a six-month initiative announced in September 2007 to target and reduce youth violence, particularly gang-related firearm offences. An additional £1.5 million was allocated to support this work in four cities in England and Wales. The work was conceived against of a backdrop of a number of high-profile fatal incidents involving young people and gangs, and the programme is part of on-going work to tackle this serious problem. Perpetuity Research played a role in terms of interviewing gang members and service providers – the findings of which have supported the publication of Tackling Gangs: A Practical Guide available on the Home Office’s website.
The guide sets out a range of key approaches to tackling violent street gangs used in the four Tackling Gangs Action Programme (TGAP) areas and other cities. It aims to support your local partnership in devising a gang strategy, and then in understanding the range of tools available to deliver that strategy.
Perpetuity is now working with partners in a number of areas to use the national evidence to develop local gang reduction strategies. For more information contact Perpetuity on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
Perpetuity recently completed work on creating an effective risk matrix for the one of the country’s leading library collections. The completed matrix allows staff to categorise each collection in terms of their vulnerability to damage or loss, including threat. Each collection is assessed against a number of criteria including it’s rarity, market value, fragility and ease of concealment and a score is assigned. The higher the score the higher the risk.
Perpetuity then developed a graded level of response which will allow staff to ensure that each incident is responded to in appropriate fashion. It will be possible for the lower categories of risk to be treated less intensely than higher levels of risk ensuring that security measures are rational and economically justified.
If you would like more information on risk assessments or other consultancy services that we offer please contact Perpetuity on 0116 222 5550 or consultancy@perpetuitygroup.com.
There is growing public concern about how much alcohol young people drink in their teenage years. Although findings from the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England (2007) survey suggests that the proportion of young people who drink regularly has fallen, the consumption of alcohol by those who do drink has risen sharply. The Government’s Youth Alcohol Action Plan (YAAP) released in June 2008 outlined a number of actions to tackle the problems caused by underage drinking which include:
New laws to stop young people drinking in public places, including a new offence to tackle persistent possession of alcohol;
New authoritative guidelines from the Chief Medical Officer about young people, alcohol and health;
Establishing a new partnership with parents by providing them with clear information they need to guide their children towards low risk drinking;
Supporting and encouraging young people themselves through publicity campaigns and education in schools to make the right decisions about alcohol.
Perpetuity has worked alongside several commissioners including Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) and Drug and Alcohol Action Teams (DAATs) across the country on projects designed to tackle alcohol misuse, alcohol related violence or to estimate the prevalence of alcohol use amongst certain populations or communities including young people. The research team has recently completed an alcohol needs assessment in the East of England that was designed to inform the development of a local alcohol strategy – this covered the needs of adults, young people and families. It focused specifically on two aspects of the national Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy namely: education and communication and identification and treatment. The needs assessment explored the current alcohol service provision in the area, identified potential gaps in the services available, and proposed a number of recommendations to provide a foundation on which to commission a treatment system that is built on evidence based practice.
The outcomes of the work undertaken by Perpetuity provides commissioners with the evidence base to make informed decisions regarding the future planning and commissioning of alcohol services for young people including education, prevention and treatment services.
If you would like to discuss any of the work mentioned here or you require more information on other research undertaken by Perpetuity please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
The Domestic Violence Integrated Response Project is currently Perpetuity’s nominated support charity. DVIRP offers support to anyone over the age of 16 affected by Domestic Violence in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and Perpetuity are working with the project to explore how we can assist with fund raising and support.
Numerous agencies have a clear and definable role to play in supporting victims of domestic abuse from those with a law enforcement role (police, probation etc) to those providing support for the physical and emotional needs of the woman and often her children (health, social services etc). It is therefore recognised good practice to address DV through a clear and co-ordinated multi agency approach.
Perpetuity has worked in a number of areas to develop the procedures, protocols and processes to facilitate multi-agency co located teams. We can also support local partners to develop domestic violence strategies, policies and guidelines, evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives and projects. We have also undertaken research into to links between substance misuse and domestic violence which supports the growing body of evidence of serious gaps in interventions for victims of domestic violence who have substance misuse problems, and for perpetrators of domestic violence with substance misuse problems. The report is available on our website.
“We would like to record our thanks for the work done for us, which has been to the highest standards. The report produced was one of the best we have ever seen from consultants”.
Perpetuity are pleased to announce that following a successful pilot course, Reliance and BAE have contracted them to train over 200 security officers at BAE sites across the UK.
The Specialist Site Security - Defence Sites course is a bespoke course designed by Perpetuity to specifically to meet the training requirements of Reliance security officers working at BAE sites. Defence sites are often regarded as one of the most challenging and critical environments in which to work and this course gives officers the additional knowledge and skills they need to successfully meet those challenges. The course builds on the skills and knowledge gained during training for the SIA licence by creating a higher understanding of the specific threats faced by defence sites and the subsequent need for increased security. The course leads to an intermediate BTEC Award in Specialist Defence Site Security.
The feedback from students on the pilot course was extremely positive with 100% of the students rating the course as very good and excellent.
"More confidence in myself as a person and my ability to carry out my job. And more drive to aim to improve my career. In whole a sense of achievement."
“It has given me an insight into security which will help me do my job better.”
Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International is pleased to welcome 14 new Associates who will work with us on our security consultancy services. All are highly qualified professionals and they bring with them a wealth of experience in areas including CCTV, risk assessment, penetration testing, continuity planning and contingency management, counter terrorism, close protection, access control and loss prevention to name but a few.
Peter Speight, Head of Consultancy, said
“Welcome on board. The aim of the Perpetuity's Associate network is to create mutually beneficial partnerships with the Associates that we work with.”
In addition to regularly keeping our associates informed of opportunities to work on our projects, we are keen to explore generating new areas of business and welcome any ideas or proposals that you may have. Associates will also be offered discounted and/or free places on many of our conferences and training courses.
If you are interested in becoming an Associate please contact us on 0116 222 5550 or consultancy@perpetuitygroup.com for an information pack.
The team at Perpetuity are pleased to announce their success in obtaining a new piece of work commissioned by Derby Community Safety Partnership (DCSP) to undertake a review of the Derby DIP. The review will include a series of interviews with DIP clients and local stakeholders to gather feedback on the programme including its key successes, weaknesses and any recommendations for improvement. The findings from the review will be available to the partnership early autumn and will be used to inform the future development of the programme.
For more information on this project or other evaluations undertaken by the Perpetuity team please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
The National Treatment Agency (NTA) have recently issued guidance on Young People’s Specialist Substance Misuse Treatment: Exploring the Evidence. It highlights the lack of evaluation evidence on the effectiveness of substance misuse treatment interventions for young people. In the past the most has been made from extrapolations of adult based substance misuse treatment research, often from other countries, or research in relation to working with young people in other health care settings.
It is certainly timely to highlight the importance of, and need for, evaluations of drug and alcohol interventions in the UK. We need better evidence to identify good (and better) practice in drugs/alcohol education, prevention and treatment.
The systematic and objective evaluation of interventions and products is one of the services provided by Perpetuity – this is not just limited to the substance misuse field, we conduct evaluations and reviews across a wide range of disciplines including education, housing, community safety, crime prevention and security. Evaluation research has many advantages:
It can help to demonstrate the benefits of an intervention and consequently help to attract future funding, or justify extending the intervention or reproducing it in another area.
It can help to improve the effectiveness of interventions by identifying any gaps or areas for improvement.
It can help to demonstrate whether an intervention has been cost effective and resources have been used properly.
By understanding what works and what does not work it can inform the planning and commissioning of services.
Positive findings from evaluations can be shared with other agencies as examples of ‘what works’ – agencies may want to replicate these interventions or use the findings to improve their existing interventions.
For more information or examples of evaluation research undertaken by Perpetuity please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com. Alternatively please visit our website.
Perpetuity consultants can help you secure the supply chain and generate business opportunities at the same time. Our accredited 28001 lead auditors have the specialist expertise to help you achieve ISO 28001 accreditation.
ISO 28001 is the first quality management system for the supply chain. Achieving this standard can then act as a good stepping stone to achieving C-TPAT accreditation, or Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status as it is known in Europe. AEO status provides:
A fast lane service for those transporting into the US.
It permits the free movement of goods and vehicles across the EU.
Some of the larger global companies are already accredited and are requiring their suppliers meet the same standard
For more information about how Perpetuity can help you, please call us on 0116 222 5550 or email consultancy@perpetuitygroup.com
Perpetuity is currently developing a Security Operational Plan for a major broadcasting company. In order to create an effective plan, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of an organisation’s security operational requirements. Frequently, there is no synergy between system functionality and security procedures and this can have catastrophic consequences.
The first step in the process will be to carry out a Risk Assessment. This will help identify and rank potential threats facing their assets so that security procedures, equipment, training and guard force can operate at the appropriate level. The next step will be to carry out the Security Audit which will identify opportunities to reduce security costs whilst improving security effectiveness through use of existing technology and processes. The Security Audit will also identify recommendations where existing processes can be performed more effectively.
Once the risks have been identified and the current security measures audited, a detailed list of Operational Requirement can be built up. Perpetuity will then work with the organisation to put these into action.
Devon and Cornwall Police have produced a DVD to assist licensed premises on how to get the most out of CCTV installation. The main presenters are Martin Gill and Nick Ross.
The DVD lasts 14 minutes and is packed full of information on such varied issues as why you need CCTV, points to consider when thinking about camera positions, the pros and cons of different sorts of cameras, guides to the ideal image size, the role of cameras inside and outside the premises and more.
Chris Vercoe of Devon and Cornwall Constabulary who co-ordinated the project said,
"We are delighted to have worked with Martin Gill and Perpetuity on this. The feedback we have received already has been very positive. Many people have noted that the content of the DVD has relevance beyond just licensed premises. We are presenting this as a guide to good practice."
A recent review of drug treatment services by the Healthcare Commission and the National Treatment Agency (NTA) found that over a quarter (26 per cent) of local drug partnerships did not carry out an assessment of need to inform the commissioning of services in 2006/2007.
The team at Perpetuity has extensive experience in conducting annual needs assessments in line with nationally agreed methods to inform commissioning decisions, some examples of which are included below:
Assessing the substance misuse needs of adult drug users.
Assessing the substance misuse needs of young people.
Assessing the substance misuse needs of certain drug using populations including black and minority ethnic (BME) communities, crack cocaine users, vulnerable groups such as offenders, people with disabilities (to name only a few).
Assessing the housing needs of drug and alcohol users.
Assessing the needs of alcohol users to inform the development of local alcohol strategies.
We work with a number of local drug partnerships to inform their local commissioning arrangements and have some very positive feedback from commissioners in terms of the benefits our services bring to local commissioning groups. Bedfordshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team commissioned Perpetuity to provide the BDAT Needs Assessment 2007-08. This piece of work formed the basis for our Treatment Plan 2008-09, providing a review of provision, identification of local need and recommendations for commissioning priorities around substance misuse in Bedfordshire.
"Perpetuity provide a well planned systematic approach to the needs assessment process, providing a clear brief and project plan, clear timeframes, and excellent assessment tools. They engage extremely well with a broad range of stakeholders, providers and service users and carers. They are supportive, professional and extremely approachable providing a high standard of work. I have no hesitation in recommending their services to other commissioners of Substance Misuse Services."
Barbara O'Rourke Head of BDAT and Commissioning
Perpetuity can support either the qualitative aspects of needs assessments including consultation with service users, service managers and other local stakeholders and or quantitative analysis including treatment mapping and/or treatment bullseye.
If you would like to know more about the services offered by Perpetuity please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com
Perpetuity are delighted to announce that we have won a place on the High Growth Potential Scheme under the 'Growth Readiness Category'.
The High Growth Company Support Programme is a new business support programme funded by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda).
The programme provides successful companies with an in-depth business assessment and a dedicated business coach to ensure that they achieve their growth potential.
CCTV has been a very topical issue recently. Det Ch Insp Mick Neville, head of the Metropolitan Police’s Visual Images, Identifications and Detections Office (Viido) commented on the state of the CCTV system in Britain calling it an "utter fiasco" as it has done little to prevent crime or lead to successful prosecution of criminals. He said that part of the problem is that "Billions of pounds has been spent on kit, but no thought has gone into how the police are going to use the images and how they will be used in court.”
Peter Speight, Head of Security Consultancy, noted that we are working with a range of clients (in the public and private sector) to help them make the most of their CCTV. He states that, ‘We can assess your current system and help you implement strategies for improvement, ensuring that your CCTV is used effectively and fully integrated with your other security measures. We can also help you to plan your new CCTV system, write operational requirements and procure the most appropriate system that will ensure cost effective results’.
Perpetuity is pleased to announce that Phase II of the Security Research Initiative (SRI) has now commenced following the successful completion of three major projects during Phase I. The second phase is being sponsored by 17 leading organisations: Advance, Barclays, Carlisle Security, Case, CMP Information, Corps, Gratte Brothers, KPMG, MITIE, Nexen Petroleum, National Security Inspectorate, OCS Resolution, Reliance, Royal Mail, Perfectus, VSG, Wilson James.
The aim of the first project for 2008/09 is to design a sample security strategy.
Research has found that often organisations do not have a security strategy, and even where they do exist they are often not effective. As a consequence different aspects of security are often not fully integrated and before long the security function becomes marginalised and fails to achieve its full potential in influencing practice in an organisation.Perpetuity will work in conjunction with security experts to design a template that organisations could use to develop a security strategy. In addition we would like to develop an understanding of the problems involved in implementing security strategies and how these difficulties could be effectively dealt with.
We are keen to gain your views on what makes a good or bad security strategy –if you would like to share your views with us or have any examples of security strategies to send us, please contact Perpetuity on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com
Emmeline Taylor, Researcher at Perpetuity, will be discussing the results of the Home Office funded project carried out to help shopkeepers design out crime at a forthcoming seminar run by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust on the 12th June.
The one day event aims to give organisations the tools to identify some of the areas where there is the potential for conflict and violence and aggression and help identify practical ways to reduce the risk of conflict and equip your frontline staff with the necessary skills and strategies to manage difficult situations that often arise when dealing with customers.
For more information about the seminar please visit the Suzy Lamplugh Trust website.
For more information about on how Perpetuity can help you tackle crime please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com
The research team at Perpetuity are this month embarking on an alcohol needs assessment for Bedfordshire Drug Action Team (B:DAT) to inform the development of their Alcohol Strategy. This work will involve working with local service providers, commissioners and service users to better understand the needs of alcohol users across the county. Consultation with local stakeholders will enable commissioners to build up a picture of current alcohol provision, the desired system of services, any potential gaps in the current service provision offered, and the ways in which such omissions can be addressed. The outcomes of this research will inform the future planning and commissioning of alcohol services including education, prevention and treatment services. If you would like to discuss your work on developing alcohol strategies or you require more information on this project or any other research undertaken by Perpetuity please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
Perpetuity are very pleased to be working with Salford DAAT to evaluate their current criminal justice alcohol interventions including voluntary referral to a criminal justice alcohol worker, an alcohol bail conditions scheme and Alcohol Treatment Requirements (ATRs) – a National Offender Management Service (NOMS) alcohol best practice project. Throughout the course of the 12 month evaluation Perpetuity researchers will track a sample of offenders presenting with alcohol misuse to monitor their progress and assess the impact of these interventions. Perpetuity will also consult with local stakeholders to gather their feedback on these initiatives. Of particular interest to this evaluation is the impact of interventions on alcohol consumption and offending. If you would like to find out more about Perpetuity’s work in relation to drugs and alcohol research or evaluation research please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
At present there is a remarkable lack of information on the extent to which CCTV is used alongside other technologies, let alone the effectiveness of this technology. In light of this gap, Perpetuity is currently working with the Home Office Scientific Development branch to survey public space CCTV managers.
Key to the study will be ascertaining precisely which technologies are being used to enhance CCTV (and to what extent), and then to obtain some insights into how effective users believe the technologies are. Results from the study will inform the development of a tool to help guide understanding of what constitutes operational effectiveness of public space schemes.
If you would like more information on this work please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
Following a spate of teenage murders, the extent of youth gang culture in the UK is a growing concern. Definite figures are hard to come by but some experts estimate that the number of gang members aged under-16 years old has more than doubled in the last five years alone. Perpetuity has recently completed a number of studies in the prevalence and nature of gang culture including a review of the four Tackling Gang Action Programme areas and an assessment of the potential impact of gangs and gang culture on schools in the UK. We are also working in a number of areas to support the development of gang reduction and prevention strategies. For a copy of the schools report which includes a number of key messages that have emerged as a result of conducting research in and around schools in the UK please contact us at 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
Perpetuity are pleased to announce the Domestic Violence Integrated Response Project (DVIRP) as the charity we will be supporting in 2008.
DVIRP offer telephone and face to face support (via trained workers and volunteers) for men and women who are over 16 and living in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland who have been affected by Domestic Violence. DVIRP also offer support to perpetrators and their families.
A number of events will be run throughout the year with the proceeds being donated to the charity.
We are finding that the issue of ‘managing radicalisation and extremism’ is cropping up on our clients’ agendas. In a few projects we are involved with it is clear that the need to respond sensitively and imaginatively is becoming all the more important.
We would be interested in hearing from you if you have managed this issue or have any progressive thoughts on the topic. Please call contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
A Civic Society Alliance to Reduce Re-offending aims to ensure equality of access for offenders to mainstream local services such as accommodation, employment and leisure through improved partnership working across the public sector.
In response to the aims of the Civic Society Alliance, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has commissioned Perpetuity to complete a country-wide mapping exercise to identify organisations (and their level of involvement) which seek to improve offenders' access to sport and leisure facilities in their local area. The mapping exercise will involve summarising case studies from across all Government Office regions, identifying best practice.
Results of the mapping exercise will be used in producing a guidance document which will be issued to practitioners within the Prison and Probation Service, and to other NOMS providers. Perpetuity will also distribute the document to organisations - public, private and voluntary - which have an interest in the sport agenda.
For more information on this research or any other work undertaken by Perpetuity contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com
Knife-enabled crime continues to cause serious harm to victims and with an apparent rise in numbers promotes fear within communities. Following a number of high profile crimes involving knives the topic has received significant attention within popular mass media however the true scale of the problem is unknown due the lack of precise and routine information gathering.
The Royal Armouries Museum has commissioned Perpetuity to explore the current research regarding knife crime in the UK with a view to identifying its reliability, usefulness and methodological rigor. The review highlights gaps in research that need to be filled in order to obtain a comprehensive and up to date understanding of knife crime.
If you are interested in finding out more about the study or about how we might help your area address issues related to knife please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com
Perpetuity, supported by a national teaching union, continues to develop IMAT - a unique web hosted tool for schools to collect and interpret data on crime and anti social behaviour.
The Incident Monitoring and Assessment Tool allows schools to record the type and nature of incidents. The information is then collated in an archive facilitating ongoing monitoring of incidents over time and converted into graphical format for ease of presentation and interpretation.
Through a regular newsletter schools will be supported to respond and improve school safety and security through practical guidance and good practice on low cost/ no costs solutions.
If you are interested in finding out more about IMAT and our other work on school security and safety please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com
Schools are under increasing pressure from the government to respond to a range of issues including poor behaviour, attendance, community cohesion and bullying to name just a few. However, there is little recognition of the impact of factors outside the influence of the schools control.
Perpetuity, commissioned by the NASUWT have completed a study to explore the relationship between schools and the physical state of the surrounding neighbourhood with a view to understanding how neighbourhood decline and more specifically particular blights on the environment can impact on schools. The study seeks to understand the role of influencing factors upon schools' ability to meet the challenges ahead.
If you are interested in finding out more about the study and our other work on school security and safety please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
Perpetuity have been working with Bedfordshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team (BDAT) over the last few months to inform the adult and young people's treatment plans, recently submitted in draft form to the NTA. As part of our work we have assisted with treatment mapping and treatment bullseye. Areas of exploration included housing needs, employment, education and training needs, general healthcare needs and addiction specific needs.
Of great importance to this work has been the involvement of service users; researchers at Perpetuity have consulted with a sample of service users (as well as local stakeholders) to gather their feedback on services.
If you would like more information on this work or similar work undertaken by Perpetuity regarding substance misuse, please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
Perpetuity is continuing to build on our increasing success of working with partners in London.Lizzie Peters, an experience crime reduction consultant, has joined Perpetuity to ensure we increase our coverage of work with local authorities, CDRPs and DAATS.
Lizzie brings a wide range of experience and skills to Perpetuity and our clients in London.In the past she has worked for Crime Concern in London and the South East, she has also delivered a range of work to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships including Section 17 training, self-assessment support, partnership reviews and action planning.Lizzie also project managed contracts for the Home Office, Government Office for London and the Youth Justice Board in London.These included research into crack house closures, practice guidance for working with Priority and Prolific Young Offenders and developing a community engagement strategy.
If you would like to find out more about how we can help your organization please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
At various stages of development, companies who manufacture and market security measures require independent evaluation. Often this is to assess actual or potential impact, to generate impartial evidence, to add credibility to claims of success or to provide pragmatic recommendations so as to develop a more effective plan for the future. Perpetuity has recently worked with two companies from the security sector; "SmartWater Technology Limited" and "Sign Assured Limited".
SmartWater commissioned Perpetuity to assess the forensic crime reduction strategy which it offers to police forces and communities across the UK - from the Offenders' perspective. The findings indicated that crime reduction strategies using SmartWater products have a strong deterrent effect: 74% of the respondents said they would not break into a building with SmartWater warning signage.
Indeed, SmartWater was considered by respondents, all experienced criminals, to be the most powerful deterrent when ranked against other types of deterrent such as alarms and CCTV, scoring on average 8.3 out of 10. Sign Assured commissioned Perpetuity to conduct an "expert" testing of their signature verification technology both in the UK and in the USA.
Two phases of evaluation illustrated that the SignHear interface delivers a high level of reliability, consistently differentiating between real and false signatures working at various levels of testing criteria. For more information on either project, or to discuss how a future evaluation could benefit your company please contact Tom Bourne by email: t.bourne@perpetuitygroup.com or by phone 0116 222 5561.
Perpetuity are corporate sponsors of Water for Kids, a small registered charity who provide clean water, sanitation and health education for children and communities in developing countries. They have delivered projects in Peru, Tanzania, India and the Gambia and are working on more projects in Uganda, Zambia and Kenya. Perpetuity found out about the charity after one of our members of staff went to Uganda to volunteer on one of their projects.
Representatives from Water for Kids presented Perpetuity with a plaque during an annual Christmas lunch. Professor Martin Gill commented:
"We are delighted to be able to support such a worthwhile initiative. One of our staff, Katy Owen, identified the good work of the charity when she was in Africa. This gives us great comfort that we are aligning ourselves with an organisation making a real difference where it matters most."
In 2008 Perpetuity plans to launch the Fraud Research Initiative (FRI). This is backed by leading financial sector associations, CIFAS and APACS. The plan is to conduct research over the next three years that will generate new insights to help prevent fraud. In the first year we will be looking at 'The future of fraud and fraudsters'.
Already MBNA and Capital One have signed up. Perhaps you would like to become a Member too? For more details, click here
The Security Research Initiative (SRI) is a three year programme of study run by Perpetuity to undertake research into topics which are of importance to the security sector in order to develop new insights and practical recommendations. It is supported by the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), The Security Institute, and ASIS International, and is being sponsored by 13 companies. In the first year the SRI examined what buyers looked for when choosing security products and suppliers, and in the second focused on what value security does and could generate for an organisation.
Perpetuity is currently undertaking research for the third study. This has involved obtaining the views of employees in senior management positions to better understand their perceptions of the security function. In particular to examine whether employees in senior management positions perceive security as a business enhancing function or an evitable cost on the bottom line, and to obtain their views on how security should best be organised within a company.
The SRI is about to enter its second phase 2008 to 2010; to find out more please click here
In November 2007 Katy Owen, Senior Researcher with Perpetuity, was invited by DSP-Groep in the Netherlands to co-facilitate a workshop at the European Equal Opportunities for All conference in The Hague. The conference had delegates from across Europe covering a range of policy areas including community safety, neighbourhood regeneration, policing and youth work among others.
Katy delivered a session in conjunction with DSP and Movisie, also based in the Netherlands, looking at neighbourhood regeneration and the role of the community and the state. There were four discussions over two days and which motivated an inspiring debate with practitioners from Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK and others. It raised some interesting questions, for example what roles the community and the state should play in regeneration, and how to that hard to hear communities are included in the process. However, the overtones were very positive with the overriding conclusion that engaging with the community was essential and must be pursued, although not at the expense of expert opinions.
We celebrated our fifth birthday this year. Since our inception - we were formally launched by Prince Michael of Kent in 2002 - we have established ourselves as one of the leading consultancies in the world in our subject area. We like to think we do things differently, and the feedback we get from our clients, suggests that you agree. We have a strong focus on being independent, on being innovative and delivering well run projects that exceed expectations. We have a foot in academia and a foot in the real world.
Our clients range from government departments, such as the DCLG, Ministry of Justice and the Home Office to Local Authorities across the country as well as Drug Action Teams and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, as well as private companies, including SMEs and blue chip organisations here and abroad. We also work for a variety of charities and unions, including the NASUWT. We have become recognised specialists in research and consultancy in a number of fields including:
==> Security surveys and audits
==> Risk assessments
==> CCTV design, specification and management
==> Penetration testing
==> Fraud
==> Crime
==> Community Safety
==> Substance Misuse
==> Designing out crime
==> Education
==> Regeneration
==> Evaluation
Over the 5 years we have become experts at offender based research realising that offender's insights are key to truly understanding crime and how to manage it. Some of PRCI's notable projects include the Security Research Initiative, Secured Environments, the Safer Schools and Hospitals Project, the national Civic Society Alliance toolkit, research into drug dealing, the evaluation of the Prolific Priority Offender Strategy and a review of the impact of school autonomy.
PRCI are regularly in the press including The Guardian, the Telegraph, The Times, BBC News online as well as local and national radio. Staff have also appeared on television shows including Crimewatch, Breakfast Business, Watchdog, Dispatches BBC News and regional news shows.
The Director, Professor Martin Gill, said, 'It has been a great first five years. We have managed to attract staff that are able and committed and that is the key to our success. We have a built a foundation on which we can build new and improved services that better serve a range of customers. Thank you for your interest and support and please do contact me personally if you feel that we can ever be of any assistance to you.'
Kate Broadhurst, Head of Research said, 'As one of the first members of staff to join Perpetuity I have seen the company go from strength to strength. We have welcomed the opportunity to work with a whole range of clients on some exciting and innovative pieces of work and look forward to working on new projects in new areas in the future'.
Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International, a spin-out company from the University of Leicester, has announced the appointment of Peter Speight as the new Head of Security Consultancy.
Professor Martin Gill, who is Director of Perpetuity, said:
"I am delighted Peter is joining us. He has a record of success and brings a broad range of business and security skills that are recognised across the industry. He is ideally placed to build on and enhance the reputation Perpetuity has established for top quality independent security consultancy."
Peter Speight, said:
"I am very much looking forward to leading the Perpetuity security consultancy team in this country and abroad. We will use our current work which includes security audits and risk assessments, penetration tests, procurement advice and contingency planning to develop the security consultancy portfolio. It is a fantastic challenge and one which I relish."
Peter Speight can be contacted on 07715 005 114. Martin Gill can be contacted on 0774 028 4286; m.gill@perpetuitygroup.com
Peter Speight - Biography
Peter was formerly Director of Security Risk Management for Reliance Security Group. He worked as Head of Security in the Chemical & Pharmaceutical for 20 years as Group Security Manager at Allied Colloids developing and implementing all security policy, strategy and procedures and integrated security consultancy to subsidiary companies world-wide. Peter worked at the BBC as a Security Risk Management Consultant before accepting the position as head of Security Operations for BBC London, a post that involved the development of security policies and procedures, as well as managing physical security arrangements. He left the BBC to join an international risk management company where he worked as Global Operations Director for their Risk Management Consultancy Division before taking-up a position at Reliance as Director of Monitoring Services.
Peter is fully conversant with security and health & safety legislation innovative technical security solutions based on risk assessment principles, in conjunction with company security policies, procedures, and operational requirements. Peter has a specialist expertise in CCTV and other technologies, indeed until recently he was on the Board of Reliance High-Tech.
On the 10th October 2007, Pavilion in association with Perpetuity hosted a conference at the Ort House Conference Centre in London on housing and drugs entitled "supporting the housing needs of drug and alcohol users - are we doing enough?" The conference was designed to explore some of the housing needs of drug and alcohol users and the barriers they face, and look at what more can be done to support this vulnerable population. Watch out for December's issue of Housing, Care and Support Journal published by Pavilion which is the subject matter of this conference.
For more information on this conference or work undertaken by Perpetuity contact Michelle Duffin by on 0116 222 5565 or by email m.duffin@perpetuitygroup.com
This year has been an exciting one for everyone working on the Secured Environments project. After several months researching, consulting and piloting the scheme the accreditation - for organisations that can demonstrate that they take security seriously - was finally launched in June 2007.
Since then Secured Environments has received a lot of interest and support including positive reviews in numerous security publications and websites, such as Security Park, Professional Security Magazine, Security Management Today and Education Business. The scheme has also been covered in regional press.
A cross section of organisations have registered for the Secured Environments scheme including Bristol University, schools and academies while many others are planning to sign up in the New Year. Furthermore, agreements are in the process of being set up with a number of security and facilities management companies, who see Secured Environments as a credible way for their clients to prove they are effective at security.
If this is something that you think will help you to add value to your current clients and attract new ones then please do get in touch. The team look forward to another exciting year ahead and receiving your registration to become a Secured Environment. To find out more go to www.securedenvironments.comor contact us on 0116 222 5555.
Perpetuity are exploring the professional development of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) on behalf of NASUWT, the teachers' union. The study has followed 30 NQTs through their teacher training and first years of teaching using one-to-one interviews. To support this PRCI is also carrying out an annual survey with new and recently qualified teachers to identify any changes in attitudes and perceptions among this group.
The research study will be completed in 2008. However, preliminary analysis presents some interesting findings about new and recently qualified teachers views of their teacher training, in school support and training, experience and impact of poor pupil behaviour, school wide and individual teachers strategies to respond to poor pupil behaviour and career satisfaction. An interim report will be published early in 2008. This study follows on from a previous study looking at the professional development of newly qualified teachers also on behalf of the NASUWT which can be accessed via the publications page on this website.
Perpetuity is currently working with Bedfordshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team to inform their needs assessment and service gap analysis. The research team will be involved in treatment mapping and treatment bullseye as well as undertaking consultation with local stakeholders and service users. All findings will inform the writing of both adult and young people’s treatment plans to be submitted to the NTA early next year.
If you would like more information on this work please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or prci@perpetuitygroup.com.
With increasing threats to national security from organised terrorist groups it is clear that responses need to be innovative and coordinated. Perpetuity has just completed an exciting piece of research on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice in conjunction with the Justice and Safety Centre at East Kentucky University, USA. The research, the first of its kind, was a comparative study between the UK and USA using a case study approach to explore the use of technology by partnerships between the public and private sectors to respond to security threats to the critical national infrastructure. Six examples, three in the UK and three in the USA, where technology was used in partnership between the public and private sectors to address threats to security, were reviewed.
The UK based partnerships were varied and explored some interesting and advanced uses of technology. In one case a CCTV system owned by a transport executive in Yorkshire shared pictures and information with a wide range of external groups including their local authority partners; indeed pictures captured by the cameras were used by police to identify the London bombers. Another explored a successful partnership whereby private security guards work with the police to collect intelligence and provide high visibility support in the event of an incident. The final UK case study reviewed a relatively new web based system which provides expert support and scenario testing to organisations to enable them to develop their business continuity plans and respond effectively to a terrorist incident, for more information go to http://ves.citysafe.org/login/. It is clear that with increasingly organised threats to security partnership working between the public and private sectors utilising available technology is essential for the common good.
If you would like any further information on this piece of research please contact us on 0116 222 5555 or email prci@perpetuitygroup.com
