ISTV – Case Studies
Case Studies
Operation Lambridge, Hounslow
Operation Lambridge was the first project in London that saw the use of ISTV data to inform targeted police patrols. The project followed the principles of the “Precision Policing Model”: timely and accurate Intelligence, officers’ operational freedom to conduct proactive patrols, continuous posting to facilitate consistency of practice and intelligence sharing amongst participating officers.
The project started in November 2018 and was delivered by four Emergency Response Teams (ERTs) from the West Area BCU. Officers were tasked with patrolling hotspots of serious violence identified by Emergency Department (ED) data and aimed to prevent and reduce serious violence and knife crime in Hounslow. ERTs were provided with maps showing the main hotspots for interpersonal violence, as well as details about temporal patterns in crime, and then were given the freedom to target these areas according to the information provided.
ED data revealed that assaults were disproportionately concentrated in Hounslow Town Centre while the temporal analysis and the method of injury (in particular use of bottles) revealed links to the night time economy.
Metropolitan Police data indicated a much lower volume of serious assaults committed in the night time economy area than was identified in the ISTV data; therefore, the impact of the night time economy on interpersonal violence was more significant than had been previously understood when police data alone had been used. ED data indicated the true extent of the problem.
A hotspot for knife injuries was also identified in the west of the borough thanks to the data provided by EDs suggesting high level of under-reporting of serious violence.
Serious Violence, Haringey
ED data has allowed the identification of “hidden” hotspots of violence in the borough of Haringey. Analysis of ISTV data highlighted these “hidden” hotspots that were previously unknown to law enforcement agencies and the local authority.
Using the data, an evidence-based partnership response led to a 17% reduction in overall violence since a peak in 2018, a notable reduction considering the 1% increase recorded in London over the same period.
Further achievements included:
- Positive feedback from residents’ survey data
- Reduction in number of offences in problematic hotspots
- Almost 400 fewer victims compared to the pre-intervention period
Violence linked to the night time economy, Ealing
London Ambulance Service and ED data have been used by Ealing Council to provide a new perspective regarding crime in the borough that had not been highlighted by crime reports.
The analysis of these health datasets proved to be a crucial source of data in acquiring a better understanding of the characteristics associated with violence in the borough.
The data underlined the fact that tackling alcohol and drug related assaults should be a priority for the borough and that ED assault data provided an effective measure of crime to overcome the “dark figure” problem (the volume of crime not known to police).
ISTV data was invaluable in helping the council shape a tailored intervention aimed at reducing violence in the borough. Analysis showed that most violence was linked to the night time economy. The data was used to inform decisions around the opportunity to expand the borough’s night time economy offer.
Drugs related violence, Hackney
ED data for people attending hospital as a result of a violent assault revealed a persistent violence hotspot in an area within Hackney.
Comparative analysis of crime reported to the police and calls-out attended by the London Ambulance Service to assist people injured as a result of an assault did not reveal any violence related issue affecting the area. Thanks to the analysis of ED data, local police officers and council employees were able to focus their attention on a newly identified hotspot, eventually linking incidents of serious violence to a specific premise heavily involved in drug-dealing activities (a “crack house”). The premise was a crime generator for the area and its closure prevented a further escalation of serious violence incidents.
This case studies shows how data collected by EDs can be used to detect areas at high risk of harm before they are detected by law enforcement agencies.
The intelligence provided by ISTV is particularly important in informing when and where vulnerable people and hard-to-reach individuals are victimised. For instance, drug users or gang members do not always report to the police or call an ambulance due to fears of being targeted by law enforcement agencies. Nevertheless, they are still very likely to seek medical treatment for moderate and serious injuries.
ED data, as a part of ISTV programme, has the potential to contribute to violence reduction, supplementing law enforcement data with actionable intelligence that allows violence to be tackled before it is detected by other agencies, thereby reducing the risk of further victimisation.
Further resources: Analysis of LAS, A&E and MPS data to identify
Emergency Departments with access to the highest volume of
youth affected by knife injury.