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Results for public spaces

12 results found

Author: Weisburd, David

Title: The Importance of Place in Policing: Empirical Evidence and Policy Recommendations

Summary: This monograph argues that the police can be more effective if they shift the primary concerns of policing from people to places. Such a shift is already underway in American policing where place has begun to be seen as an important focus of police crime prevention effort. But even in the U.S., people and not places remain the central concern of policing. Places in this context are specific locations within the larger social environments of communities and neighborhoods. They may be defined as buildings or addresses, block faces or street segments, or as clusters of addresses, block faces or street segments that have common crime problems. This report presents research which describes from both empirical and theoretical perspectives how the police can produce substantial crime prevention effects by directing their focus at small, well-defined locations with high levels of crime. The research findings presented in this report also strongly indicate that place-based policing of this kind can prevent crime using considerably less resources than more traditional policing methods.

Details: Stockholm: Brottsforebyggande radet (Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention), 2010. 69p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 25, 2010 at: http://www.bra.se/extra/measurepoint/?module_instance=4&name=The_importance_of_place_in_policing.pdf&url=/dynamaster/file_archive/100609/d4dd5dc1d51f6c3442a975a5f37d9ef3/The%255fimportance%255fof%255fplace%255fin%255fpolicing.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United States

URL: http://www.bra.se/extra/measurepoint/?module_instance=4&name=The_importance_of_place_in_policing.pdf&url=/dynamaster/file_archive/100609/d4dd5dc1d51f6c3442a975a5f37d9ef3/The%255fimportance%255fof%255fplace%255fin%255fpolicing

Shelf Number: 119686

Keywords:
Crime Locations
Crime Prevention
Drug Trafficking
Maritime Crime (Gulf of Guinea; Africa)
Maritime Security
Organized Crime
Piracy
Policing
Public Safety
Public Spaces

Author: Victorian Law Reform Commission

Title: Surveillance in Public Places: Final Report 18

Summary: This report completes a two-stage inquiry into the widespread use of privacy invasive technologies. The first stage of our inquiry dealt with workplace privacy, while this report deals with the growing use of surveillance in public places. Public place surveillance is so extensive that it now affects the lives of nearly all Victorians. It is highly likely that our image will be captured by camera, and recorded, whenever we are walking down city streets, travelling on public transport, driving on freeways, visiting shopping centres or attending a major sporting event. People should know about these activities and appreciate that it is becoming increasingly difficult to remain anonymous in public places. The notion of blending in with the crowd is fast disappearing. The Attorney-General asked the commission to consider the interests of users of surveillance in protecting their property and providing safe places, and to balance these against the protection of privacy, autonomy and the dignity of individuals. The commission has been guided by these concerns and this report reflects the diversity of opinion regarding the use of surveillance in public places. We must seek to reap the many benefits of modern surveillance equipment while also ensuring that it is not used oppressively and unnecessarily in public places.

Details: Melbourne: Victorian Law Reform Commission, 2010. 180p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 14, 2010 at:

Year: 2010

Country: Australia

URL:

Shelf Number: 119791

Keywords:
Crime Prevention
Privacy
Public Spaces
Video Surveillance

Author: Firstcare Consultancy

Title: Evaluation of Enfield Community Help Point Scheme

Summary: The Community Help Point Scheme (CHPS) was launched in March 2007 under the umbrella of Enfield’s Safeguarding Children’s Board following consultation with teenagers by Enfield Children & Young people’s Service and Police Youth & Partnership Team. Two significant findings emerged from this consultation exercise, the perceived or real risk to young people as they make their way around the borough and how this risk impacts on disabled young people and their parents’ concerns about safety and vulnerability. In order to address the issue, a small multi-agency steering group was established to look at the possibility of developing a scheme locally that could address these factors made up of: PS Neil Standring (Police), Janet Leach (Joint Disability Service), Barbara Atkinson (Children’s Fund), Anne Stoker (Integrated Support and Safeguarding) and Claire Whetstone and Shafiqul Karim (ECYPS). The overall aims of the scheme (originally called the Emergency Help Point Scheme) are as follows: · To support young people in raising their awareness of personal safety issues. · To keep children and young people safe as they move around within Enfield. · To facilitate the safe travel of young people with diverse support needs · To raise awareness of safeguarding children and young people within the community · To strengthen relationships between the adult community and young people. It was decided to set up ‘safe havens’ for children and young people as they make their way around the borough. Business and other premises would be asked to display the CHPS logo and, after appropriate training and CRB checks, be able to support vulnerable young people or refer them appropriately to the relevant support services. Children are made aware, through presentations in schools, that they can ask for help where the logo is displayed if they are at risk, lost or feel frightened/ intimidated.

Details: London: Home Office, 2010. 41p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 7, 2012 at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/effective-practice/crime-effective-practice/antisocial-behaviour/Comm-Help-Point-Scheme-Enfield?view=Binary

Year: 2010

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/effective-practice/crime-effective-practice/antisocial-behaviour/Comm-Help-Point-Scheme-Enfield?view=Binary

Shelf Number: 125495

Keywords:
Child Protection (U.K.)
Child Safety
Children with Disabilities
Fear of Crime, Juveniles
Public Spaces

Author: Ipsos MORI

Title: Anti-Social Behaviour: People, Place and Perceptions

Summary: By definition, the scale and impact of anti-social behaviour can only be measured by gauging the perceptions of those whose lives are affected by such behaviour. These survey measures continually show anti-social behaviour issues to be at the forefront of local concerns, surpassing the more traditional responsibilities attached to relevant local public service providers. The 7-strand anti-social behaviour index aggregates the extent to which residents classify different local issues as being problematic in their local areas. These range from environmental-related concerns of rubbish and litter lying around and abandoned or burnt out cars, through to vandalism, graffiti and other deliberate damage, people being drunk or rowdy, people using or dealing drugs, teenagers hanging around on the streets and noisy neighbours or loud parties. It is this 7-strand index measure that we use as the key perceptual indicator in our analysis.

Details: London: Ipsos Mori,2007. 35p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 28, 2012 at: http://www.ipsos.com/public-affairs/sites/www.ipsos.com.public-affairs/files/documents/anti-social_behaviour.pdf

Year: 2007

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.ipsos.com/public-affairs/sites/www.ipsos.com.public-affairs/files/documents/anti-social_behaviour.pdf

Shelf Number: 126162

Keywords:
Antisocial Behaviour (U.K.)
Disorderly Conduct
Drunk and Disorderly
Juveniles
Nuisance Behaviors and Disorders
Public Spaces

Author: John Scougall

Title: Keeping People Safe: An evaluation of the Nyoongar Patrol Outreach Service

Summary: NPS is the only Aboriginal patrol service operating in the Perth metropolitan area. There have been many It began in 1998 as a fledgling volunteer managed service operating only three night patrols each week. Through many years of hard work NPS transformed itself into a professionally structured organisation with a strong board, experienced CEO and seventeen fulltime staff, all of whom participate in a programme of professional development. There are a further seven trained casual staff. Description of the Service The objectives of the NPS are: 􀂇􀀃 Safety and harmony 􀂇􀀃 Referring people who are in need to agencies that can assist 􀂇􀀃 Transporting people to safety 􀂇􀀃 Partnering and cooperating with other agencies 􀂇􀀃 Remaining a strong viable organisation with a professional reputation 􀂇􀀃 Providing greater social and economic support to youth. The NPS currently delivers a range of community services which contribute to community safety: 􀂇􀀃 Conflict mediation and defusion of incidents 􀂇􀀃 Street level support to the homeless 􀂇􀀃 Youth support and child protection 􀂇􀀃 Street level linkage of people to health services 􀂇􀀃 Employment and training 􀂇􀀃 Policy advocacy and planning input. The crime prevention role of NPS receives the most emphasis and is the source of most current funding, but it is not the only street level service NPS provides. There is a need to ensure that performance measures are in place to enable progress in all areas of service delivery to be measured. There is also a need to ensure the organisation is adequately funded to provide these services. Strategies used by NPS to deliver its services include: 􀂇􀀃 Street patrols to maintain a visible presence 􀂇􀀃 Referral of people to other services including shelters and refuges 􀂇􀀃 Providing diversionary transport to a safe place 􀂇􀀃 Improving cooperation and relationships between Aboriginal people, the business community, police and other services. The NPS is about early detection of Aboriginal people in jeopardy. The target group are Aboriginal people in public places in Perth whose safety is at risk. Youth, the homeless and people affected by substances are amongst the primary beneficiaries. Desired outcomes expected as the result of the work of the NPS include: 􀂇􀀃 a safer community 􀂇􀀃 fewer incidents 􀂇􀀃 reduced assault and violence 􀂇􀀃 reduced property damage and robbery 􀂇􀀃 reduced detention and arrests by police 􀂇􀀃 reduced homelessness 􀂇􀀃 better access to services by people at risk 􀂇􀀃 reduced truancy 􀂇􀀃 reduced child abuse 􀂇􀀃 a more effective community safety service sector.

Details: Victoria Park, AU: John Scougall Consulting Services, 2012. 94p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accesssed August 5, 2013 at: http://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/docs/Keeping_People_Safe_NPS-Report.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: Australia

URL: http://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/docs/Keeping_People_Safe_NPS-Report.pdf

Shelf Number: 129531

Keywords:
Aboriginals
Crime Prevention
Police Patrol
Public Spaces
Street Patrols
Volunteers

Author: Cavoukian, Ann

Title: Surveillance, then and now: securing privacy in public spaces

Summary: Surveillance is growing, as are the technologies that extend its reach. But surveillance that facilitates the sustained monitoring of people engaged in everyday activities in public is, in Justice Gerard La Forest's unforgettable words, "an unthinkable prospect in a free and open society such as ours." Unthinkable as it may be, the prospect of close and continuous surveillance is no longer simply the stuff of science fiction. Governments now have access to precise and affordable technologies capable of facilitating broad programs of indiscriminate monitoring. The unfettered use of these technologies raises the spectre of a true surveillance state. To freedom-loving people, that is an unacceptable prospect. The purpose of this paper is to assist law enforcement, lawmakers, and the broader public in understanding and protecting our fundamental right to privacy with respect to surveillance by the state of our activities in public spaces through the use of ever-growing new technologies.

Details: Toronto: Information and Privacy Commissioner, 2013. 57p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 6, 2015 at: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/lbrr/archives/cnmcs-plcng/cn29826-eng.pdf

Year: 2013

Country: Canada

URL: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/lbrr/archives/cnmcs-plcng/cn29826-eng.pdf

Shelf Number: 135520

Keywords:
Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV)
Drones
Electronic Surveillance
Privacy
Public Spaces
Video Surveillance (Canada)

Author: Eisenhauer, Simone

Title: Managing event places and viewer spaces: Security, surveillance and stakeholder interests at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

Summary: This thesis explores the security risk management and commercial organisation of public urban spaces at the 2010 FIFA World Cup (FWC) in South Africa. Extending knowledge of how commercial interests intersect with security risk management of public urban spaces at sport mega-events, this study examines these concepts in a developing world context. Using a neoliberal theoretical lens and drawing on the concepts of Festivalisation and Disneyisation, the research contributes to academic scholarship in the areas of both sport and event management. This is achieved through a critical examination of security and commercialisation strategies in 'public spaces' at a sport mega-event, namely, public viewing areas (PVAs) and commercial restricted zones (CRZs). The research problem was investigated by means of an inductive interpretive qualitative case study approach. The selected event was the 2010 FWC, and within this event an indepth case study of Cape Town was selected for examination. Multiple sources of evidence included government, management, and media documentation. In addition, semi-structured interviews were drawn upon to generate a narrative of the roles and interests of three key stakeholders (the event owner, event sponsor and event host) in the process of strategically managing PVAs and CRZs. The government's policies, decisions, and actions associated with staging of the 2010 FWC reflected new and exemplary forms of neoliberal urban governance in concert with intensified levels of policing and securitisation. The measures taken to combat ambush marketing were of particular note. FIFA's requirements on the host city facilitated decisions about public and private spaces that redefined public policies and rules. Intensification of spatial and social fragmentation and greater exclusion resulted; in other words, the evidence demonstrates the phenomenon of the 'FIFA-isation' of public space. Rhetoric from event owners and city authorities on the benefits of hosting the FWC claimed intended outcomes, which were the exact opposite of what eventuated.

Details: Sydney: University of Technology, Sydney: 2013. 364p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 18, 2015 at: https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/research/bitstream/handle/10453/23538/02whole.pdf?sequence=5

Year: 2013

Country: South Africa

URL: https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/research/bitstream/handle/10453/23538/02whole.pdf?sequence=5

Shelf Number: 136811

Keywords:
Public Safety
Public Spaces
Risk Management
Security
Sporting Events
World Cup

Author: Jagori

Title: Safe City Free of Violence Against Women and Girls Initiative: A Study of Delhi Police Help Lines

Summary: This study is part of the Safe City free From Violence against Women and Girls Initiative, Delhi of Jagori in partnership with UN Women, UN HABITAT and the Department of Women and Child Development, Delhi Government. Women and girls are vulnerable to violence both within and outside the home and we recognize that the continuum of violence continues from personal/private to public space. We have been working on this issue since 2005 and have completed several surveys and safety audits in order to understand the problem in detail and in all its diversity. A baseline survey was conducted in Delhi in 2010 to focus on violence against women including sexual harassment, staring, touching, sexual assault, attempted rape, stalking and lewd comments, in a wide range of public spaces. The sample was 5010 men and women above the age of 16 covering all nine districts of Delhi. Conducted to research into factors that create greater safety and inclusion for women in public spaces around the city, the survey gathered and analyzed information about the following: (a) nature and forms of gender‐based violence and/or harassment faced by women, (b) spots where these incidents happen and that are perceived to be unsafe and inaccessible to women, (c) strategies adopted by women to defend themselves, (d) role of governing agencies and the police in safeguarding women's rights, and (e) societal perceptions and attitudes towards rights of women and girls. After conducting interviews with a diverse range of stakeholders, both government and non government, a draft strategic framework document was drawn up in 2010. This document identified several key areas of intervention in order to have a sustainable impact on reducing vulnerability and increasing safety. These include: - Urban planning and design of public spaces - Provision and management of urban infrastructure and services - Public transport - Policing - Legislation, justice and support to victims - Education - Civic awareness and participation This study has been carried out by Multiple Action Research Group (MARG) and provides data on the gaps in the functioning of Delhi Police helplines which are a first point contact for most people. Further the study also provides recommendations on addressing these gaps.

Details: New Delhi: Safe Delhi, 2012. 50p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 16, 2016 at: http://safedelhi.in/sites/default/files/reports/Delhi%20Police%20Helpline%20Study_Jagori_Marg_final.pdf

Year: 2012

Country: India

URL: http://safedelhi.in/sites/default/files/reports/Delhi%20Police%20Helpline%20Study_Jagori_Marg_final.pdf

Shelf Number: 138262

Keywords:
Gender-Based Violence
Police Helplines
Public Spaces
Rape
Sexual Assault
Sexual Harassment
Stalking
Violence Against Women, Girls

Author: Araya Lopez, Alexander

Title: Public spaces, stigmatization and media discourses of graffiti practices in the Latin American press: Dynamics of symbolic exclusion and inclusion of urban youth

Summary: This dissertation focuses on the discourses about graffiti practices (including tagging culture and pichacao/pixacao) in two Latin American newspapers, namely La Nacion in Costa Rica and Folha de Sao Paulo in Brazil. Considering ongoing processes of physical and symbolic exclusion directed towards urban youth, these discourses seem to be anchored in broader discussions regarding both the public sphere (in Habermas's sense) and shared public spaces. This research approaches "graffiti" in its multiplicity, emphasizing the diversity of (young) producers and their political, aesthetic and economic purposes. The all-encompassing notion of "youth" is also called into question, proposing a more open approach to what are called "youth cultures". Five different (but intertwined) discourses have been identified in this research, targeting both graffiti practices and producers: First, the medical-epidemiological discourse linked to hygiene and social prophylaxis. Second, the legal frame, in which graffiti is considered a form of vandalism, a threat to common heritage and to the maintenance of social order. Third, the criminogenic discourse, in which graffiti inscriptions are related to the (re)production of social violence. Fourth, an emergent discourse of social value, highlighting the role of graffiti practices in social campaigns (mostly directed toward peripheral youth). And fifth, the discourse that emphasizes the aesthetic or artistic value of the practice, including its recognition in both art institutions and the art market. While processes of co-optation are visible in relation to some of these productions, the unauthorized form of graffiti inscriptions (mostly tagging and pichacao/pixacao) could be read as a form of political communication, in the sense of acts of civil disobedience. The discussion of the notion of "space" is also included in this research, highlighting the necessity of recognizing the existence of alternative and countercultural spaces, as well as the affective/emotional uses of space. Therefore, considering the debate on the right to the city (proposed by Lefebvre), this research proposes approaching graffiti production as a form of dissent opposing the capitalist-oriented spatial rationality of contemporary urban environments. In short, an analysis of the discourses associated with practices such as graffiti production is crucial in order to understand the processes of production of urban environments, the policies associated with these spaces and the notions of "normalcy" and "order" that supposedly define them.

Details: Berlin: Freien Universitt Berlin, 2015. 236p.

Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 28, 2016 at: http://www.diss.fu-berlin.de/diss/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/FUDISS_derivate_000000017060/Doktorarbeit_ARAYA_LOPEZ_ALEXANDER_2015.pdf

Year: 2015

Country: Latin America

URL: http://www.diss.fu-berlin.de/diss/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/FUDISS_derivate_000000017060/Doktorarbeit_ARAYA_LOPEZ_ALEXANDER_2015.pdf

Shelf Number: 140493

Keywords:
Graffiti
Public Spaces
Vandalism

Author: Birmingham City Council

Title: Project Champion: Scrutiny Review into ANPR and CCTV Cameras. A Report from Overview & Scrutiny

Summary: 2.1 Police ANPR Strategy 2.1.1 There is a National Strategy for ANPR for the Police. It indicates the use made of the technology: The use of ANPR technology was for a period of 20 years largely restricted to counter terrorism purposes however, since 2002 the Home Office Police Standards Unit (PSU) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) have ensured considerable development of ANPR as a core policing tool.10 2.1.2 It also states that a strategic ACPO aim is to “target criminals through their use of the roads”. 2.1.3 The primary aims which were felt to be achieved through ANPR are: reducing crime and terrorism; increasing the number of offences brought to justice; reducing road traffic casualties; making the public feel safer and more confident in the police service; and making more efficient use of police resources. The report contains a number of milestones with the last being that by March 2010 ANPR would be embedded into core police business. 2.1.4 The ACPO role in building ANPR capability has been documented: The intensification of surveillance of the motorist is set to expand rapidly. In March 2005, the Association of Chief Police Officers demanded a national network of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) ‘utilising police, local authority, Highways Agency, other partner and commercial sector cameras’ including the integration of the existing town centres and high street cameras, with a National ANPR Data Centre, with an operational capacity to process 35 million ANPR reads every day increasing to 50 million by 2008, stored for two years.11 2.2 CCTV in Birmingham 2.2.1 In 2008, Birmingham City Council introduced a Public Space CCTV Strategy to “establish a regulatory regime that will start to drive up standards and protect the public from misuse of CCTV systems.” Whilst this was after Project Champion had been agreed, we would nevertheless have expected the key elements of the strategy to have been adhered to by the partners. 2.2.2 A number of the key strategic priorities set out in the strategy are pertinent to our Scrutiny Review of Project Champion, notably: • Priority for the introduction of future community safety public space CCTV schemes will be assessed in accordance with the ‘Operational Requirement Analysis’; • All new public space CCTV proposals will be required to complete a full ‘Operational Requirement Assessment’ and be subject to an agreed appraisal process to ensure compliance with Home Office/Association of Chief Police Officers National CCTV Standards. New systems must be appraised as fit for purpose; • It will be mandatory for all public space CCTV schemes receiving local authority funding to agree to abide by the requirements of the ‘Birmingham Public Space CCTV Strategy’; • All proposals for new, or extensions of, existing public space CCTV schemes will be required to consult with the community and fully consider their views in any decisions made; and • All public space CCTV schemes should be governed by robust Service Level Agreements (SLAs), detailing the responsibilities and guaranteeing the commitment of all partner agencies involved. 2.2.3 Whilst the strategy covers Birmingham City Council schemes, it does emphasise the need to work closely with the Police and other agencies for the full benefits to be realised. 2.2.4 The strategy also notes the development, by the Police, of ANPR technologies and states that: The Birmingham Control Centre should have full ANPR capability so that it is in a position to support any future enforcement. 2.2.5 With regards to the future of technology it also notes: Public Space CCTV systems were never designed or intended as an anti-terrorist tool, but they have proved exceptionally useful in this role, as ever-present silent witnesses! It is possible that in the future we will see Public Space CCTV cameras supplemented with dedicated anti-terrorist cameras in high profile locations, indeed that process may already have begun.

Details: Birmingham, UK: Birmingham City Council, 2010. 71p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 22, 2016 at: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/

Year: 2010

Country: United Kingdom

URL: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/

Shelf Number: 140242

Keywords:
Closed-Circuit Television
Electronic Surveillance
Public Spaces
Video Surveillance

Author: Thornton, Sara

Title: Project Champion Review: An Independent Review of the commissioning, direction, control and oversight of Project Champion; including the information given to, and the involvement of, the community in this project from the initiation of the scheme up to 4

Summary: There is nothing more important to policing than its legitimacy in the eyes of the public. The concerns of the community need to be a central preoccupation of policing and transparency needs to be a constant consideration. In the course of this review I have met members of the community and have read the press reports and it is clear that many people feel that their civil liberties have been disregarded. As a consequence, the trust and confidence that they have in the police has been significantly undermined. There is a real opportunity to learn from Project Champion about the damage that can be done to police legitimacy when the police are seen to be acting in a way which prizes expediency over legitimacy. Importantly these lessons need to be learned from a counter terrorism project where the need to maintain public support is even more acute. The review has been completed in a relatively short period of time because of the need to take immediate action to restore confidence. However, this has necessarily limited the extent of my enquiries but hopefully not my conclusions. In reviewing events I have tested several hypotheses which might explain what happened. Was the threat so severe and was the activity in the West Midlands so intense that the normal considerations of policing were ignored? Or was the consultation with the community and the marketing of crime reduction benefits just a cynical ploy to cover up counter terrorist activity? Or was there a more mundane explanation – that the project was poorly conceived and managed and while there was an intention to use the technology to reduce crime nobody ever ensured that this happened? I have weighed up the information collected and drawn the conclusions in Section 4 on the balance of probabilities.

Details: Kidlington, UK:Thames Valley Police, 2010. 51p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 22, 2016 at: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2010/oct/uk-project-champion-police-report.pdf

Year: 2010

Country: United Kingdom

URL: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2010/oct/uk-project-champion-police-report.pdf

Shelf Number: 147313

Keywords:
Closed-Circuit Television
Electronic Surveillance
Police Integrity
Police-Community Relations
Public Spaces
Video Surveillance

Author: National Threat Assessment Center

Title: Mass Attacks in Public Spaces - 2017

Summary: Between January and December 2017, 28 incidents of mass attacks, during which three or more persons were harmed, were carried out in public places within the United States (see map for locations). These acts violated the safety of the places we work, learn, shop, relax, and otherwise conduct our day-to-day lives. The resulting loss of 147 lives and injury to nearly 700 others had a devastating impact on our nation as a whole. As the uncertainty they caused continues to ripple through our communities, those charged with ensuring public safety strive to identify methods to prevent these types of attacks. To aid in these efforts, the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) examined these 28 incidents, to identify key themes for enhancing threat assessment and investigative practices. Regardless of whether these attacks were acts of workplace violence, domestic violence, school-based violence, or terrorism, similar themes were observed in the backgrounds of the perpetrators, including:  Nearly half were motivated by a personal grievance related to a workplace, domestic, or other issue.  Over half had histories of criminal charges, mental health symptoms, and/or illicit substance use or abuse.  All had at least one significant stressor within the last five years, and over half had indications of financial instability in that timeframe.  Over three-quarters made concerning communications and/or elicited concern from others prior to carrying out their attacks. On average, those who did elicit concern caused more harm than those who did not. These findings, and others in this report, support existing best practices that the U.S. Secret Service has established in the field of threat assessment. They highlight the importance of gathering information on a person's background, behaviors, and situational factors; corroborating the information from multiple sources; assessing the risk the individual poses for violence; and identifying intervention points to mitigate that risk.

Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Secret Service, 2017. 7p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 4, 2018 at: https://www.secretservice.gov/data/protection/ntac/USSS_NTAC-Mass_Attacks_in_Public_Spaces-2017.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: United States

URL: https://www.secretservice.gov/data/protection/ntac/USSS_NTAC-Mass_Attacks_in_Public_Spaces-2017.pdf

Shelf Number: 149673

Keywords:
Gun Violence
Gun-Related Violence
Mass Shootings
Public Spaces
Secret Service
Threat Assessment
Violence