Reducing Crime: A Companion for Police Leaders

An accessible guide for everyday policing

How do I reduce crime in my police command? How do I tackle chronic crime problems? How do I address the long-term issues that have plagued my community? How do I analyze crime and criminal behaviour? How do I show evidence of success in crime reduction? What works, what doesn’t, and how do we know?

Providing answers to these questions and more, this engaging and accessible book offers a foundation for leadership in modern policing. Blending concepts from crime science, environmental criminology, and the latest research in evidence-based policing, the book draws on examples from around the world to cover a range of issues such as:

• how to analyze crime problems and what questions to ask,
• why the PANDA model is your key to crime reduction,
• key features of criminal behavior relevant to police commanders,
• the current research on what works in police crime prevention,
• why to set up systems to avoid surprises and monitor crime patterns,
• how to develop evidence of your effectiveness,
• forming a crime reduction plan, tracking progress,
• and finally, how to make a wider contribution to the policing field.

Crammed with useful tips, checklists and advice including first-person perspectives from police practitioners, case studies and chapter summaries, this book is essential reading both for police professionals taking leadership courses and promotion exams, and for students engaged with police administration and community safety.

“This is an accessible guide for everyday policing. There is a real need for an informed practical approach to leadership practice. It’s an easy interesting read, and Ratcliffe deserves some kind of award for collating these checklists. I wish I had had this as a superintendent.”

– Sir Denis O’Connor, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary (rtd.) and affiliated lecturer, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, UK

“Reducing Crime is a must-read for any senior leader in today’s evolving police environment. 21st century policing demands more than the standard reactive-model approaches from decades past. Today’s police leaders require more strategic responses to crime prevention, awareness of community harms, and education regarding evidence-based practices. Often missing in today’s command level training, this book bridges the gap and should sit as a ready-reference on every commander’s desk.”

– Chris Vallejo, Lieutenant, Austin Police Department, Texas, USA

Author Information

Jerry Ratcliffe is a professor and former British police officer who works with police agencies around the world on crime reduction and criminal intelligence projects. After an ice-climbing accident ended a decade-long career with London’s Metropolitan Police, he earned a first-class honors degree and a PhD from the University of Nottingham. He has published over 80 research articles and numerous books on policing and crime reduction, including (also with Routledge) Intelligence-Led Policing. He has been a research advisor to the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Commissioner. The book draws on his more than 30 years’ experience working with police services from El Salvador to New Zealand.