The Project results
The project defined an effective community policing definition, this resulted in the identification of 6 pillars of community policing which underpinned the project; Trust, Accountability, Information sharing, Collaboration, Addressing local needs & Prevention.
The approach & IT solutions were tested in 8 countries; Croatia, Estonia, Germany, Belgium, Finland, Bulgaria, Macedonia & West Yorkshire.
These pilots saw stakeholders & citizens test solutions which addressed local concerns, using the IT or a problem solving approach. Unity engaged with LEAs, stakeholders & communities to establish processes for improved engagement with minority & hard to reach groups, recording direct, indirect, short & long term impacts.
The research & testing enabled community needs to heavily influence project deliverable & instantiations, thus capturing best practice. Unity developed community policing tools which create cohesive communities where the police are catalyst for change & citizens in their communities take ownership of issues.
Increased empowerment via the Unity approach enabled residents to be involved in service delivery, creating a process for community stakeholders & LEAs to increase citizen’s empowerment, leading to improved efficiency.
Throughout testing, 2 way information sharing enabled LEAs to provide updates on reductions in crime, disorder & anti-social behaviour to communities.
Participants reported improved perception of safety through increased visibility & access to LEAs. The pilots also engaged stakeholders in inclusive and communicative partnerships which evidenced the importance of citizen participation.
The Unity Portal records data posted by citizens, the analytic function in the system enables LEAs & community stakeholders to plan & apply the sentiment analysis feature to gauge the effectiveness of their engagement, which is a measured and targeted approach. Unity assists with and has revised effective delivery of services within community policing.
This innovative approach to measuring impact encourages stakeholders to develop strong working relationships with LEAs & citizens, increasing confidence in the police & community stakeholders.
While Unity focused on the safety and security of EU citizens, the developed solutions are scalable & have global potential.