How does using the Aims of Patrolling impact on Crime?

Kia Ora,

Anyone who has looked at my advertising over the years or spoken to me will hear the comment that my entities practice Proactive Security using the Aims of Patrolling.

But what are the Aims of Patrolling & how do they impact on crime.

The Aims of Patrolling come from the military & have just been tweaked for the civilian environment.

There are Six aims & they are as follows;

1. Gain Information,

2. Deny Criminal elements Information,

3. Gain & Retain the initiative,

4. Make life uncomfortable for Criminal elements,

5. Provide Protection,

6. Provide Security.

Ok you will say my neighbourhood is not Baghdad, but the same principles used there are what you use to clean up your neighbourhood.

When you patrol in a military environment you are looking for suspicious items or people. No change in the civilian environment. That is what you achieve with the aims.

In fact it used to be here in NZ that you called in every suspicious incident you could & were actively encouraged to do so by the police as it had an impact on crime & to quote one officer a few years ago "cut down on the paper work."

The police say report it now, but the times they actually respond are few & often the questions make you feel like you are the criminal.

Even if the suspicious activity you called was not once investigated, it still put police in the area. That would have an impact on anyone thinking of carrying out crime.

But as has been alluded too on this blog of late, even crime in action doesn't get a reaction these days.

I can now understand why so many experienced police officers are looking for an out.

The other thing the Aims of Patrolling do is what they do for the military & allow you to dominate an area. When using this process it has resulted in a huge reduction in crime in the area.

Actually the first few days or weeks situated in an area can be all action until the word gets out that there are some real security in place. Then it gets very boring unless you have a lot of idiots (usually drunken) moving through.

Several years ago as part of a team, a mate & I were having such an impact on the crime in the area that the police said to him after one incident "at comms they have you & your mates cell phone numbers on file & everytime you are calling even suspicious activity a patrol car is now been dispatched."

Another night I managed to ensure two criminals were caught on that site within two hours of each other. It caused an issue as the police were dealing with an armed incident & the only available unit was still dealing with the first person I had assisted with.

The comments that night were "are you guys trying to clean up crime on your own?"

Just by taking notice of a little wider area than your immediate area can have an impact much greater than you realize.

Most people in the NZ Security Industry only look after their own immediate area because they know no better or they are told that is how they are to operate. Many good security guards leave because they are basically being told not to carryout security.

The military use the Aims of Patrolling as history shows many instances that if you withdraw into just your immediate area, as the NZ Security Industry does, you loose the initiative & allow the enemy/criminals to take the front foot.

It seems from recent interaction with Police communications, they have forgotten this & have become totally reactive in an attempt to make their KPI's (Key Point Indicator's) look good. That does not stop crime. It just records what has happened.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz