Summary
The aim of this report is to help police services and local partnerships approach crime prevention and problem-solving in a coherent, informed and structured way, to improve prospects for real achievement. It details principles for effective, evidence-based practice. Drawing mainly on research in the United States and United Kingdom, it discusses the application of six key concepts: aims, problem-specification, tactics, mechanisms, context and replication. The examples used in the report relate specifically to situational crime prevention, for which there is the strongest research base, though the principles would be relevant also to other approaches to prevention. A case study of domestic burglary is also presented.