From Professional Security magazine’s ‘Violence’ edition of October 2001.
In a five-year Violence Research Programme (VRP) that ends next year, academics have found that we know painfully little (pardon the pun) about violence in society. Some reports in the series are already public.
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Prof Dick Hobbs and Steve Hall of Durham University studied door staff in the night-time economy: ‘In the absence of the public police, who could not contend with the expansion of this economy and the violence and disorder that accompanied it, the void was filled by private security in the form of bouncers.’ The door staff sub-culture is ‘overtly violent’ and door staff are often subjected to violence, though in many incidents they were responsible for preventing violence – ‘an essential skill of doorwork’ the report pointed out. Training, on average eight to 12 hours, is far too short, the researchers argued, and because most training did not address violence, door staff regarded training as irrelevant, and learned on the job, the report claimed. The conclusion: ‘The NTE is currently an unplanned largely unregulated zone where alcohol-related violence and disorder is rife’, and that violence would be unacceptable anywhere else.
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Research into prisoner violence by Dr Kimmett Edgar and Carol Martin of the University of Oxford found differences between types of prison:’Prisoners in the high security prison identified conflicts early and showed an ability to anticipate the consequences of a fight or assault. The culture of a settled community meant that they had incentives to prevent the escalation of conflict into violence.’ Violence – insults, fights, threats – are routine in prisons but not random or mindless, the researchers found. The main purposes of violence were (the main three first): punishment; revenge or retaliation; demonstrating toughness; winning the situation; self defence; sustaining image/honour; and settling differences.
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Schools inside high-crime areas can be ‘violence-resilient’, that is, have relatively little violence, a study of London secondary schools by Dr Roger Hewitt of Goldsmiths College, University of London, found. For a school to be violence-resilient depends on: the quality of relationships within schools – between staff and between staff and students; good communications within schools, especially between staff and student s over violent incidents; policies and practices for dealing with violence and the potential for it; and a good engagement with the school’s neighbourhood.
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One in ten GPs had been assaults in the two years before the 1999 survey; commonly they were shoved or pushed, in their surgery, by a patient or a patient’s relative. GPs try to protect themselves by checking patient notes for signs of violent behaviour; leaving their schedule with another person; and carrying their mobile phone. Three out of four GPs had been verbally abused in the previous two years – which compares with nine out of ten probation officers who suffered some verbal abuse, again, mainly by clients. Slightly fewer probation officers than GPs – eight per cent – reported being assaulted in the last two years, mostly at the workplace. Most of the probation service and GPs alike have security devices such as panic alarms and intercoms, the research found. The research team, based at the Department of Social and Political Science, Royal Holloway, University of London, in Egham, carried out their sample in the south of England. In last month’s issue we incorrectly stated that London University’s research into violence against the clergy was carried out by National Churchwatch; apologies for any embarrassment caused.
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For all the reports mentioned above, see www.rhul.ac.uk; the VRP aims to set up a national database of violence research.
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Trouble is more likely to happen in badly designed bars, according to a policy report from the National Association for the Care and Rehabilitation of Offenders (Nacro). The report, Drink and Disorder, gives the examples of bars where drinkers cannot get to the toilet without pushing past many people in a narrow space. Arguments over taxis and waits for transport are other environmental triggers for disorder, the report says: ‘Although much crime is alcohol related, it is potentially misleading simply to say that alcohol causes crime.’ The document quotes how in Coventry up to 1,000 people were queueing at a single taxi rank, which became a flashpoint for trouble. Instead, taxis were encouraged to collect customers at the door, and a late-night bus service was brought in. The report champions pub watch radio schemes, proof of ID cards and training of door staff. At public events, drinks should be served in plastic containers, and in pubs and clubs hardened glass should be obligatory, the report adds. Dr Marcus Roberts, Policy Manager at Nacro and co-author, says: ‘If we are serious about reducing crime we need to give thought to how we can create a more responsible drinking culture. It’s not about prohibition, it’s about planning.’ The 24-page booklet, ISBN 0 85069 174 5, costs £7.50 and is available from Nacro; ring 020 7582 6500.
