6 minute read
Model for Bo trygt's Strategy
To Reduce The Numbers Of Burglaries
To bring the number of burglaries nationally under 7,000, so the level of burglaries in Denmark is not higher that in neighbouring countries.
Reduce Anxiety
We will attempt to reduce the anxiety connected with burglaries and promote a general feeling of trust.
People find that local community groups improve security and can intervene when problems arise.
People are aware that all relevant agencies - from municipalities to companies - are all trying to reduce the number of burglaries and feelings of insecurity.
People are aware that municipalities, the police and the general population are cooperating to solve this problem and are becoming better at tackling it, thus reducing the number of burglaries.
Insecurity reduced by social measures, such as neighbourhood organisations; the police and local authorities aim to keep housing areas safe and intervene when problems arise that affect either the area or individuals.
People become aware (consciously or unconsciously) that it becomes easier to contribute - for example, by avoiding stolen goods or getting advice on how their properties can become burglar-proof.
#1
We facilitate a common agenda
#2 We plagued municipalities by a lot of burglaries
#3
We disseminate basic preventative measures and emergency help nationally
#4 We develop national solutions to the problem issue of burglary and insecurity from a systemic perspective: what holds the issue together? What areas have the potential to promote a sustained impact? For example, there was seen to be potential in the areas of stolen goods, local cooperation and the promotion of a constructive press.
Important victories along the way
Initially, it was a major milestone to turn the challenge into a security issue. The focus shifted from working to reduce burglaries to working together to enable safe living. This created the conditions for mobilising and working with a much wider range of partners. Recognition by core partners that the issue requires an all-round approach and broad cooperation. The support was confirmed at a conference in October 2021: 'A Common Challenge'. 200 participants, representing everyone from the Minister of Justice, important mayors, the Chief of Police, researchers, police officers, neighbourhood organisations, discussed with great commitment burglary as a common societal problem.
Together with the national superstructure, local partnerships and putting down local roots been essential. Bo trygt has been deeply rooted in the municipalities, which are especially suited to communicate and cooperate with individuals, and where efforts can be tailored to local conditions and agencies. At the same time, the national superstructure provides access to knowledge, networks and staff training as, well as inspiring and legitimizing the municipal administration.
'The national superstructure has been crucial to our success because it has provided access to a wider community with many different disciplines and ways of thinking about burglary prevention. Being part of something national makes a huge difference. I'm also not sure the effort would have survived the municipal elections without Bo trygt. Our local success is that we actually could'.
Emil Hermund, former Bo trygt Development Consultant, Furesø Municipality
'There were of course various initiatives previously, but the difference is the commitment made to Bo trygt. This has made it possible to work together, rather than the municipality working with local partners individually. There is a broader understanding and recognition by everyone that we are working together towards a common goal here in Esbjerg Municipality'.
Christina Balslev J. Saers, Cultural Consultant and Project Manager, Living Safely in Esbjerg Municipality
Key challenges
• To maintain motivation to prioritise burglary prevention, especially at municipal level, where burglary competes with other key agendas - currently the energy crisis. Burglary is not perceived as a hot potato, even though one's municipality is potentially vulnerable.
• To ensure that Bo trygt has local roots, so that will be maintained in e.g. the police, the municipality and in civil society, after the efforts of the philanthropic is completed in 2026. Bo trygt's local roots are also vulnerable to, e.g. major national reforms within the police force, which in a transitional period make it unclear where in the force it makes sense to invest in development and local anchoring.
• Municipal partnerships can become vulnerable to changes in political leadership. Even if Bo trygt has a signed cooperation agreement in the local partnerships, an election can lead to a change of attitude - for example, back towards burglary being primarily a police task and not something the municipality should get involved in.
• In the beginning, there were forums in Bo trygt, where anyone who had an interest or was curious could join in. Now it is a prerequisite that people support the overall agenda - moving towards creating change based on safety. This has created some disagreement, for example, on the line to be taken in relation to political influence on legislation and framework structures.
'Burglary prevention is not an obvious core municipal task. Therefore, it can be difficult to promote this agenda in municipalities. When the dialogue and focus is more on creating safe, secure and attractive residential areas, a better starting point and a common understanding of the purpose of cooperation is created, which can motivate municipalities to prioritise this effort among many other efforts'. Lene
Sørensen,
Chief Inspector, North Zealand Police District
'You can have different organisational cultures and traditions as to how you work, which can cause some clashes. For example, how much you work with public affairs. We all have different cultures and organisational interests and many interests and stakeholders that are brought into play. We have had to learn to deal with this in the Initiative. It's more difficult to have many people working together to achieve something - but it's also the only way if we are to have any hope of solving such a complex challenge as burglary insecurity'.
Britt Wendelboe, Programme Manager, Bo trygt
Value for partners in the Alliance
• That the agenda is made visible as a broad societal problem - requiring solutions that call for cross-sectoral cooperation sectors.
• Strengthening local change by being part of Bo trygt's circle of partners.
• Networking, knowledge, inspiration, staff training.
• Legitimacy locally.
• That it will be easier to build broad local collaborations.
'We've created a construct that looks at the problem from different perspectives and with different knowledge. In the police we don't always have the answers to everything - I wish we did - but sometimes it's really valuable to bring new knowledge and different perspectives to the solutions we need to find. When there is a strong focus on the same goal from several sides, the effect is much more powerful. It just is'.
Lene Sørensen, Chief Inspector, North Zealand Police District
Essential learning
It takes time to find the right organisation. At first, all four initiators were part of the secretariat and coordinated everything. It was cumbersome and inefficient with an unclear decisionmaking structure. Then responsibilities for different tracks were divided. It became too fragmented. Now a more streamlined partner-driven structure has been found, with a national superstructure and decentralised local partnerships, and a coordinating, supporting secretariat function located in TrygFonden. This organisation is seen as valuable by stakeholders in terms of supporting action and results.
There is a growing understanding that not all investments yield results. All, however, provide lessons on which the Partnership should systematically build. A significant amount of money has been spent on programmes where the conclusion has been: it just doesn't work. For example, the citizen-oriented campaigns to get citizens to burglar-proof their homes. The campaigns had no effect. Citizens are not interested. It was an expensive lesson - but an important one.
'The difference is that we now have it anchored deep in the municipalities, and that's great. We're really reaching out to citizens by having created this structure. Bo trygt has managed to get people to help each other, so that Bo trygt doesn't have to do everything, which is quite unique'.
Tine Aabye, Chief Engineer, Insurance & Pensions
'We've managed to create a set-up in which people take responsibility locally, saying: "we've got to solve this problem, because it's important". In a municipality there are many agendas, but an understanding and recognition has been created that this is something we need to spend time and resources on'.
Christina Balslev J. Saers, Cultural Consultant and Project Manager, Bo trygt , Esbjerg Municipality
Results
The number of burglaries has dropped significantly since Bo trygt started. Corona is a major factor, but the Bo trygt partners feel that there has been a shift in the way we approach and collaborate about burglaries.
'Last year we achieved a goal which we all previously had said was too ambitious: to reduce burglaries by two-thirds'. Emil Hermund, former Bo trygt Development Consultant, Furesø Municipality
Bo trygt has developed five tips for preventing burglaries, which are part of the material the police hand out to people in the so-called burglary folder.
Positive press reports related to burglary have increased from 5% to 37% of all articles that mention the subject. This is important in terms of tackling burglary-related insecurity.
In October 2021, a conference entitled 'A Common Challenge' was attended by more than 200 relevant stakeholders representing public and private interests, civil society and the national and municipal political scenes. The conference showed that burglary prevention and security are part of a common agenda that can unite people over a wide front.
Support from key agencies for the development of the Stolen Objects Register (ROSG). This is potentially a key initiative in the fight against the buying and selling of stolen goods.
