Find out what works in crime reduction.
The crime reduction toolkit summarises the best available research evidence on what works to reduce crime.
Use the crime reduction toolkit to see:
- the impact of different interventions on crime
- how and where interventions work
- how to implement the interventions and their cost
The systematic reviews are interpreted, rated and presented using the EMMIE framework.
| Intervention | Effect on crime | Quality of evidence (Effect) | Pin row to the top of the table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Updated Education in prisons |
Overall reduction, some rises
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Updated Police-initiated diversion for young people |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| New Police-initiated diversion for adults |
Mixed findings
|
Low The quality of evidence (of impact) is low |
|
| New Violence and injury observatories |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Accident and emergency navigators |
Some reduction
|
Moderate The quality of evidence (of impact) is moderate |
|
| After-school programmes |
Mixed findings
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Aggression replacement training (ART) for reducing anti-social behaviour |
Mixed findings
|
Moderate The quality of evidence (of impact) is moderate |
|
| Alcohol pricing |
Overall reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Alley gating |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Alternative education programmes |
Mixed findings
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Body-worn cameras |
Mixed findings
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Boot camps |
Mixed findings
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Brief interventions for alcohol use disorders within criminal justice settings |
Some reduction
|
Moderate The quality of evidence (of impact) is moderate |
|
| Car breathalyser lock |
Overall reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Circles of support and accountability for sex offenders |
Some reduction
|
Moderate The quality of evidence (of impact) is moderate |
|
| Closed-circuit television (CCTV) |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) |
Overall reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for domestic violence |
Some reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Compulsory community treatment |
No overall change
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Crime prevention through environmental design |
Some reduction
|
Low The quality of evidence (of impact) is low |
|
| Criminal sanctions to prevent domestic violence |
Mixed findings
|
Low The quality of evidence (of impact) is low |
|
| Crisis intervention teams (CITs) |
Mixed findings
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Day reporting centres |
Mixed findings
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Dog training programmes in prison |
Overall reduction
|
Moderate The quality of evidence (of impact) is moderate |
|
| Drink-drive stops |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Drink-driving courts |
Some reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Drink-driving media campaigns |
Some reduction
|
Low The quality of evidence (of impact) is low |
|
| Drink-driving school-based programmes |
Some reduction
|
Moderate The quality of evidence (of impact) is moderate |
|
| Drug courts |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Drug substitution programmes |
Mixed findings
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Educational interventions to prevent relationship violence |
Some reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Electronic monitoring of offenders |
Mixed findings
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Electronic tagging for sex offences |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Firearm laws |
Overall reduction
|
Low The quality of evidence (of impact) is low |
|
| Focused deterrence strategies |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Halfway house programmes |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Health visitors |
Overall reduction
|
Moderate The quality of evidence (of impact) is moderate |
|
| Healthcare screening for domestic abuse |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Hot spots policing |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Imprisonment and other custodial sanctions |
Overall rise
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Increased police patrols to reduce drink-driving |
Some reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Limiting alcohol sales |
Mixed findings
|
Moderate The quality of evidence (of impact) is moderate |
|
| Lockouts for reducing alcohol-related violence |
Mixed findings
|
Low The quality of evidence (of impact) is low |
|
| Measures to reduce repeat victimisation – burglary |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Mental health courts |
Overall reduction, some rises
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Mentoring |
Overall reduction, some rises
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Minimum legal drinking age laws |
Mixed findings
|
Low The quality of evidence (of impact) is low |
|
| Moral reconation therapy (MRT) |
Overall reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Motivational interviewing for domestic abusers |
Overall reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Multi-agency interventions to address radicalisation |
No overall change
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Multisystemic therapy |
Some reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Music making |
No overall change
|
Low The quality of evidence (of impact) is low |
|
| Neighbourhood Watch |
Overall reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Prison visits |
Overall reduction, some rises
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Probation officer training |
Overall reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Problem-oriented policing |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Psychological treatment of adults convicted of sex offences against children |
Mixed findings
|
Low The quality of evidence (of impact) is low |
|
| Red light cameras |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Release on temporary licence |
Some reduction
|
Low The quality of evidence (of impact) is low |
|
| Restorative justice conferencing |
Overall reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Retail tagging to prevent shop theft |
Mixed findings
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Scared Straight programmes |
Overall rise
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Second responder programmes to prevent domestic abuse |
Some reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Social skills training for children |
Overall reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Speed cameras |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Sports programmes designed to prevent crime and reduce reoffending |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Street lighting |
Overall reduction
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Teen courts |
Mixed findings
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Therapeutic communities |
Overall reduction, some rises
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Therapeutic foster care |
Overall reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Trying youths as adults |
Mixed findings
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Victim-offender mediation |
Overall reduction, some rises
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Wilderness challenge programmes |
Overall reduction
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Young offender aftercare |
Mixed findings
|
Strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is strong |
|
| Youth curfews |
Mixed findings
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|
| Zero-tolerance policing |
No overall change
|
Very strong The quality of evidence (of impact) is very strong |
|