Train staff in ASB conflict resolution, says RSA
Police-centred approaches to tackling anti-social behaviour have only had limited success and low level ASB could better be tackled by providing conflict resolution training for public sector workers, volunteers and citizens, a report by the RSA has claimed.
In its report The Woolwich Model – How citizens can tackle anti-social behaviour, the RSA said while public concern for low-level disorder remains high, citizens have little or no confidence to intervene.
It insisted that “great gains” could be made if people are trained in basic community safety skills. Among those who could be given such training are:
- Park keepers
- Public transport workers
- Street cleaners
- Parking enforcement officers
- Caretakers
- Teachers and other school staff
- Community and youth workers, and
- Neighbourhood managers.
The RSA said the decline in the public’s willingness to intervene was partly caused by a decline in the presence of local “authority” figures, changes to the character of local populations, and a rise in the perception that the system is weighed against people who “take a stand”.
The training would involve self-protection and restraint, how to “read” a situation, and skills in conflict resolution and mediation.
The RSA said consideration should be given to adopting the Woolwich Model, which saw first aid training spread across the globe after courses were first held in Woolwich in 1878.
Report author Ben Rogers said: “We argue that community training will build up a culture of intervention beyond the police and equip citizens and public servants more generally. If we’re to tackle anti-social behaviour then communities need to be given the confidence that they can solve their own problems without always resorting to state-led interventions.”
