One Step Ahead: Notes from the Problem Solving Unit - Softcover

Colgan, Stevyn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1783525843 ISBN 13: 9781783525843

Publisher: Unbound, 2018

Synopsis

Can lollipops reduce anti-social behaviour? Or wizards halt street gambling? Do fake bus stops protect pensioners? Will organising a dog show stop young people killing each other? Stevyn Colgan believes that the answer to all of those questions is 'Yes'. Packed with fascinating anecdotes and important questions, this astonishing book reveals the innovative and imaginative ways Colgan tried to prevent crime during his thirty years on the police force.

Colgan worked for twelve of those years as part of a unique team called The Problem Solving Unit. With no budget and laughable resources, they were given an extraordinary brief – to solve problems of crime and disorder that wouldn't respond to traditional policing. They were told they could try anything as long as it wasn't illegal, wasn't immoral, wouldn't bring the police into disrepute, and didn't cost very much.

With amusing, insightful and sometimes controversial approaches to problem solving, Colgan mixes personal anecdotes from his time on the force with real-world examples of how The Problem Solving Unit helped build communities and prevent recurring crime.

At its core, this book's message is simple: police should direct far more effort towards preventing crime before it happens rather than solving crime after it has happened.

About this title

About the Author

STEVYN COLGAN joined the police after a drunken bet with his father (also a policeman) on his 18th birthday that he couldn't stay in the force for 6 months. He stayed 30 years. He currently works as a writer on the popular BBC TV series QI and its sister show, The Museum of Curiosity, for BBC Radio 4. He's written briefing notes for two prime ministers, TV scripts for Gerry Anderson and Doctor Who, helped build dinosaur skeletons for the Natural History Museum and movie monsters for Bruce Willis to shoot at. He's also been set on fire twice, been kissed by Princess Diana once, and Freddie Mercury once wore his helmet. He is a creative consultant for Left/Field London, a visiting lecturer at a number of UK universities, and has given hundreds of talks across the UK and USA. He was a judge for the 2014 Transmission Awards for the Communication of Ideas. He stops inordinately frequently for tea.

Edition details

• Publisher: Unbound
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1783525843
• ISBN 13: 9781783525843
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320