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Problem‐oriented policing for reducing crime and disorder: An updated systematic review and meta‐analysis

Joshua C. Hinkle, D. Weisburd, Cody W. Telep, Kevin Petersen

Campbell Systematic Reviews, 2020

134 citations

Abstract

Abstract Background Herman Goldstein developed problem‐oriented policing (POP) to focus police on more proactively addressing chronic problems, rather than using traditional reactive efforts. POP has been utilized to target a wide range of problems and has become commonly used in agencies across the United States and the world, although implementation is often uneven. POP interventions commonly use the SARA (scanning, analysis, response, assessment) model to identify problems, carefully analyze the conditions contributing to the problem, develop a tailored response to target these underlying factors, and evaluate outcome effectiveness. Objectives To extend and update the findings of the original POP systematic review by synthesizing the findings of published and unpublished evaluations of POP through December 2018 to assess its overall impacts on crime and disorder. The review also examined impacts of POP on crime displacement, police financial costs, and noncrime outcomes. Search Methods Searches using POP keywords of the Global Policing Database at the University of Queensland were conducted to identify published and unpublished evaluations between 2006 and 2018. We supplemented these searches with forward searches, hand searches of leading journals and the Center for Problem‐Oriented Policing, and consultation with experts. Selection Criteria Eligible studies had to include a target area or group that received a POP intervention AND a control area/group that received…

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