For a short time in July this year, one face dominated the British newspapers; that of Raoul Moat. An aspect of the saga which proved most shocking for the majority of the British public was the outpouring of support for the killer who, after a week on the run, took his own life. Comments on the Facebook group ‘R.I.P. RAOUL MOAT YOU LEGEND!’ ranged from the excessively violent to mild respect for his self proclaimed war against the Northumbria police and his success in eluding them for a whole week. What, it must be asked, does all this say about the relationship between society and the authorities? Of course the Raoul Moat case is very extreme, but mistrust and frustration at the conduct of authorities more generally is a big problem.
One of the most sensitive issues is undoubtedly one of enforcement. How should a council, with the power of the law behind them, go about encouraging citizens not to litter, not to graffiti, to obey parking rules and to avoid anti social behaviour generally? A zero tolerance approach with harsh punishments for offenders is potentially a recipe for increased mistrust and anger. Alternatively, words of encouragement and praise are clearly not enough. A new balance needs to be found between the carrot and the stick.
One great insight can be offered by the website the ‘fun theory’.
This theory maintains that the best way to influence public behaviour is to add an element of fun to engage people in a way that is not mundane; make them curious about the desired result. Examples of the fun theory include a bottle bank which doubles up as an arcade style game and stairs which look like piano keys and play notes when you stand on them. Both provoked dramatic changes in behaviour.
Things like this are simple but effective. Community enforcement is not about telling and obeying, threat and punishment; it’s about engagement, relationship and positivity. Perhaps a lesson can be learned from the experience of the police in the Raoul Moat case- instead of fear and frustration, councils and their enforcers should look to establish trust and make enforcement a positive experience.
