Crime Prevention at Municipal Level : A qualitative study about municipal official’s experience of the implementation of the national crime prevention program “Tillsammans mot brott”

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School of Health, Care and Social Welfare

CRIME PREVENTION AT MUNICIPAL

LEVEL

A qualitative study about municipal official’s experience of the implementation

of the national crime prevention program “Tillsammans mot brott”

JHONNY SALVATORE TALAVERA

Main Area: Public Health Sciences Level: Advanced

Credits: 15 credits

Programme: Master’s Programme in Public Health within Health and Social Welfare Course Name: Masters thesis in Public Health Sciences

Course Code: FHA079

Supervisor: Robert Larsson

Examiner: Christine Persson Osowski Seminar date: 2021-06-01

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ABSTRACT

Background: In Sweden, organized crime has become more varied and cross-border which has led to change in the nature and the scope of organized crime. The national crime

prevention program – Tillsammans mot brott (TMB) was presented by the Government of Sweden to increase security and prevent crime.

Aim: The aim of the study is to investigate how municipal officials experience barriers and facilitators regarding the implementation of the national crime prevention program at local level.

Methods: A qualitative method was used to gain in-depth knowledge about the study aim. A purposive sampling method was used, and a semi-structed interviews were conducted with eight participants from eight different municipalities. An inductive content analysis was used, and an ecological framework was applied to analyze the collected data.

Result: The result showed that the municipality officials’ experience of barriers and

facilitators regarding the implementing TMB could be divided into two categories; (i) internal work processes for implementing crime prevention initiatives, and (ii) external work

direction within crime prevention collaboration.

Conclusion: A public health approach enables to tackle innovative and holistic the

occurrence and consequences of crimes since it involves working evidence-based with a range of stakeholders to address the multicausal origins of crimes

Keywords: Community development, crime prevention, municipal level, policy implementation, qualitative method

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1 INTRODUCTION

According to the World Health Organization (2015), crime is considered as a severe public health issue. It is estimated that 200 000 homicides are committed globally by young people aged 10-29, which makes homicide the fourth leading cause of death among youth.

Consequently, leading to the death of 565 children, adolescents and young adults every day. In addition, an average of 1.3 million people dies annually worldwide due to violence which accounts for 2,5 percentages of global mortality. Non-fatal assaults and homicides are the biggest contributors to the global burden of premature death, disability, and injury (World Health Organization, 2014).

The extent of the problem with crimes goes beyond fatalities, it involves consequences such as illness, disability, and reduced quality of life for victims, families, and communities. The World Health Organization (2015) argue that crime also contributes significantly to the cost of health and welfare services, lost value of property and reduces productivity. Therefore, resulting in lasting mental, economic, physical, and social consequences for individuals and communities. In Sweden, organized crime has become more varied and cross-border which has led to change in the nature and the scope of organized crime. According to the newly launched report from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, reported that crimes, lethal violence and the number of shootings has increased and are the highest figures in 18 years (Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, 2020). The Government of Swedish has developed a national crime prevention program – Tillsammans mot brott (TMB; Together Against Crime), to address the organized crime and increase security in the society (The Government of Sweden, 2016). The ambition is to enthuse stakeholders such as

municipalities, county councils, civil society organizations and business community to develop collaboration and to integrate crime prevention initiatives on national, regional, and local levels. The program provides knowledge-based information about how crime prevention strategies should be conducted and approaches to develop relevant collaborations with

stakeholders. Furthermore, the Government of Sweden’s overall objectives are stated and how it is intended to implement and monitor TMB and its objectives (The Government of Sweden, 2016)

Policy implementation research strives to examine the effectiveness of public policy in order to enhance understanding about which factors can lead to desired outcomes (Nilsen et al., 2013). Hence, policy implementation research becomes relevant to this study since it aims to investigate which element can contribute to improve the policy implementation process and attain healthier societies.

Due to the increased scope of lethal violence in Sweden, the author’s interest increased in examining why the Swedish authorities are succeeding or failing at decreasing the violence other forms of criminality. Therefore, the author’s aim is to investigate how a national policy like TBM is implemented at local level in Swedish municipalities.

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2 BACKGROUND

According to Welsh and Farrington (2012), crime prevention refers to initiatives that aims to prevent criminal actions before they are committed by addressing factors that impacts the occurrence of criminality. Johansson (2014) argues that the main concept of prevention focuses on the positive development that strives to promote protective factors as a

counteraction of negative development. The idea is to reduce the opportunities to commit criminal actions by reducing the incidence of crime-persuading situations and by reducing the motivation of individuals to commit criminal actions. Crime prevention initiatives can be categories in terms of three levels; primary, secondary, and tertiary.

Johansson (2014) explains that the primary prevention targets social and situational factors that affect the likelihood of individuals to engage in criminal actions and targets all

individuals within a certain area, irrespective of the exposure to risk. The secondary

prevention targets high-risk individuals that are subject to multiple risk factors and focuses mostly on behavioral change. The tertiary prevention targets individuals that have already developed delinquent behavior or are involved in criminal activities. Johansson (2014) argues that Swedish municipalities receive aid from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention to assist them in implementing policies and programs that support parent,

schools, and family centers to deal with local crime prevention issues. According to Weisburd et al. (2017), there are six most implemented crime prevention programs. Developmental and social prevention interventions are community-based programs that aim to prevent antisocial behavior among children and adolescents. These programs often target individual, family, and school risk factors. Situational prevention focuses on targeting factors that increase the likelihood of developing delinquent behavior by taking environmental measures that reduce crime opportunities. Policing prevention refers to training, programs and other activities made by the police that reduces crime rates within a community. Correctional interventions refer to those programs or activities that provide an adult correctional setting such as, educational, religious, substance rehabilitation or cognitive-behavioral therapy. Drug treatment interventions refer to psycho-social treatment programs.

Rutherford et al. (2007) argue that since criminality operates at many levels there is a need to take intersectoral action in order to provide necessary cross-disciplinary attention. It is emphasized that crime is a priority for public health practitioners because a public health approach can tackle its causes and consequences by operating with an interdisciplinary and scientifically based action-approach. Furthermore, Rutherford et al. (2007) explains by applying an ecological model how delinquent behaviors is a result of a complex interaction between individual, social, cultural, relationship, and environmental factors. The model illustrates how these factors are interrelated to delinquent behaviors (see Figure 1).

Understanding how these factors interplay is a central point of departure within the public health approach because it allows understanding which factors contribute to increase the risk of victimization or perpetration and to develop efficient crime prevention programs and policies (Neville et al., 2015).

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Figure 1. Illustration for understanding delinquent behavior by applying an ecological model. Obtained by Rutherford et al. (2007).

2.1.1 Crime prevention through multisectoral collaboration

In order to prevent crimes, international agencies and society organizations from World Health Organization Member States have formed a network; the Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA). VPA was developed to share an evidence-based public health approach that addresses risk, -and protective factors of criminality by promoting multisectoral collaboration. VPA (2016) argues that sectors such as health and public health social services, education, economic development, business, housing, civil society organization and executive and legislative branches of governments should collaborate to influence the occurrence of

criminality. The Government of Sweden (2016) emphasizes the need to develop multisectoral collaboration with several stakeholders at all levels.

The value of multisectoral collaboration is stated that it enables to coordinate multiple efforts into a coherent approach. A coherent approach from several sectors allows different expertise and skills to take action on specific factors or conditions that no sector can achieve alone. VPA (2016) also argue that the value of multisectoral collaboration is (i) to enhance understanding across sector about similarities and differences, (ii) support trust building within partnerships through the promotion of enhancing understanding, (iii) to foster a coherent vision, language, and goals across sectors, (iv) to identify different strengths among participating sectors, (v) the establishment of shared strategies, and (vi) to clarify each partners contribution to crime prevention.

2.1.2 The municipalities roles in crime prevention

The municipality is the institution that is closest to the local citizen, therefore they become a vital contributor for crime prevention efforts due to their responsibilities for physical,

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ecological and social infrastructure of the local community (Modaberi and Momeni, 2016). In addition, the municipality as an institution has greater prerequisites to reduce crimes since they operate at both strategic level and individual level within the local community. The Government of Sweden, (2016) argues that crime prevention strategies need to be holistic and integrated into local authorities existing objectives. Most municipalities have a local crime prevention council and collaboration with the Police Authority that involves an agreement on how both institutions should collaborate together on crime prevention and security creation strategies. However, the municipality has no statutory responsibility to carry out crime prevention efforts. A proposal has been requested from the Justice

Department to investigate how the municipalities can be given a statutory responsibility to take crime prevention action before the 15th_{of July 2021 (Swedish National Council for Crime}

Prevention, 2019).

2.2 Health effects of different forms of crimes

According to Rivara et al. (2019), the health consequences on victims, perpetrators, and communities vary depending on the form of criminality. It is stated that physical injuries have been more widely studied compared to mental health effects. However, in the past decades, the development of neuroscience combined with the environmental effects on human biology has highlighted that exposure to violence in its many forms can adversely impact health.

Rivara et al. (2019), explains that several studies have elucidated that childhood physical and sexual abuse is strongly associated throughout the lifespan with increased risk of mental illness such as depression, suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts, obesity, drug use, smoking, and alcohol abuse. It has also been found that victims of childhood physical and sexual abuse are 1.7 times more likely to adopt delinquent and violent behavior compared to those who have not. Rivara et al. (2019), argues that research has found that victims of intimate partner violence have an elevated risk of suffering from sexually transmitted

infection, activity limitation and frequent headaches. It was estimated that 15 percentages of men and 40 percentages of women reported injuries on the face, neck and head. Additionally, victims of intimate partner violence also reported suffering from mental health illness such as anxiety, depression, suicidality, chronic mental illness, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Rivara et al. (2019) further argues that psychological, financial, social and physical effects were found among elderly that have been victims of elder abuse. Studies show that increased chronic pain, metabolic syndrome, poorer well-being, and higher mortality rates is more common among elders that have been victims of elder abuse compared to those not abused. According to Rivara et al. (2019), research have found several mental health consequences in victims of sexual assault. Eating disorder was found twofold higher among victims of sexual assault than in the general population. Attempts to suicide and completed suicides as was found to be fourfold higher among victims of sexual assault compared to those who have not been victims of sexual assault. Rivara et al. (2019) argues that studies also show increased risk of suffering from substance abuse, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, and

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posttraumatic stress disorder. Assault-related injuries were also found to cause short-, and long-term consequences on health. Limited ability to work due to permanent disabilities which has been associated with higher risk of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, Rutherford et al. (2007) highlights that the consequences of violence also include economic cost. It is stated that indirect cost refers to lost productivity and earnings, life insurance cost, lost investments in human capital and reduced quality of life. The direct economic cost refers to legal services, medical and policing. The scope of the health

consequences caused by violence poses a significant public health issue, therefore signifies the need to take primary prevention action in order to obtain healthier societies.

2.2.1 What is the role for public health in crime prevention?

According to Krug et al. (2002), the public health sector role to address crime is vital, not only because the severe impact on health and health services, but also because public health complements the criminal justice attempts to deter potential threat of violent acts by

emphasizing on changes in social, behavioral, and environmental factors that may cause crimes.

Gebo (2016) explains that there is a greater interest to link criminal justice to public health in order to decrease the prevalence and incidence of interpersonal violence. It is emphasized that current research has found both fields to be compatible to reduce community violence. The benefit of a public health approach is the focus on primary prevention, the advocacy for prevention policies and programs. The public health approach is also beneficial because it includes a wide range of stakeholders which enables tackling community crimes from

multiple levels. This is vital given that the origin of crime is multifaceted. Gebo (2016) argues that the public health focus on prevention rather than the criminal justice approach on individual blame leads to increased community engagement when it comes to addressing criminality.

The World Health Organization (2002) states that a public health approach can contribute to reducing the prevalence and incidence of interpersonal violence because it is

interdisciplinary, science-based and promotes multisectoral efforts. A public health approach enables to tackle innovative and holistic the occurrence and consequences of criminality since it draws knowledge from several disciplines such as sociology, psychology, epidemiology, medicine, education, economics, and criminology. It is stated that the role for public health involves four key steps; (i) to systematic collect local, national and international data that determines the scope, magnitude, characteristics and consequences of criminality, (ii) to investigate the occurrence of criminality which refers to the inclusion of factors that are modifiable, (iii) to explore approaches that prevents crimes, it involves the design, implementation, monitor and evaluation of programs and interventions, and (iv) to implement promising programs and interventions in a range of settings, asses the cost-effectiveness and ultimately, disseminate information.

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2.3 The scope of crime issues in Sweden

According to a report from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (2016), from 2006 to 2014, reported crimes, numbers of shootings and lethal violence has highly

increased, especially in socially vulnerable areas. The situation in several socio-economically disadvantaged areas is troublesome due to the social vulnerability that is caused by

segregation and poverty. Several vulnerable areas are characterized by high unemployment, deteriorating school results, overcrowding living conditions and increased ill health. In addition, added challenges with insecurity and crime.

It was estimated by the Government of Sweden (2020), that the numbers of reported crimes increased over the last decades, from 1.37 million to over 1.55 million annually. The report from the Government of Sweden (2020) states that reports of crimes against individuals have also increased, for instance, since 1995 the number of reported assaults and sexual crimes has doubled. It is argued that in recent years within criminal conflict, lethal violence has increased. The newly launched report from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (2020), establishes that in Sweden in 2020, 124 cases of lethal violence were identified, meaning an increase of 13 cases compared with 2019. The report also stated that girls and women were victims of lethal violence in 25 cases, which is the same proportion as in 2019, and boys and men in 99 cases, which showed an increased rate of 13 cases compared to 2019. The Government of Sweden (2020) argues that an upward trend was found from 2010-2018 in the number of victims of harassment which showed increased rates each year and the number of victims of robberies and threats was also found to increase since 2015. Another upward trend was found in the numbers of young men victims of abuse, which according to the report by the Government of Sweden (2020) has increased for the fourth year in a row. Compared to older people, young people and young adults are more exposed to violence and crime. The findings of the national school survey that strives to describe the development of self-reported exposure and participation to violence and crimes among students of aged 14, shows that 48 percentage of the students has at least once been exposed to abuse, theft, robbery or sexual assault within the period of twelve months (Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, 2020).

According to the Government of Sweden (2020), research shows that young people that are charged with crime have significantly worse health than others since they are more likely to belong to a resource poor group growing up and in early adulthood. It is also emphasized that mental and physical illness, premature death and suicide is also more common among

criminally charged young people. Even though there is no consensus of the exact costs of violence, an estimation from national studies shows that a young adult that engages in delinquent behaviors may cost the society ten million kronor. It is also emphasized from national and international studies that men’s violence against women, and honor-related violence and oppression is estimated to cost the society tens of billions of kronor per year. Therefore, the Swedish society can gain a lot from the public health approach that focuses on preventing violence and other forms of criminality among young people and young adults.

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2.4 National crime prevention program – Tillsammans mot brott

The national crime prevention program – Tillsammans mot brott (TMB) was presented in March 2017, by the Government of Sweden (2020). Representatives from several sectors such as civil society organizations, municipalities, authorities and business developed TMB through collaboration and dialogue. The design of the national crime prevention program was also influenced by a seminar from researchers within the field of criminal policy and from a study trip to the United States and the Netherlands.

The ambition is to increase security and reduce crime by creating conditions for a structured, long-term and sustainable crime prevention work throughout the nation. The program strives to enthuse and stimulate stakeholders from multiple sectors to collaborate and to take knowledge-based and locally adapted crime prevention action on national, regional and local level. The Government of Sweden (2016) states that TMB is a strategic initiative to bring ambitions and objectives together in various policy areas for crime prevention work and focuses primarily on activities that aim to prevent crime and criminality. In order to create prerequisites for a strategic and sustainable crime prevention work, two main objectives in TBM were identified: (i) objectives for the work process and (ii) objectives for the work direction (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Illustration of TMB two main objectives and the sub-goals that enables to conduct effective crime prevention work. Obtained by the Government of Sweden (2016).

The objectives for the work process are subdivided into two sub-goals; enhance knowledge and develop collaborations. It is stated that knowledge-based efforts should be conducted to effectively carry out crime prevention work. Knowledge-based action is explained as the systematic inquiry of knowledge, conducting analysis of opportunities and of local problems, and thereafter based on available evidence-based practice and research, take crime

prevention action. The Government of Sweden (2016) argues that another crucial element is the development of relevant collaboration which enables stakeholders to benefit from each other’s knowledge, skills and activities. It is emphasized that greater impact can be achieved when several stakeholders work jointly to address identified local priorities compared to if they would work individually. However, it requires a well-functioning collaboration that

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shares a mutual view of the local problems and knowledge about which role the stakeholders may play for preventing crime. Ultimately, in order for the collaboration to be meaningful and effective, all stakeholders within the crime prevention collaboration need to take a knowledge-based approach.

The second main objective is subdivided into three sub-goals: reducing the motivation to commit crimes, increase formal and informal control and limiting the availability of suitable criminal objects. The Government of Sweden (2016) argues that in order to reduce the motivation to commit crimes, stakeholders need to coordinate efforts that target children and adolescents that are at risk to develop delinquent behaviors. The direction of crime prevention efforts should also coordinate support services for individuals that want to leave their criminal life and support services that reduce the risk for individuals that have

committed crimes to relapse into new delinquent behaviors. Another effective prevention method should also provide treatment for perpetrators. The Government of Sweden (2016) states that stakeholders should collaborate to increase the risk of discovery when crimes are committed to increase formal control. Informal control involves authorities outside the judiciary that contributes to strengthening societies’ control functions which most likely will decrease the motivation to commit crimes. Ultimately, limiting the availability of suitable criminal objects refers to increasing awareness among stakeholders about how they can contribute to decreasing the risk of crimes for those who manufacture, hold or sell theft-prone objects.

2.5 Policy implementation research

Schofield (2001) argues that policy implementation research is an essential tool within the public sectors’ strategic planning, organizational strategy, and public policy to activate and put policy efforts into action. Policy implementation research seeks to enhance

understanding about how governments can put policies into effect and to explain and address challenges associated with the translation of intention into desired outcomes (Nilsen et al., 2003). The aim is stated as to “maximise the congruence between policy objectives and the impact of policy decisions, i.e., to ensure that the policy per se is implemented as it is conceived and is successful within such a logic” (Schofield, p.247, 2001). It is argued that policies are influenced by multiple levels, therefore, to fill the existing gap in public health policy implementation, there is a need to investigate which factors contribute to policy implementation effectiveness (Valaitis et al., 2016). Furthermore, Hudson et al. (2019) argue that understanding which factors lead to policy failure is also necessary to guide future research to identify potential solutions and to improve policy implementation.

According to Durlak (2015), knowledge about which factors influence implementation is vital to the development, evaluation, and dissemination of evidence-based practices. The

assessment of implementation processes enables to obtain information about possible improvements needed. Durlak (2015) argues that previous research has identified eight vital components that affect implementation (see Table 1).

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Table 1. Eight vital components that affect the delivery of policy implementation. Obtained by Durlak and DuPre (2008).

Fidelity The extent to which the innovation corresponds to the originally intended program

Dosage How much of the original program has been delivered

Quality How well different program components have been conducted

Participant responsiveness The degree to which the program stimulates the interest or holds the attention of participants

Program differentiation The extent to which a program’s theory and practices can be distinguished from other programs

Monitoring of comparison conditions

The description of the nature and amount of services received by members of these groups

Program reach The rate of involvement and representativeness of program participants.

Adaptation Changes made in the original program during implementation (program modification, reinvention).

McIsaac et al. (2018, p.14) argue that the “failure to translate research into practice and policy” is well-recognized within the health services research. Therefore, it is stated that theoretical implementation science frameworks are valuable for population intervention research since both approaches strive to uptake and develop evidence-based programs and policies that aims to improve population health conditions and reduce health inequities. In addition, implementation theories and frameworks may increasingly affect the effectiveness of the development, implementation, and sustainability of population health initiatives. Furthermore, Durlak and DuPre (2008) argue that the extent of implementation success depends on the development of sufficient organizational capacity that contribute to assisting local implementers and the organizational readiness to handle the interaction of multiple ecological factors.

2.6 Implementation theory – Ecological framework

According to Durlak and DuPre (2008), an ecological multilevel perspective is crucial to enhance understanding about effective implementation. Organizational capacity is explained as a central concept that assists addressing the gap between research and practice. Moreover, organizational capacity refers to the entire process of diffusion and is defined as “the

necessary motivation and ability to identify, select, plan, implement, evaluate, and sustain effective interventions” (Durlak & DuPre, p.335, 2008). It is stated that the relationship between capacity and implementation is supported by research (Engstrom et al., 2002; Jason et al., 2004). Therefore, the ecological framework is relevant in this study since it enables to assess the organizational capacity for implementing TMB by applying multilevel ecological

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perspectives that are necessary to enhance understanding about successful policy implementation.

Durlak and DuPre (2008) argues that two key elements affect the implementation process, these are the prevention delivery system which refers to organizational capacity. The other key element is the prevention support system, which refers to the provision of training and technical assistance. In order to guide the implementation of a policy or program, some type of organizational structures need to be established. Moreover, Durlak and DuPre (2008) explains that the ecological framework presents variables that impact implementation in five categories; prevention delivery system, support system, providers, communities, and innovations (see Figure 3).

Figure 3. Illustration how an ecological perspective is vital for enhancing understanding for effective implementation. Obtained by Durlak & DuPre (2008).

Furthermore, Durlak and DuPre (2008) explains that vital community level factors refer to policy, politics, and funding. It is stated that social policy is a crucial tool to institutionalize new practices and procedures, and to support the administrative and financial infrastructure. Provider characteristics refer to perceived need and self-efficacy. Durlak and DuPre (2008) argue that a provider that understands the need for the innovation, is more likely to identify the desired benefits, which in turn will lead to strengthening their self-efficacy and therefore increase the program implementation fidelity. Innovation characteristics involve innovation compatibility and adaptability, meaning organizations and providers ability to be flexible and modify programs into finding the contextual appropriateness of the organization priorities, existing practices, and current mission.

According to Durlak and DuPre (2008), the prevention delivery system refers to organization capacity, organizational routines, climate, process, and staff. These variables are categorized into three categories; specific staffing considerations, specific organizational practices and processes, and ultimately, general organizational features. It is argued that shared decision-making such as local ownership, collaboration, community involvement and participation is a

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crucial organizational practice according to several implementation studies (Riley et al., 2003). Hahn et al. (2005) emphasize that program sustainability depends to the extent organizations and providers can ensure decision-making that is characterized by nonhierarchical relationships, shared responsibilities regarding important tasks, open communication and mutual trust, and efforts to research consensus when disagreements arise.

Ultimately, the prevention delivery system refers to training and technical assistance that prepares providers effectively by improving their skill, self-efficacy, problem solving and emotional support. Durlak and DuPre (2008) explains that ideally, after securing financial resources, staff, time, administrative support, training, and technical assistance should be offered. It is stated that the purpose of providing training is to prepare providers to master their new task by developing specific skill intervention skills that increases their motivation and self-efficacy. Several studies support the indication that skill acquisition is promoted by active learning (Dufrene et al., 2005; Sterling-Turner et al., 2002).

2.7 Problem formulation

Crime has severe public health consequences for individuals, families, and society. Due to the increased numbers of reported crimes over the last decades, from 1.37 million to over 1.55 million annually, it has become more important than ever to investigate the policy

implementation of the government’s national crime prevention program. The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (2019) highlights the need to increase knowledge and the prioritization of crime prevention issues by examining which elements need to be

developed or strengthened to increase the feasibility of TMB. Due to the lack of legislation regarding municipalities’ responsibility for crime prevention, it has received low priority which has led to a knowledge gap between research and practice. To strengthen the local crime prevention work and address the crime, it is vital to investigate which are the barriers and facilitators that influence the implementation of TMB. Therefore, the authors’ ambition is to enhance understanding which element can contribute to improve the implementation process of TMB in order to attain healthier societies.

3 AIM

The aim of the study is to investigate how municipal officials experience barriers and facilitators regarding the implementation of the national crime prevention program at local level.

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4 METHODS AND MATERIALS

4.1 Methodological approach

A qualitative research method with an inductive approach was considered most appropriate to gain in-depth knowledge about the implementation of TMB at the local level. A qualitative research method allows the researcher to study the phenomenon at interest in the setting where the phenomenon occurs and to collect data in an up-closed investigation through the subjective experiences of the participants (Asper & Corte, 2019). This study inductive approach is guided by Creswell and Creswell (2018), which refers to a bottom-up methodology, meaning organizing the collected data by building patterns, themes, and categories into more abstract units of data. The ambition is to gain insights about what barriers and facilitators influence the policy implementation process to provide a knowledge compilation that considerably enhances the local implementation of TMB.

4.2 Participants and setting

To recruit participants to the study, a purposive sampling method was used. It is stated that purposive sampling refers to strategically selecting participants that have relevant experience and knowledge that may enable answering the aim of the study (Bryman, 2008). To

investigate the local implementation of the TMB, officials working in Swedish municipalities were chosen as study participants. The inclusion criteria were (i) experience in planning, coordinating, and implementing crime prevention initiatives at municipal level, and (ii) had to currently work at the municipality.

The participants were selected from the list of the Network for Municipal Crime Prevention published by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR). The list contains contact information of 42 officials that are responsible for implementing safety and crime prevention initiatives in 33 municipalities (SALAR, 2021). The ambition was to select participants that would represent different types of municipalities. To gain a variation in population composition, economic conditions, geography and political governance, the selection of municipalities was based on a variation in community patterns, proximity to larger urban areas and population size. Thereafter, an information letter (see Appendix A) was sent to 20 municipalities, the first eight that replied their consent to participate were included in the study. According to SALAR (2017), the municipalities that participated in the study are classified as; (i) smaller towns, urban areas and rural municipalities, (ii) medium-sized towns, and municipalities near medium-medium-sized towns, and (iii) large cities and

municipalities near large cities. The information letter that was sent contained information about the purpose of the study and ethical considerations. Once the participants read the information about their rights and gave their consent, an interview schedule was sent. Ultimately, eight participants from eight different Swedish municipalities participated in the study. The positions of the officials were Security Coordinator, Security and Safety Manager,

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and Crime Prevention Coordinator. The participants consisted of four females and four males.

4.3 Data collection

A semi-structure interviews was chosen as a data collection method since it enables an open-ended response from participants for more in-depth information. Semi-structured interviews encourage a two-way communication and allow the participant to speak freely with no

constraint by scales or utensil (Creswell & Poth, 2018). Moreover, semi-structured interviews were also chosen as a data collection method due to the flexibility regarding the order of interview question, the opportunity to ask follow-up question, and the opportunity to ask question that are not necessary in the interview guide but connected to the research question (Creswell & Crewswell, 2018).

To structure the interview, an interview guide was constructed with a setup of suggested questions based on the main objectives from TMB (see Appendix B). The interview questions were categorized into two different themes: (i) the work process, and (ii) the work direction for crime prevention initiatives. To improve the interview guide, a pilot interview was conducted with a crime prevention coordinator from the county council administration board, due to his knowledge, experience, and responsibility to assist municipalities with the implementation of TMB at local level. Three questions were removed after the pilot interview since they focused more on tertiary prevention, while this study focuses on primary

prevention. Thereafter, a few sentence structures and terminology were modified to enhance comprehension of the interview questions.

All contact with the participants was through e-mail, phone calls and Microsoft Teams. The Covid-19 pandemic did not allow to conduct physical interviews due to the Public Health Authority (2021) recommendations of social distancing. However, digital meetings enabled to conduct the interview while following the recommendations. During a three-week period, all interviews were conducted. The interviews were conducted in Swedish and they lasted from 16 to 48 minutes; the median length was 34 minutes. Ethical considerations were verbally explained before each interview to obtain oral consent. Voice memos on the computer was the application tool that was used to record all interviews.

4.4 Analysis

Content analysis is an analysis method that allows the researcher to analyze the collected data systematically and objectively, therefore, it was chosen as an analysis method. Elo & Kygnäs (2008) argue that in qualitative research, the content analysis is a tool that operates to examine theoretical issues and to enhance comprehension of data in order to attain new perspectives that obtains a sense of the world. The focus of content analysis is the explicit content which refers to the interpretation of the obvious visible components in a text. This study applied an inductive content analysis which involved moving from the specific to the

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general, meaning structuring the data by describing specific instances and thereafter

constructing general knowledge that enhances comprehension about the phenomenon (Elo & Kygnäs, 2008).

After the data were collected, all interviews were verbatim transcribed in Swedish and given an interview number from one to eight. The process of an inductive content analysis

commences with organizing the data by the creation of open coding and categories. Notes and heading where written when reading the transcripts to include and describe all the aspects of the content, which is a part of the open coding process according to Elo & Kygnäs (2008). Moreover, the headings were grouped into codes and categories, and later under higher order headings. Grouping the data allowed to reduce the number of categories and collapse similar and dissimilar content into broader categories (see Table 2). The aim of the categories in a content analysis is to increase understanding by providing themes that describe the phenomenon. Furthermore, the name of each category was based on content-characteristic words. After the categories were constructed, the selected quotations and categories were translated to English. In order for the translation to be as close as possible to the origin text, an email was sent to each participant that consisted of quotations that

highlighted statements into potential categories to seek their feedback about the accuracy of the interpretation. Six out of eight confirmed the categories did reflect their experience. Two participants asked to clarify a few sentences, after the clarification, the categories were approved. Five subcategories were constructed, which gives insights of the main category content. Thereafter, two main categories were created after the reduction of categories; (i) internal work processes for implementing crime prevention initiatives, and (ii) external work direction within crime prevention collaboration.

Table 2. Illustration collapsing similar and dissimilar content into subcategories and main categories.

Subcategories Main categories

Establishing organizational structures Internal work process for implementing crime prevention initiatives

Inquiry of knowledge through multisectoral collaboration

Lack of legislation and other resources

Establishing collaboration structures External work direction within crime prevention collaboration

Weak link between research community and practitioners

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4.5 Ethical considerations

When conducting research, it is crucial to consider ethical aspects that respect the participants rights, needs, values and desires according to the Swedish Research Council (2017). To do so, the four guiding principles; information, consent, confidentiality, and utilization for ethical research was considered during the whole study process.

The information requirement was considered since the author articulated verbally and written in the information letter about the aim of the study, their consent to voluntary participate and rights to terminate the interview if they desired. The consent requirement was considered when the participants accepted the written and verbal agreement to their voluntary participation in the study. To answer the aim of the study, questions about the participants’ workplace experience were asked, such questions can be perceived as an intrusion and as sensitive information since it can put their institution highly visible. The confidentiality requirement was considered during the whole study process by protecting unauthorized individuals from sensitive data, and by ensuring that none of the participants can be identified when presenting the result of the study. The utilization agreement was considered by giving the information in the information letter that all collected data is gathered only for research purposes.

5 RESULT

This section contains categories that were identified in the content analysis (see Appendix C). To answer the research question, two main categories were constructed; (i) internal work process, and (ii) external work direction. In addition, five subcategories were created to provide in-depth insights about the content of the main categories. Barriers and facilitators are integrated in each subcategory section.

5.1 Internal work processes for implementing crime prevention

initiatives

It emerged that the facilitators for the municipalities internal work process that improves crime prevention initiatives involved establishing organizational routines into steering

documents and to create a coherent vision for all municipals administrations. It also emerged that the municipalities’ approach to implement crime prevention initiatives involved

enhancing organizational knowledge by collaborating and inquiring knowledge through multisectoral collaboration. Lack of legislation and other resources was perceived as barrier to implement TMB.

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5.1.1 Establishing organizational structures

The municipalities’ officials describe that their role as crime prevention coordinators involves informing municipal administrations how they can contribute to crime prevention work. It emerged that establishing routines and strategies into organizational steering documents was a facilitator to implement crime prevention initiatives. Implementing steering documents that clarifies routines and strategies to enhance comprehension about all the municipal administrations’ roles created organizational structure within crime prevention work.

“That you support the work by establishing a document that describes in detail how the organization should work, that routines and approaches are described can be a success factor, so that you understand the work through common goals and understanding what needs to be done.” - P5

Furthermore, the officials explained that it is vital within the internal organizational structures, to foster a coherent vision, goals, and language across all the municipal

administrations to address crime prevention issues. It was stated that the crime prevention coordinator’s role within the municipality also involves creating synchronization within the municipality and all its administrations to address crime issues but also while respecting their core society mission.

“… to make everyone speak the same language. We have crime prevention thinking. But then there are others who work with security and think from a different angle. This must

synchronize with the administrations in the municipality” – P1

However, it also emerged from the officials that there existed challenges when the crime prevention coordinators were aiming to create a coherent approach within the municipalities and all the municipals’ administrations. According to several officials, synchronizing multiple interest and skills into a coherent approach can be experienced as challenging. It emerged that conflict of interest was a barrier within the internal organizational structure since many municipal administrations did not have crime prevention as their main society mission, hence had to prioritize their core society mission.

“These are administrations that are responsible for many different issues [...] if you take the urban planning department, for example, which has the building plan, they must consider 150 different issues such as ecological factors, economic factors, social sustainability. There are extremely many perspectives [...] if you come in then and say here, we have another perspective that we would like you to apply, because you can do so. There is some fatigue in that.” -P4

5.1.2 Inquiry of knowledge through multisectoral collaboration

All municipalities’ officials describe that a vital approach to knowledge-based practice is through multisectoral collaboration. It was explained that, within the municipality, a structured collaboration with all municipal administrations enables to inquire information, to make analysis about common local issues and to jointly make priorities about crime prevention initiatives. All officials explained that knowledge inquiry through multisectoral

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collaboration also provides opportunities to benefit from each other’s knowledge, skills, and core mission into a knowledge-based approach and to enhance understanding across sectors about the need for crime prevention efforts. However, since the municipal administration does not have crime prevention work as their core mission, many experience difficulties in conducting good-quality causal analysis about crime prevention issues.

“We have good collaboration between the municipality, the police and all municipal administrations, it is easy to gather data and to plan the right initiatives […] We are also fairly quick to measure if we have an effect on our efforts, it is a big positive contributing factor to the fact that we can work knowledge-based.” – P2

It emerged from the officials that the inquiry of knowledge occurs through Effektiv Samording för Trygghet (EST; Effective Coordination for Security; ECS) which is multisectoral collaboration that offers a digital tool called Embrace. Several officials

explained that the digital tool facilitates the process to create a coherent need assessment of local issues by the inquiry of systematic knowledge through the coverage of crimes in different areas. It was stated that knowledge-based data facilitates the acquisition of resources for continuous crime prevention initiatives.

“If we get a common picture of the situation, it will also be easier for us to make efforts together. We work a lot with Effective Coordination for Security, and there we also have a digital tool called Embrace, where we enter all events of the week [...] go through the situation and then what kind of problems they are and where we need to put our resources.” – P7

5.1.3 Lack of legislation and other resources

A few officials explained that the crime prevention coordinators needed more time to gather knowledge-based information about crime prevention initiatives, but due to insufficient resources, time was not always provided. It was stated that the lack of crime prevention legislation often means that the coordinators must prioritize social protection and preparedness efforts over crime prevention initiatives since it is regulated by law, and therefore receive less time and resources to address the matter. Therefore, a few officials argues that lack of resources such as time, money and legislation was considered as barriers to implement continuous crime prevention efforts.

“That time needs to be set aside for it (knowledge-based work) so that there are sufficient resources for the crime prevention coordinator to work on the issue. Many who have the role today are struggling, they are also sitting in other positions where social protection and preparedness that is required by law takes precedence over crime prevention work. I think there is a need to change the law so that there can be a full-time person for this type of work” - P1

Other officials explained that the lack of statutory legislation about municipalities’ responsibility to implement crime prevention work, often means hindering information sharing among the multisectoral collaboration due to secrecy legislation. The absence of statutory legislation means less resources and prerequisites to address secrecy legislation challenges.

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“Another thing that is quite difficult when we talk about secrecy legislation. The municipality has no crime prevention responsibility today, it is optional. We do not have any legal

support that can violate the secrecy towards the police and the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, the Tax Authority. It is very difficult to share information so that we can make coordinated efforts with each other in crime prevention work.” P7

5.2 External work direction within crime prevention collaboration

It emerged that the facilitators for the municipalities external work direction to implement crime prevention initiatives was the establishing collaboration structures. A weak link between research community and practitioners was considered as a barrier to determine future work direction for evidence-based practice.

5.2.1 Establishing collaboration structures

The officials describe that establishing collaboration structures within the crime prevention cooperation was vital to enhance comprehension regarding the implementation process. It was argued that clear collaboration structures such as collaboration agreements is a central facilitator to create a common vision about the work direction and to clarify each partners’ contribution to crime prevention.

“I believe in our organization that we need a clear structure that is easy for everyone to absorb, and that you somehow need a collaboration agreement, you need some form of documentation that states what work should be done and what is expected of all parties.” - P4

Furthermore, it emerged that the officials emphasized that establishing collaboration structures is vital to create dialogue, trust building across sectors, and therefore, facilitates the implementation of crime prevention initiatives. The officials also describe that

establishing collaboration structures enables to clarify areas of responsibilities which is a vital component to coordinate the work direction.

“By being clear about the structure, coordination, and direction you have, you are clear about it from the start. What you can expect from each other to be able to work more efficiently.” - P2

For example, one official explained that merging stakeholders into one association is considered as a facilitator to determine a work direct since it established collaborations structures that merges intentions into coherent action. Merging stakeholders into one association also facilitates to contact and involve more stakeholders into taking crime prevention action. It was argued that there are too many stakeholders in the local

community, thus, it is difficult to involve each one in the crime prevention work. The official explained that merging stakeholders into associations facilitated collaboration and

information sharing. Furthermore, when merging into association, all stakeholders invest money in the association to increase security and promote crime prevention initiatives.

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“That the local actors come together in a center. That all shops in the center merge into a

common association to prevent crime. Then it will be easier for us. Then we have contact with that association, we cannot have contact with all stores in the entire municipality. It will be an impossibility. The success factor is when they come together and organize and become a joint of contact with the municipality.” – P7

5.2.2 Weak link between practitioners and research community

It was described by all officials that one of the most important aspects of crime prevention initiatives is working knowledge-based across sectors. It emerged that knowledge-based information is acquired mostly through multisectoral collaboration. However, a few officials explained that there is a need for more research evidence regarding crime prevention in a Swedish context. The barrier that was highlighted was the research community autonomy regarding the decision-making of research topics. The weak link between the research community and practitioners results in failure to transfer, adopt, and utilize research into practice.

“The other problem is that research is largely autonomous. Sometimes one can experience that research is superior to practice. I would like to see that we had a harmonious

relationship where we were equal, where we can give assignments to research in areas we need more knowledge about.” -P3

It was argued by few officials that one of the most common barriers to implement crime prevention initiatives is the lack of research evidence. It was stated that the lack of research makes it harder for crime prevention coordinators to attain funds and resources to

implement certain crime prevention initiatives.

“It is probably mostly that there is not so much research. That is probably the biggest barrier. It is difficult to argue for managers and politicians why you should work with certain crime prevention efforts when there is no evidence of the effects of the financial means you invest, everyone wants value for money.” – P1

Ultimately, it was also stated by a few officials that the weak link between the research community and practitioners hinders the development of evidence-based methodologies. It also emerged that lack of established work direction between municipalities and universities leads to limiting the universities role as a research function to contribute to crime prevention work.

“Above all, I think that the municipalities would appreciate it if there were already funded research projects at the universities that make the university part of an effort or method development, or that you try a method rather than first trying to chase money to implement the method itself and then also chase money for evaluation”. – P8

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6 DISCUSSION

The discussion section will contain a critical discussion about the study findings and methodology consideration based on scientific literature.

6.1 Method discussion

The method discussion contains a discussion about methodological considerations regarding the study design, participants and setting, data collection, analysis method and ethical consideration. The study quality is discussed according to the quality criteria’s; credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability.

6.1.1 Discussion about methodological approach

Qualitative method was considered as the most appropriate research method since it allows identifying barriers and facilitators that enhances understanding why and how certain implementation approaches are successful or fail. This study strives to gain in-depth insights about which barriers lead to policy failure, and which facilitators improve the policy

implementation of TMB. Qualitative method was considered also as a valuable tool in policy implementation research since it enables to critically operate to discover and document the context in the setting where implementation occurs (Hamilton & Finley, 2020). The

acquisition of new in-depth insights about the phenomenon is the strength in qualitative research. However, Bryman (2008) argues that generalizability is a limitation in qualitative research findings due to low number of participants. Nevertheless, the focus of qualitative research is rather to gain deeper understanding and to shed light on specific issues than to generalize data. The ambition of this study is to shed light on facilitators and barriers regarding the municipal implementation of TMB in order to increase its feasibility.

6.1.2 Discussion about participants and setting

To enrich the variety of perspectives about the implementation of TMB, this study used a purposive sampling to select participants with relevant experience and knowledge about the study aim. The municipalities that participated in the study represented different types of municipalities in community patterns, proximity to larger urban areas and population size. Smaller towns, urban areas and rural municipalities, medium-sized towns, and

municipalities near medium-sized towns, and large cities and municipalities near large cities are different in population composition, economic conditions, geography, and political governance which contributes to a variety of prerequisites and insights about the local crime prevention work. The selection of participants was also based on a variation in gender and work positions to gain a diversity in perspectives about the implementation of TMB at local level. It is stated that a vital aspect of credibility involves selecting participants that can contribute to in-depth knowledge about the study issue (Graneheim & Lundman, 2004).

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Therefore, a purposive sample was chosen to gain background diversity and to enrich a variety of perspectives.

6.1.3 Discussion about data collection

Semi-structured interviews were chosen as a data collection method due to the flexibility in the interview process and the provision of an interview guide. The interview guide facilitated to systematize both the interviews and analysis process (Kvale & Brinkman, 2014). Choosing an appropriate data collection method is a central credibility aspect according to Graneheim and Lundman (2004).

Moreover, Bryman (2008) argues that another vital credibility aspect is to ensure

trustworthiness, meaning preventing participants from interpreting the interview question differently. A pilot interview was conducted to address this issue with a crime prevention coordinator from the county council administration board due to his knowledge, experience, and responsibility to assist municipalities with the implementation of TMB at local level. Conducting a pilot interview enabled to improve the quality of the interviews due to modification made by adjusting terminology to enhance comprehension of the interview questions (Bryman, 2008). However, a few ambiguities arose regarding a few interview questions which may have affected the quality of the interview. The flexibility in semi-structured interviews allowed to address that weakness since opened questions enabled to explain and clarify the ambiguities by also asking follow-up questions.

The advantages of communication technologies enabled opportunities to conduct interviews while respecting the recommendation of social distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic from the Public Health Authority (2021). Other advantages of conducting online interviews were the convenience of conducting several interviews on one day, which was considered as time effective compared to having to travel to different locations to have face-to-face interviews. However, conducting digital interviews has its disadvantages, for example, several

disruptions occurred during the interview due to internet disconnection. The disruptions affected the quality of a few interviews since valuable information was lost and became difficult to transcribe due to bleary interview parts. Nevertheless, most of the digital

interviews had no internet disruptions and when disruptions occurred, follow-up questions were asked which allowed the participants to repeat themselves to clarify the meaning of the content.

6.1.4 Discussion about analysis

A content analysis was conducted to analyze the collected data systematically. Thereafter, meaning units were grouped into subcategories and main categories. To assure

trustworthiness and to determine the accuracy of the interpretation of the content, seeking participants feedback is the most central technique to assure credibility according to Crewell and Poth (2018). After finalizing the inductive content analysis, each participant received an e-mail that contained quotations from the interviews in order for them to understand the context of the content, possible categories and a request to approve or disapprove the

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interpretations. Furthermore, seeking participants’ feedback was time consuming in a few cases, since few participants did not respond in several days. Nevertheless, all participants responded and gave their consent that the categories represented their experience. Only a few terminology modifications were made in two categories. However, a limitation from the inductive content analysis were the pre-understanding of TMB, which may have led to affect the neutrality of the interview questions. Having too much pre-understanding in advanced about TMB contributed to formulating too specified questions about the implementation process which could have limited the opportunities to study other factors that could have contributed to more contextual in-depth insights about the implementation process. Since the author chose to specify the interview questions based on what was considered of interest, the position of neutrality was affected by personal values and may have influenced the collected data, thus affecting the quality of the study finding and the confirmability. Securing the intersubjectivity of the data and assuring neutrality are vital aspect to attain

confirmability according to Bryman (2008). Alvesson and Sköldberg (2017) argue that within an inductive approach, the researcher needs to stay as close as possible to the practical empirical reality where the interpretations occur from the interaction of the collected data and emphasize not to move far away from that position. Moreover, the author transcribed the collected data verbatim to reassure that personal values and interest did not influence when transcribing the data.

Bryman (2008) argue that dependability can be assured by the consistency of a clear presentation of the research process. In order to provide transparency, this study described in detail each methodological step and ethical considerations throughout the research project to allow readers to assess the extent to which appropriate research practices haven been conducted. Creswell and Poth (2018) explain that transparency in qualitative research is vital to allow readers to follow and critically examine the research process. Ensuring transparency is a central aspect to increase dependability.

To ensure trustworthiness of the research project, Graneheim and Lundman (2004) argue that the author needs to provide a detailed description of the participants characteristics, data collection, setting, and analysis process to allow readers to make assumptions about transferability. Transferability is concerned with applicability and refers to the extent to which research findings are applicable to other groups or settings (Bryman, 2008). By providing detailed information about the research process such as the context, methodology considerations, data collection, interview procedures, and participants characteristics could transferability be assured. However, since the study findings are of a general character, it may be difficult to make assumption about the applicability into another group or context, hence affecting the transferability. Therefore, a possible limitation of this study may be challenging to apply the study findings into a specific context, group, or setting in order to shape decision-maker’s opinion about specific action to make regarding the implementation of TMB.

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6.1.5 Discussion about ethical consideration

Following ethical principles are crucial to attain credibility, therefore, the ethical principles of the Swedish Research Council (2017) were considered during the whole study process to assure the respect of participants rights, needs, values and desire. Participant’s consent was stated when accepting to participate in the study by scheduling a meeting for the interviews after sending an information letter. The consent requirement was also met by sending e-mails to the participants about interpretations of the collected data. The aim was to seek their consent that the interpretations reflected their experience since seeking participants feedback is the most essential technique to assure credibility (Crewell & Poth, 2018).

By sending an information letter about the aim of study, and information that stated their rights and their voluntary participation, the information requirement was met. Information about possible risk of discomfort or injury needs to be presented according to the Swedish Research Council (2017). However, even if the interview questions were aimed at

investigating participants’ workplace, no ethical risk regarding discomfort or injury were noticed during the study. Furthermore, it is stated by the Swedish Research Council (2017) that a vital aspect in the information requirement are measures taken to reassure

confidentiality. To ensure that materials such as audio files and transcripts were not accessible for unauthorized people, the materials were stored in a computer that requires a password to enter. The confidentiality requirement was also met by ensuring that the names of municipalities were not mentioned or presented in the study, and by coding the interviews into a number when presenting quotations to ensure that any names are identifiable.

Ultimately, the Swedish Research Council (2017) argues that collected data are only allowed to be used for no other reasons than for scientific purposes. Since all materials are gathered and presented for scientific purposes, the utilization requirement has been applied. After being graded, all audio files and transcripts will be erased.

6.2 Result discussion

This study aims to investigate officials’ experience about barriers and facilitators regarding the implementation of TMB. The study findings will be discussed based on scientific research and by applying an ecological framework that will enhance understanding for effective policy implementation at local level. The result showed that the municipality officials’ experience of implementing TMB could be divided into two strategies, internal work processes for

implementing crime prevention initiatives and external work direction within crime prevention collaboration.

6.2.1 Discussion about internal work process for implementing crime prevention initiatives

The officials described that structuring the internal work processes was a facilitator for implementing crime prevention initiatives. It was argued that a crucial strategy for successful crime prevention work was structuring the internal work processes within the municipality

Crime Prevention at Municipal Level : A qualitative study about municipal official’s experience of the implementation of the national crime prevention program “Tillsammans mot brott”