Unlike riding around in cages behind darkened glass to scan identities from afar, or sitting in a room of billion dollar blinking lights ready to zoom in like it’s 1968 again, police walking around street level engaging with community seem to bring a profound reduction of crime.

Back in 2016 the data suggested it took only 20 minutes.

Bobbies on the beat really do prevent serious crime and police could cut thousands of assaults each year simply by sending officers to problem areas for just 21 minutes a day, a Cambridge University study suggests…

The latest data shows even 15 minutes could be enough to impact crime levels.

Just 15 minutes of police patrols can reduce levels of violent crime by more than 70%, according to a new study.

The Youth Endowment Fund analysis of an Essex Police pilot in Southend-on-Sea in summer 2020 found that violent crime fell by 74% on days when patrols took place.

Other patrol schemes have got similar results. Operation Rowan in Bedfordshire “involved patrols of 15 minutes each day in 30 hotspot areas where a third of the county’s serious violent crime was taking place”, said The Times’ crime editor Fiona Hamilton.The patrols were credited for a 38% reduction in violence and robbery.

West Midlands police reported a 14% drop in street crimes and antisocial behaviour following patrols in Birmingham.

While forces nationwide are spending more money on “the latest artificial intelligence to predict crime patterns”, the findings “underline the effectiveness of old-fashioned policing”, wrote Hamilton.

“Bobbies on beat” seems like what Robert Peel intended in 1829 when he came up with the idea of modern city police, as the original Bobbie.

If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about San Francisco police, it’s that you NEVER see them just out and about for a walk, like grabbing a sandwich or cup of coffee to be part of community. Go ahead and try to find a police officer in public in San Francisco. You’re far more likely to see crimes taking place in broad daylight with no response.