Integrating safety, order and duty of care in public space foot patrols

Tim Prenzler; Natalee Cairns; Emily Moir; Susan Rayment-McHugh; Eric Wilson

doi:10.1080/18335330.2025.2547609

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Integrating safety, order and duty of care in public space foot patrols

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Integrating safety, order and duty of care in public space foot patrols

Tim Prenzler, Natalee Cairns, Emily Moir, Susan Rayment-McHugh and Eric Wilson

Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, Vol.21(1), pp.22-40

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/18335330.2025.2547609

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Abstract

foot patrols

co-response

welfare

place management

guardianship

amenity

This policy-focused paper reviews established and emerging studies on policing-based foot patrols in public places, addressing the question of how to utilise policing-oriented services to better manage problems of crime and disorder in public places. The study identified a limited traditional model of patrols and recommends an enhanced model which integrates the work of diverse providers to meet overlapping aims of crime prevention, public order, reassurance and wellbeing. The paper begins by reviewing the evolution of police patrols away from pedestrian beats through mobile patrols to private security patrols. It then examines available studies on public preferences, multi-modal co-response formats, and studies on impacts – illustrated with international case studies. These sources support the idea of reconfiguring traditional enforcement-focused patrols to include a strong welfare orientation to address common public space challenges – including substance abuse, mental illness and homelessness – along with broader quality-of-life challenges.

Details

Title: Integrating safety, order and duty of care in public space foot patrols
Authors: Tim Prenzler (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Natalee Cairns - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
Emily Moir - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
Susan Rayment-McHugh - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
Eric Wilson - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
Publication details: Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, Vol.21(1), pp.22-40
Publisher: Routledge
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1080/18335330.2025.2547609
ISSN: 2159-5364
Copyright note: © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Organisation Unit: School of Business and Creative Industries; Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; Student Services and Engagement; School of Law and Society; Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991154917202621
Output Type: Journal article

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Web Of Science research areas: Criminology & Penology; International Relations; Political Science

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#16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

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