Why did the policeman cross the road? - Stevyn Colgan

Can lollipops reduceantisocial behaviour? Could wizards prevent street gambling? Do fake bus stopsprotect pensioners? Can dog shows help reduce murder rates?

Stevyn Colgan spentthirty years in the police service-twelve of them as part of the ProblemSolving Unit, a special team with an extraordinary brief: to solve problems ofcrime and disorder that were unresponsive to traditional policing.

They could tryanything as long as it wasn't illegal (or immoral), wouldn't bring the policeinto disrepute, and didn't cost very much. The result is this extraordinarycollection of innovative and imaginative approaches to crime prevention,showing us that any problem can be solved if we can just identify itsunderlying roots.

In Why Did the Policeman Cross the Road? you'lllearn how bees can prevent elephant stampedes and what tiger farms and sexworkers have in common. You'll read about killer snakes in African cornfieldsand cholera epidemics in Soho. You'll come to appreciate the advantages ofsticking gum on celebrities' faces, why the colour of the changing room mightdecide a football match, and how eating lobsters may help to save their lives.

This book is anamusing, insightful and sometimes controversial celebration of good policingand problem solving that reaches beyond law enforcement and into everyday life.