The Left Behind
How do we reduce serious accidents and fatalities from road traffic collisions involving stolen motorbikes and cars?
During 2021 and 2022 the HU6 postcode area of Hull experienced 3 deaths, 5 life-changing injuries and multiple minor injuries due to road collisions involving stolen motorbikes and cars.
As the first responder at one of these fatalities, PCSO Dawn Brown had first-hand experience of the devastation caused by such a tragedy. With the support of her commanding officers, Humberside Police Force’s communications team, and Hull City Council’s Community Safety team, PCSO Brown trusted Eski to help tell the story of what happened on that fateful day.
To gain audience insight into how and where earlier interventions could be made, we spoke with groups of young people aged between 12 and 19 at schools, youth groups and through the Youth Justice Partnership. This included young people targeted by Organised Criminal Groups where child criminal exploitation is linked to an increased numbers of young people stealing bikes and engaging in risk taking behaviour.
We used behavioural science approaches to create a narrative with a focused message based on insights around both the costs of behaviour, and the reality of the peer influence, risk-taking behaviours, and feelings of invincibility which are common amongst young men.
Though the police, education and youth services can, and do, ask young people not to steal motorbikes, young people have little knowledge of how families are impacted; the one aspect that our research showed might influence our target audience. The film and campaign we created together, “The Left Behind”, led with purpose to show young people that the devastating effect on families, friends, and loved ones, never leaves you.
The film was premiered on Friday 10th March 2023: projected onto the side of a Heron supermarket at the heart of Orchard Park, a regular meeting place for our targeted young people and next to a youth centre. Families of people that had lost their lives were in attendance along with over 300 residents including victims of Child Criminal Exploitation and Organised Criminal Groups.
The launch event was covered by BBC Look North on TV and BBC Radio Humberside at 6.30pm, immediately before the film became available on Humberside Police’s social media channels.
Although hard-hitting, the end of the film was met by a round of applause and led to meaningful dialogue about community approaches to the issues raised.
Changed hearts and minds
Quantitative and qualitative evidence shows that this campaign changed both hearts and minds, leading to actions that have saved lives.
It has created a model for co-producing media with communities where relations with the police and authorities can be very challenging.
Launching content online is easy, however doing it in the heart of the community which faces complex challenges and in partnership with the police where relations can be difficult, is bold. In this case it was a positive statement for ongoing community engagement and positive change.
