In 2004 HMIC described Hackney as ‘one of the most challenging policing environments in the country’. Since then the borough has experienced a huge reduction in reported crime. The borough's police service has also experienced a huge gain in public confidence, increasing from just 22% in December 2006 to 77% in March 2009. This article provides a practitioner case study of action over the period 2006–2009 that led to this turnaround. Largely anecdotal, this article provides a practitioner's experience of what worked in one London borough.

In 2004 HMIC described Hackney as ‘one of the most challenging policing environments in the country’. Since then the borough has experienced a huge reduction in reported crime. The borough's police service has also experienced a huge gain in public confidence, increasing from just 22% in December 2006 to 77% in March 2009. This article provides a practitioner case study of action over the period 2006–2009 that led to this turnaround. Largely anecdotal, this article provides a practitioner's experience of what worked in one London borough.