I completed my Fellowship, titled Reclaiming the Streets in 1995. It was an exploration of community relations in the USA. It was before 'Black Lives Matter' or 'Me Too', and although there had been street riots and problems between some local communities and the police in the UK, we had little insight into the growing tensions between communities and the police in the USA. I was working as a Regional Advisor for the Home Office and the purpose of my Fellowship was to find out what methods were being used by the police in the USA to improve these deteriorating relationships.

The most interesting approach was being trialled in Chicago where both police and local communities were trained in problem-solving techniques by neutral community workers and then brought together to jointly work out action plans to reduce crime and the fear of crime. I was impressed by the courage and commitment of officers I met, for whom working at community level was new and dangerous, and by the resilience and openness of the locals. I shared this approach with police forces and local authorities, and the Leicestershire force subsequently tried the approach to good effect – an approach still relevant today.