During the course of the London riots of 2011, about 3,100 people were arrested across London. There were five deaths and at least 16 others were injured as a direct result of related violent acts. An estimated £200 million worth of property damage was incurred, and local economic activity was significantly compromised.

As the disturbances died down elsewhere, anti-social behaviour in the

Greenwich area continued. Greenwich Council needed to find a way to stop the

problem minority from destroying their own community.

The metal security shutters on the shops were being vandalised – they seemed to invite crime.

In 2009 scientists found proof that pictures of babies faces triggers caring and nurturing behaviour in adults. They proved that cute matters to the brain. So we turned the inhuman metal sheets on the retail units into giant portraits of babies from the local area. As the shops shut at night the metal shutters came down to reveal the babies.

35 media outlets in 12 countries and 3 continents broadcast the story, with

a total of 167 MILLION potential opportunities to see. But more importantly,

communities from Belfast to The Bronx picked up on it too. One troubled area,

Northern Ireland, is rolling out the initiative this year.

One year on crime has fallen by 18% in the area around the shops, the shutters

remain untouched by vandalism and the residents say their community feels

safer than ever before.

And it didn’t take thousands of pounds spent on hundreds of police; just a few

cans of paint.

We wanted to use a completely new and previously overlooked form of media,

the shop shutters themselves, which we felt would work much better than a hard

and costly intervention like policing.