Ripple. Jez Groom

and Somerset Police were happy to take one such leap when they first heard of Ogilvy’s radical idea to protect the residents of the region from pickpocketing.

Unintended consequences on behaviour

      Ask anyone who researches, studies or works in behavioural science and they’ll tell you that behaviour is dependent on context. An intervention which reduces a behaviour in one setting might have the opposite effect in another. Even experts with decades of experience and research under their belt make incorrect predictions about how people will behave in a situation, so it’s crucial to test interventions in context. Even the most well-meaning interventions can have unintended consequences on behaviour and this was the paradoxical effect of traditional efforts to reduce pickpocketing.

      In one town or city or another, you’ve almost certainly seen posters which read: “Beware of pickpockets operating in this area”. Despite aiming to increase awareness of this common crime, these signs counterintuitively make life easier for pickpockets.