JWT Shocks the Most Dangerous City in the World with the 'Invisible Police'

The importance of police presence is something that everyone takes for granted, even the people from the most dangerous city in the world. How could they understand that more cops on the streets would in fact make a difference? J. Walter Thompson CCS and El Hatillo District made a social experiment to prove the essential role of the police in a district with really tough conditions. A group of restored police cars, previously out-of-service, were placed in the most dangerous district areas with no cops inside, only surveillance cameras. The initiative was called The Invisible Police. 

The police cars gave a feeling of safety to the people, they went back to the streets to enjoy the public spaces. The result caught the attention of the Venezuelan people in the middle of a tough social, economic and political crisis, and brought light to a matter that was unspoken: all cities need support from the National Government to have more real cops.

El Hatillo is a small but important district of Caracas, the Venezuelan capital with more than 11 homicides per day. The lack of policemen is something that happens throughout the city, but El Hatillo district has a worse situation. They should have 400 policemen, and they have less than 157. On top of that, they have a huge cemetery of out-of-service police cars and no budget to repair them. J. Walter Thompson decided to rescue those cars, restore their exteriors and use them again to fulfilled their mission of bring safety.

The shocking video that recorded the results and the #MoreRealCops initiative went viral, having more than a million views in the first week and being on the top trending topics on social networks. A small district sparked a national debate that caught the attention of celebrities and national and international media. El Hatillo district also had a 30% increase in police recruitment. An invisible measure to attack a real problem, to make it visible once and for all.