Only 4% of business owners surveyed in the Pepperdine study say this would be the most promising method of securing funds this year.

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Mr Innes worries that a promising method of fighting crime will be compromised by central targets and watered down by police forces who try to pick and choose the bits they like.

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Another promising method is bees.

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The new method is promising, he said, but it is still at an experimental stage.

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One unproven method is to make people sign pacts promising not to harm themselves before the next appointment.

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