NCJ Number
152480
Journal
Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: (October 1994) Pages: 53-63
Date Published
1994
Length
11 pages
Annotation
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, only about 14 percent of burglaries are cleared; burglary is a difficult crime to prosecute and prevent, and solving cases depends on police interviewing skills, crime analysis, and available records for identifying the suspect.
Abstract
The crime of burglary is important because of its frequency and economic impact on those least able to afford the loss. Burglary prevention must be understood on both real and perceived levels of victimization, since fear of burglary presents a personal sense of victimization that may not necessarily reflect reality. Primary crime prevention includes an approach known as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. This approach involves architectural designs that enhance territoriality and surveillance, target hardening, and recognition of legitimate users of an area. Analyzing the crime of burglary from a prevention perspective is essential, and such analysis may involve offender profiling and crime potential forecasting. Analyzing the crime of burglary may also encompass area-specific crime analysis, the use of crime templates, microspatial analysis, the assessment of burglary travel patterns, and the analysis of crime displacement problems. The intelligence/criminal information process is critical in burglary prevention, and this process includes collection, planning, targeting, evaluation, analysis, and dissemination. The author concludes that burglary prevention programs should focus on the burglary event itself and associated fear. 12 references and 6 tables