NCJ Number
243814
Journal
Crime Prevention and Community Safety Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2013 Pages: 175-191
Date Published
August 2013
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study investigated crime and security shutters in a residential setting and reported on the perceptions of 353 respondents who were residents in a Perth (Australia) suburb.
Abstract
Although shutters were perceived to reduce burglary in individual properties, this was believed to be at the cost of reduced surveillance, social interaction and personal safety at the street level. The survey explored perceptions of crime and 'eyes on the street' and contrasted perceptions of crime associated with shuttered and non-shuttered properties. Respondents were shown photographs of properties as environmental stimuli to elicit insights into their perceptions of burglary risk, levels of surveillance of the street, levels of social interaction and levels of safety. The use of crime prevention technology continues to expand within the urban environments of post-industrial cities. Target-hardening technologies such as alarms, shutters, bars, gates, walls and CCTV are increasingly being used to protect retail, industrial and residential properties. The use of security shutters on windows in residential settings in Western Australia is a relatively recent development. This trend is increasing, despite a lack of evidence to support their effectiveness in reducing crime. (Published Abstract)