NCJ Number
227373
Journal
Criminology & Criminal Justice Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2009 Pages: 207-224
Date Published
May 2009
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study used the quasi-experimental approach and an alternative spatial analysis of police recorded crime data in order to determine whether any changes in crime patterns after the introduction of closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) in public places in Great Britain resulted in the displacement of crime to areas where cameras were not installed.
Abstract
The results show little evidence of significant crime displacement; however, there was some spatial crime displacement after the installation of CCTV, but the displacement was not frequent or uniform across offense types and space. The displacement apparently impacted different types of offenses with varying intensity. Similarly, spatial displacement occurred at different geographic scales. Out of the six projects that experienced a decrease in crime in the target areas, only one showed possible displacement of all crime attributable to CCTV alone. Spatial displacement ranged from just out of the view of the cameras to hundreds of meters from where cameras were installed. The success of CCTV is often measured by its ability to reduce recorded crime rates; however, this study found that this did not occur in the majority of CCTV sites. Gill and Spriggs (2005) argue that CCTV needs careful management to be an effective crime prevention measure. Projects require realistic objectives, excellent management strategies, sound technological understanding, and appropriately trained staff support. In the current study, the number of monthly notifiable offenses in separate geographical areas were the basis for the analysis of crime trends. Monthly recorded crime statistics were collected for a year prior to installing CCTV and for a year after the CCTV scheme's live date. The exact designation of each target, control, and buffer area varied between projects, depending upon the locality and particular attributes of each area. 3 tables, 3 figures, and 35 references