NCJ Number
160321
Date Published
1991
Length
52 pages
Annotation
The impact of improvements in street lighting on crime and fear of crime in Great Britain was examined, using data from research studies including one that monitored the effect of large-scale lighting improvements in Wandsworth.
Abstract
The analysis revealed that lighting improvements are more likely to have a positive impact on the public's fear of crime than on the incidence of crime itself. Offenders are not necessarily influenced much by lighting conditions; they are likely to consider a variety of considerations rather than a single factor. However, in some local areas in which lighting is particularly inadequate, improved lighting may reduce crime and incivility while increasing pedestrians' sense of security. Also, in conjunction with other measures, better lighting may help to improve an area and indirectly assist in reducing crime. The results also revealed that the Home Office's expenditures during the 2-year period ending in March 1991 amounted to 818,500 pounds. Aimed mainly at reducing people's fear of crime in crucial settings through the Safer Cities Program, these expenditures were spread across 15 urban areas and represented 12 percent of all the expenditures in this program. Tables, appended additional results and background information, list of Home Office Crime Prevention Unit papers, and 28 references