NCJ Number
205921
Date Published
April 2004
Length
123 pages
Annotation
This report presents evaluation results for the Target Hardening Programme (THP), developed by the Ministry of Justice in New Zealand to increase home security and provide burglary prevention information to victimized households.
Abstract
Burglary is one of New Zealand’s most common crimes. Research has indicated that a relatively small portion of households experience repeat burglaries. The Ministry of Justice developed the THP program to provide security equipment to households experiencing at least two burglaries within a 1-year period. The New Zealand Police are responsible for referring repeat victims to Victim Support, which administers the THP. A pilot THP was implemented in 7 Auckland Victim Support areas; security upgrades were made to 167 Auckland households between April 2001 and July 2002. Two evaluation studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of the pilot THP; the first examined the outcomes for a sample of THP participants and their families and investigated the efficiency of the THP implementation. Interviews were conducted with 41 adults and 8 children living in 37 THP participating households and with 26 stakeholders concerning implementation issues. The second investigated whether THP households were less likely to experience repeated burglaries compared with all households in the area. Part A describes the views of the key stakeholders and the perceptions of adults and children living in THP households. All of the participants believed their houses were more secure as a result of the program and THP participants also experienced increased awareness of safety and security issues. While most participants were appreciative of the services provided at no cost, some were disappointed at not being able to access all security options, such as alarms. Children also perceived a difference in personal security following the THP security upgrades. Stakeholders expressed concern about delays in referring repeat victims to Victim Support. All Victim Support workers wanted THP to be available to a wider range of burglary victims. Part B reports on the burglary revictimization data, which indicated the rate of repeat burglary victimization for the THP area was between 9 and 10 percent, whereas the rate of repeat victimization for THP participant households was 30 percent. At least half of these burglaries were attributed to THP failure. While the program was successful in reducing fears of burglary and increasing prevention efforts, the overall effectiveness of the THP in reducing repeat burglaries is questionable. Figures, tables, appendix