NCJ Number
166849
Date Published
1996
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This overview of crime prevention, with attention to Great Britain, addresses the effectiveness of crime prevention, administrative procedures and crime prevention, advantages of crime prevention measures to the citizen, incentives for crime prevention, and the role of the police in crime prevention.
Abstract
This paper draws a number of conclusions based on a review of the research on crime prevention. First, most of the major social determinants of crime are outside the control of the police service. Second, by reducing opportunities to offend, crime prevention is demonstrably possible. Third, the police have not organized themselves as though crime prevention was a central objective of their work; and fourth, a system of incentives to encourage the implementation of a variety of crime prevention measures by individuals, companies, local authorities, and government departments could reduce levels of crime considerably. In Great Britain local authorities could play a more active part in some forms of crime prevention if the incentive of extra funds from the Rate Support Grant paid by central government were to be made contingent upon reductions in calls for police service for criminal incidents in the area. The business rate for factories, companies, and shops could be used to encourage them to increase their precautions against crime by adjusting it according to their calls for police service, with those calling the police most often paying a higher rate. Alternatively, the business rate could be discounted for those who implemented agreed security measures. Other incentives to enhance security measures might include the publication by the police of the victimization records of local factories, companies, and businesses to bring pressure to bear on them. 15 references