NCJ Number
198655
Date Published
2002
Length
54 pages
Annotation
This chapter discusses the role that location plays in contributing to crime in order to evaluate effective location oriented crime prevention strategies.
Abstract
After arguing that some locations are “hot spots” for criminal activity, the author discusses the prevention of criminal activities contending that some of the oldest forms of crime prevention involve the knowledge that making changes to certain places might prevent criminal events. Evaluating a series of place-based crime prevention approaches, the author begins by examining six types of interventions at residential properties including restricting pedestrian access and movement, target hardening, property marking, closed-circuit television, multi-tactic interventions and repeat victimizations, and reducing drug dealing and crime in private rental places. Highlighting the difficulties with crime occurring in retail stores, the author details criminal activities including convenience store robberies, burglary and purse snatching, credit card fraud, shoplifting, and employee theft. Criminal activity in banks, other money handling places, bars, taverns, and other drinking places are also discussed in order to evaluate various crime prevention tactics. Focusing on crime involving public transportation systems and parking lots and garages, the author assesses crime involving the metro, bus drivers, fare evasion, guards and security attendants, and airports. Recognizing the difficulty of combating crime in open public spaces, the author describes the controlling of problem offenders through lighting campaigns, closed-circuit television, and street closures before discussing reductions in property offenses as the result of programs aimed to combat crime against public coin machines. The author asserts that various location-based crime prevention tactics have shown promise in reducing criminal activity and that new criminal activity blocking measures should be developed. Tables, references