NCJ Number
80017
Journal
International Criminal Police Review Volume: 36 Issue: 347 Dated: (April 1981) Pages: 115-120
Date Published
1981
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article discusses efforts by the police in Paris, France, to help protect elderly people from becoming victims of crime; logistical methods and crime prevention education are detailed.
Abstract
Information meetings are held for elderly people where they are informed of what the police can do to ensure their security and how they themselves can take measures to avoid being attacked in the street or robbed in their homes. Prevention is based on police presence in the streets, information given to potential victims to reduce crime-producing situations, and the cooperation of various administrative departments. Supported by motorized personnel, police mobile security squads are deployed in areas where crimes against the elderly have most frequently been committed, such as department stores, markets, post offices, and banks. Cooperation of the banks and other institutions paying out pension checks is crucial so that people picking up their checks can be escorted all the way home. However, people are advised to arrange to have their checks sent directly into a bank checking account to avoid the problem of cashing a large check and carrying the money home. Precautions are given to people to avoid being assaulted in the home, such as using a peephole to ascertain who the caller is and requesting official documentation when the caller is unknown. If attacked on the street, the victim is advised to shout and scream and to report the attack to the police as rapidly as possible. It is emphasized that a formal complaint should be lodged to deter the attacker from committing more crimes. Two footnotes are included.