NCJ Number
88264
Date Published
1982
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Crime analysis is a critical first step in determining the need for crime prevention programs in rural areas and is also an essential element in planning and implementing programs once the need has been determined.
Abstract
Crime analysis is also useful in evaluating crime prevention programs. Agencies should place great emphasis on the development of a crime analysis process and capability. Crime analysis can determine the nature and extent of the crime problems. Integrating this information with other relevant data permits the setting of priorities, the targeting of areas, the refinement of strategies, and the allocation of resources for programs to reduce crime and fear of crime. Factors which must be studied include victim characteristics, the community and physical setting, suspect characteristics, and the suspect's mode of operation. The minimum components of valid crime analyses also include specification of the volume of crime occurring by crime type, the time of occurrence, and detailed descriptions of property losses. Either volunteers or local police personnel can conduct crime analyses. For example, a local civic or service organization could conduct a countywide telephone survey to determine the nature and extent of the crime problem. Planning and implementing a comprehensive rural crime prevention program entails seven stages: description, diagnosis, initiation, introduction, transition, routinization, and stabilization. Managers should give adequate attention to each of these areas. The coupling of citizen and police knowledge with localized statistics will permit localized problems to be identified and appropriate strategies developed and implemented. Nine references are listed.