NCJ Number
170433
Journal
International Journal of Risk, Security and Crime Prevention Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1997) Pages: 38-48
Date Published
1997
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Research conducted in England, Hungary, and Poland focused on the security approaches used by burglary victims to prevent further residential burglary.
Abstract
The research collected data from police records and personal interviews of burglary victims in Plymouth and Salford in England, Warsaw and Lublin in Poland, and Miskolc in Hungary. The interviews involved 200 people in Plymouth, 132 in Salford, 200 each in Warsaw and Lublin, and 207 in Miskolc. Results revealed that burglary victims in Central and Eastern Europe were at least as much affected by burglary as were their counterparts in England. In addition, they were even more concerned than those in England about the crime problem. However, they were less likely than the English participants to have taken security precautions. This finding applied to both security-based strategies such as window locks and neighborhood private security and lifestyle-based strategies such as staying at home and becoming involved in a Neighborhood Watch program. Nevertheless, although some distinctive national patterns existed with respect to which crime victims took crime prevention measures, it seemed overall that the most socially and economically disadvantaged persons took the least precautions and thus were the most vulnerable to further victimization. Tables and reference notes