NCJ Number
157912
Journal
Security Journal Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: (October 1995) Pages: 155-162
Date Published
1995
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Situational crime prevention through physical and procedural target hardening measures should nearly always produce positive benefits, despite the possibility of crime displacement.
Abstract
Some critics of situational crime prevention argue that it does not help society at large, since the crime will simply be committed by the same criminal or another criminal at another place and time. Private security management should be aware of these issues. However, private security has its primary duty to the employer corporation. It must protect the assets of the business, industry, or institution. The possibility that the criminal might move on to other targets is the concern for others at those newly targeted places. Although some business owners and managers might not object to criminals' targeting their competitors, the code of ethics of security professionals requires that they not deliberately strive for the demise of other businesses or organizations. Private security and public police agencies should work together to prevent crime by all means possible; situational crime prevention could be useful in this regard. 46 references (Author abstract modified)