Towards Effective Public-Private Partnerships in Crime Control: Experiences in the Netherlands (From Business and Crime Prevention, P 97-124, 1997, Marcus Felson and Ronald V Clarke, eds.)

• NCJ Number: 165679
• Author(s): J J M van Dijk
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 28 pages
• Sale Source: Criminal Justice Press/Willow Tree Press
• Publication Type: Report (Technical Assistance)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Recent developments in cooperation in crime prevention by the government and the private sector in the Netherlands are described.

Abstract

These developments occurred in the context of increasing crime rates, increasing fear of crime, and a generally nonpunitive attitude. Successful crime prevention measures from the 1980's combined service-oriented surveillance and social crime prevention. Commercial crime victimization studies were conducted in the 1990's, and a National Platform for Crime Control (The Platform) was established to address crime problems that harmed the business sector. The Platform included participants from both business and government. Its first priority concern was armed robbery. A committee on the topic emphasized four recommendations: (1) keep the contents of the cash register low, (2) use safes with time delays in combination with a robbery alarm button, (3) hand over the loot without offering resistance, and (4) install video cameras to make the offender's face clearly visible. Other efforts focused on the prevention of crime on industrial sites, business ethics, auto theft, and the International Crimes Against Businesses Survey. The Platform's success appears to rest largely on the commitment and mutual trust of the crucial persons involved. Tables, appended survey results, and 21 references (Author abstract modified)