NCJ Number
138754
Date Published
1991
Length
87 pages
Annotation
This case study examines the crime prevention efforts expended by a citizens' working group in a small town in southern Finland (Kauniainen, population 8,000), from 1986 to 1988.
Abstract
This working group was developed by an individual, depicted in this study as the moral entrepreneur, to guard property and protect public order. Unique factors related to the town's social history and geographical position gave impetus to the development of a citizens' movement. The working group organized various initiatives for the organization of private data collection and met with only limited success. In 1987, a "public order telephone line" was established in the town; municipal residents were asked to use the line to report crimes they witnessed or knew about. Only 24 calls were received in the first 6 months of operation. This case illustrates a situation in which the sufficiency of the authorities' means of crime control was questioned, leading to a type of vigilante scenario.