NCJ Number
160315
Date Published
1991
Length
67 pages
Annotation
Research was carried out in the London Borough of Wandsworth to explore the criminological impact of 3,500 brighter street lights on crime and fear of crime, based on a database of 100,000 crimes reported to the police 12 months before and 12 months after street lights were installed.
Abstract
Research findings did not indicate reported crime was reduced by improved street lighting. Although some areas and certain crime types showed reductions in night crime relative to daylight control, the dominant overall pattern was no significant change with brighter street lights. To assess the behavior and attitudes of residents and their experience of crime not reported to the police, social surveys of residents in a relit area and an adjacent control area before and after relighting were conducted. These surveys demonstrated the perceived safety of women walking alone after dark in the relit area improved but few other effects were statistically significant. No change in unreported crime, harassment, or travel behavior was detected. Nonetheless, the reaction of residents to the relighting scheme was overwhelmingly favorable. Although street lighting was welcomed by the public and provided reassurance to some people who were fearful in their use of public space, the areawide introduction of new street lighting did not reduce reported crime. Appendixes contain supplemental information on relighting zones, data collection procedures, crime types and susceptibility groups, characteristics of survey respondents, and research findings. 19 references, 19 tables, and 1 figure