NCJ Number
177344
Date Published
1996
Length
177 pages
Annotation
Phase I of Britain's Safer Cities Program initiated just over 500 projects to prevent domestic burglary; this report presents the findings from a major evaluation of nearly 300 of the projects.
Abstract
Most of the projects upgraded physical security, but some mounted community-oriented initiatives as well. The projects usually focused on local neighborhoods or estates. The evaluation strategy involved comparing changes in risk of burglary in large numbers of areas with differing levels of anti-burglary action against areas with no action. Overall, the project reduced burglary and were cost-effective. Physical security measures against burglary apparently worked independently, but community- oriented activities (e.g., to increase awareness and promote crime prevention) needed reinforcement with action against other types of crime. Taken as a whole, the burglary projects worked better in this wider context. The overall cost of each burglary prevented was approximately 300 pounds in very high-crime areas. reduction in burglary risk was greater where there was more intense burglary action, but to achieve these larger decreases cost disproportionately more. Low-intensity action seemed to displace some burglaries to nearby areas and to cause burglars to switch to other property crime within the actual project area; when action was of moderate intensity or more, neither problem occurred. Although only a few people were aware of preventive action in their area, if they were aware and the action was intensive, they worried less about burglary. Notes, 62 references, and appended statistical models for the evaluation