NCJ Number
81277
Date Published
1980
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Coordinated and organized crime prevention policies are being pursued in Holland that fall within the concept of 'technoprevention,' encompassing physical and psychological countermeasures to limit opportunities for and damages from crimes.
Abstract
Involved groups include insurance companies, businesses, the security equipment industry, law enforcement, and consumer and citizen crime prevention organizations. The coordinating effort is led by the Technical Office for Promotion of Damage Prevention (TBBS), founded by the Dutch insurance industry, which pursuses research and public education and offers specific advice on crime countermeasures. Advocated are individual security plans based on threat and cost-benefit assessments. The intent is to heighten the risks of apprehension so that perpetrators are deterred from criminal acts. Components of a security plan include organizational measures for general awareness, defensible space arrangements, electric and electronic systems, and security personnel. Specific techniques range from whistles, tear gas canisters, and sophisticated locks and alarms to community watch programs. Through the efforts of the TBBS, Holland is deemed to be keeping pace with other Western counties in the development of technoprevention strategies. Footnotes and illustrations are given; reference is made to TBBS publications.