Crime Prevention  

This introductory page covers the general background and links to the crime prevention and reduction elements of community safety.  The following pages provide links to good practice, research and analysis in crime prevention and reduction. They give a more detail of background to crime reduction by crime type.

Social and Situational Crime Prevention

Further Reading

Crime prevention has rapidly developed over the past 20 years. It is generally considered to divide into two areas of work (social and situational).

• 'Social' interventions can range from youth crime prevention work to community development/community capacity building.
• 'Situational' interventions can include the standard 'locks and bolts' work associated with target hardening and burglary reduction to comprehensive 'designing out crime' programmes.

A comprehensive crime prevention or crime reduction programme will use all the appropriate 'tools in the box' to tackle a community safety problem. 

'Green' Community Safety and Crime Prevention

Community Safety has an important part to play in the sustainability of communities 1 and the achievement of  Local Agenda 21 (the UN Habitat Organisation). It can be linked, through the statutory strategic commitments of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act - see Law (UK) - to enviro-crime reduction and to urban crime prevention. 

The combination of these activities can be effectively achieved by linking targeted crime prevention work to a more comprehensive environmental and social regeneration programme - such as Home Zones -   and through multi agency enforcement work (jointly tasking the police, neighbourhood wardens, local authority staff etc.).

Assessing Prevention and Reduction Issues

In analysing the detail of problems there are a number of techniques that can be used. The simplest of these is the PAT (Problem Analysis Triangle). PAT breaks down the elements of a crime problem into three component parts:

0. The Victim or Target
0. Location of the problem
0. Offender/s

Through the analysis of these three elements the specific community safety problem can be understood. This can then be combined with higher level (strategic assessments), either to provide a more comprehensive strategic understanding or, at the neighbourhood level, to better understand the relationship between the localised problem and any area wide influences. Such ways of working are at the heart of the current developments toward national standards for 'intelligence led business processes' 3.

For community safety to be effective and sustainable it has to be based upon facts and achieved through focused activity. The background issues need to be identified, an analysis needs to take place, there needs to be a developed response and that response needs to be assessed at intervals for effectiveness, continuity etc.

SARA 2 is one of the basic concepts for guiding practitioners through the systematic development of community safety action. It can be used for strategic, tactical or operational purposes.

1. Scanning - identifying crime patterns using local knowledge, basic data and police/practitioner intelligence.

2. Analysis - using collected information to understand the key issues/causes of a crime or disorder problem and ‘drilling down’ to fully comprehend the nature of the problem and its extent (see PAT below).

3. Response - developing and implementing a ‘solution’ – a scheme of activities to challenge the problems (with clear objectives, tasks and timeline).

4. Assessment – reviewing the solution; did it work, or is it working and in need of extension?

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   Crime Prevention - General

Crime and People : Introduction To General Topic and Renewal Site 

A general introduction to personal crime and crime reduction from the perspective of neighbourhood renewal.

Crime Prevention Digest   

The Digest quarterly journal was published until April 2005. Back editions are accessible via the website.

Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)    

Series of problem oriented guides for police. Useful format for step by step analysis produced by the US Department of Justice.

Seasonal Crime Calendar: UK Home Office

The season crime calendar highlights seasonal trends in crime and provide practitioners with an analyse of statistical crime peaks to plan crime prevention activity, using case studies from shortlisted Tilley Award entries as examples.

Applied Knowledge (IPAK) Mini Site   

The Mini-site is dedicated to a Home Office pilot project aimed at improving performance by applying knowledge more effectively. The project is in its very early stages. 

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    Crime Prevention - Design

Further Reading

Designing Out Crime Association 

DOCA is a UK voluntary partnership NGO developing the principles of crime prevention by design.

Secured By Design

The UK Police initiative supporting the principles of "designing out crime" by use of effective crime prevention and security.

Women's Design Service

An NGO working to ensure that the design and  use of the built environment 'reflects the needs and aspirations of women'. WDS is now offering accredited training for architects, engineers, planners etc.