Crime Reduction - Helping to Reduce Crime in Your Area

Tackling fear of crime & disorder in the community

The "Situational" Approach

Crime and disorder reduction uses a variety of methods to achieve its aims. One of the approaches is called situational. Situational crime and disorder involves altering the physical conditions of potential sites where a crime might take place. Examples could include:

• Target Hardening, for example fitting better locks to homes or improving fencing round a home to make it more difficult to break into.

• Removing vulnerable items from places where they can be stolen or damaged.

• Removing the means to commit crime such as ladders and builder's rubble which can be used as tools by an offender.

• Improving the visibility in an area, for example by cutting down high bushes and plants so that offenders can be seen more easily.

• Controlling access to areas, for example in blocks of flats or sheltered housing, so that unauthorised people cannot get in to commit an offence.

• Removing signs of neglect e.g. fly-tipping, graffiti, abandoned vehicles etc.

Questions

• Can you think of any other methods for improving physical security?

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach?
  
  

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Last update: Wednesday, October 18, 2006