Responding to Assault and Robbery

The analysis of your local problem should give you a better understanding of the factors that are contributing to the problem. Once you have analysed your local problem and established a baseline for measuring effectiveness, you should consider possible responses to address the problem. The following response strategies provide a foundation of ideas for addressing your particular problem. These strategies are drawn from a variety of research studies and reports, and a small number have been formally evaluated. Several of these strategies may apply to the particular problem in your community. It is critical that you tailor responses to local circumstances, and that you can justify each response based on reliable analysis. In most cases, an effective strategy will involve implementing several different responses. Law enforcement responses alone are seldom effective in reducing or solving the problem.

When considering your response you will need to consider its effectiveness, expense, acceptability and ease of implementation (Poyner and Warne, 1988). It is also likely that you will need to implement a combination of short-term and longer-term strategies. This might involve short-term strategies, such as the introduction of security employees and longer-term strategies, such as the installation of assault screens. Any intervention strategy should seek to address as many known risk factors as possible.

Consulting with employees and unions before introducing response measures can assist you to identify potential problems with their implementation. If employees cannot or do not implement the response, such as by using the appropriate security equipment or following the security procedures, the response is not likely to be effective.

The specific responses discussed below work by removing the excuses or provocation for crime, by increasing the effort needed for crime and the perceived risks, or by reducing the anticipated rewards of crime. In practice, some responses will achieve more than one of these aims. In general, you will need to implement responses that both decrease the likelihood of confrontations occurring and also protect and assist employees when they do occur. In some situations, aspects of employee’s jobs may be redesigned to minimise their exposure to potentially dangerous situations. Employees who have been involved in an incident may require the assistance of special counselling organisations.

Removing the Excuses or Provocation for Crime

Increasing the Perceived Risks of Detection

Increasing the Effort Needed to Commit Crime

Reducing the Anticipated Rewards of Crime

Other Responses

References