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The role of modern technology in rural situational crime prevention
Abstract
This chapter presents a literature review on the use of technologies as Situational Crime Prevention initiatives in rural areas, based on a review of reports published after the year 2000, focusing on studies that present evidence for technologies’ impact on crime (property and wildlife crimes) in rural contexts. A focus will also be on security cameras (henceforth CCTV), alarms, security lights, sensors and drones. Throughout this study, these will be referred to as modern technologies, whilst the use of locks, fences, gates and so on, and marking of properties and rearing of protective animals such as dogs and geese, as traditional measures of SCP. Accordingly, opportunities and challenges associated with the use of modern technologies in rural contexts are identified. This enables the spotlighting of areas of pressing research and allows for consideration of policy implications.
... Studies that exist have examined, for example, technological approaches to prevent farm theft (Harkness and Larkins 2020); housing design to prevent residential burglaries (Hamid and Yusof 2013); and effects of lighting on reducing violent crime (Arvate et al. 2018). Aransiola and Ceccato (2020) reviewed applications of modern technologies in situational crime prevention and found that traditional measures (locking doors, guard dogs, raising fences, etc.) were still the most common in rural areas, while modern measures (CCTV, security lights, alarms, drones, etc.) were generally more supplemental. CCTV and alarms have been shown to have little to no effect on preventing crime, especially on farms, but they have proven better at detecting and monitoring wildlife crime (Aransiola and Ceccato 2020;Liedka et al. 2019). ...
... Aransiola and Ceccato (2020) reviewed applications of modern technologies in situational crime prevention and found that traditional measures (locking doors, guard dogs, raising fences, etc.) were still the most common in rural areas, while modern measures (CCTV, security lights, alarms, drones, etc.) were generally more supplemental. CCTV and alarms have been shown to have little to no effect on preventing crime, especially on farms, but they have proven better at detecting and monitoring wildlife crime (Aransiola and Ceccato 2020;Liedka et al. 2019). There is evidence that lighting plays a positive role in deterring crime, such as security lights for farm crime (Aransiola and Ceccato 2020) and regular street lights for violent crime (Arvate et al. 2018). ...
... CCTV and alarms have been shown to have little to no effect on preventing crime, especially on farms, but they have proven better at detecting and monitoring wildlife crime (Aransiola and Ceccato 2020;Liedka et al. 2019). There is evidence that lighting plays a positive role in deterring crime, such as security lights for farm crime (Aransiola and Ceccato 2020) and regular street lights for violent crime (Arvate et al. 2018). ...
This chapter reviews some of the current international criminology literature on crime prevention in rural areas. Special attention is placed on the role of community in dealing with crime and safety problems in rural contexts through a range of initiatives. This chapter closes with examples from rural contexts and concluding remarks.
... Although still in its infancy, technology in situational crime prevention in rural areas is attracting more attention. Aransiola and Ceccato (2020) reviewed the literature searching for applications of modern technologies in situational crime prevention, finding that traditional crime prevention (locking doors, guard dogs, raising fences and so on) are still the most common in rural areas, while modern measures (CCTV, security lights, alarms and drones) are generally more supplemental. CCTV and alarms have been shown to have little to no effect in preventing crime, especially on farms, though better at detecting and monitoring wildlife crime (Aransiola & Ceccato, 2020;Liedka et al., 2019). ...
... Aransiola and Ceccato (2020) reviewed the literature searching for applications of modern technologies in situational crime prevention, finding that traditional crime prevention (locking doors, guard dogs, raising fences and so on) are still the most common in rural areas, while modern measures (CCTV, security lights, alarms and drones) are generally more supplemental. CCTV and alarms have been shown to have little to no effect in preventing crime, especially on farms, though better at detecting and monitoring wildlife crime (Aransiola & Ceccato, 2020;Liedka et al., 2019). Different technologies have been used to prevent farm theft (Harkness & Larkins, 2020) and housebreaking (Hamid & Yusof, 2013) and to reduce violent crime (Arvate et al., 2018). ...
... Although still in its infancy, technology in situational crime prevention in rural areas is attracting more attention. Aransiola and Ceccato (2020) reviewed the literature searching for applications of modern technologies in situational crime prevention, finding that traditional crime prevention (locking doors, guard dogs, raising fences and so on) are still the most common in rural areas, while modern measures (CCTV, security lights, alarms and drones) are generally more supplemental. CCTV and alarms have been shown to have little to no effect in preventing crime, especially on farms, though better at detecting and monitoring wildlife crime (Aransiola & Ceccato, 2020;Liedka et al., 2019). ...
... Aransiola and Ceccato (2020) reviewed the literature searching for applications of modern technologies in situational crime prevention, finding that traditional crime prevention (locking doors, guard dogs, raising fences and so on) are still the most common in rural areas, while modern measures (CCTV, security lights, alarms and drones) are generally more supplemental. CCTV and alarms have been shown to have little to no effect in preventing crime, especially on farms, though better at detecting and monitoring wildlife crime (Aransiola & Ceccato, 2020;Liedka et al., 2019). Different technologies have been used to prevent farm theft (Harkness & Larkins, 2020) and housebreaking (Hamid & Yusof, 2013) and to reduce violent crime (Arvate et al., 2018). ...
Rural crime and safety is a neglected area of research. This chapter considers 15 reasons why the topic is worth investigating, taking each reason in turn and applying an international lens. The chapter discusses common misconceptions concerning rural crime and safety and in so doing makes a powerful case for far greater attention to the dynamics of crime and safety for those living in the rural/urban continuum and, more importantly, engaging societal and academic action into this process.
... This family of methods is often called situational crime prevention. During those four decades, well over a thousand situational crime reduction techniques have been developed and studied by researchers around the world (Aransiola & Ceccato, 2020;Eck & Clarke, 2019;Freilich et al., 2019;Scott, n.d.;Shariati & Guerette, 2017). We can roughly divide situational crime prevention techniques into two categories: (a) placebased techniques and (b) product-oriented techniques. ...
Carjacking calls for a specialized analysis because it occurs at lightning speed within
very brief windows of opportunity. This article describes the geographic distribution
of carjacking in Campinas, Brazil, and then compares this pattern with Detroit,
Michigan. We learn that raw numbers of carjackings are widely dispersed in both cities.
Although these cities differ greatly in daily transportation systems, in both cities the
carjacking risk estimate is greatest where motorists stop for other reasons—at gas
stations or corners (Detroit); on short street blocks (Campinas). We make very
limited inferences about carjacking around the world due to the limited number of
cities studied thus far. However, we do suggest that carjacking reduction is most
amenable to product-based forms of situational crime prevention.
... When, in such cases, fear leads to investment in farm-related crime prevention measures [e.g. installing surveillance systems and security gadgets, see e.g., Aransiola and Ceccato (2019)], it may be a reaction to an increased risk of victimization or just a sense of "poor police reassurance" (Wakefield & Fleming, 2009). The opposite may also happen, when farmers may feel targeted by authorities (by for example, animal inspectors or even the visits from the police) if they execute unexpected stops or inspection with suspicious inquiries about their farm practices (Harris, Ash, & Fagan, 2020;Silverman & Della-Giustina, 2001). ...
In this article, we investigate the nature of fear among farmers working with animal production with particular focus on the impact of harassment and crimes linked to animal rights activism. The study is based on responses from 3815 animal farmers to a national survey in 2020 in Sweden. Cross-table analysis and logistic regression models underlie the methodology of the study. Findings show that three out of ten of those farmers feel afraid of being victimized by the actions of animal rights activists; the proportion is two-thirds among farmers with previous experience of victimization, and fear of victimization varies across Sweden and by type of activity. Perceived lack of support from the police, exacerbated by geographical isolation , are common determinants of farmers' declared fear, particularly those whose families live on the farms and who have employees. While understanding the factors that affect farmers' safety perceptions is important, the article ends by calling for further research on the ways by which fear of animal activism impacts farmers' personal lives, those of their family and employees, and not least their livelihood.
... Resultaten visar att användningen av modern brottsförebyggande teknik ännu inte är vanlig på landsbygden, men att den ökat drastiskt under det senaste decenniet. I landsbygdsmiljöer utgör dessa tekniker ett komplement till mer konventionella och situationella brottsförebyggande åtgärder 92 . Denna expansiva trend uppmärksammades redan forskare i Australien, där man genomförde en beskrivande analys 93 av data från djupgående intervjuer om samtliga 33 CCTV-system i landet. ...
Syftet med den här rapporten är att ge en översikt på hur säkerhet och trygghet konceptualiseras och omsätts i praktiken i Sverige. Vi ger även tips på hur man går från ord till handling när man arbetar med situationsbaserade, brottspreventiva och trygghetsfrämjande åtgärder med fokus på individ och hänsyn till plats- och tidsdynamik. Vi gör detta genom att visa exempel på:
o Visioner och pågående projekt som implementeras i verkligheten mot bakgrund av FN:s Agenda 2030 för hållbar utveckling.
o Praktiska situationsbaserade brottspreventiva och trygghetsfrämjande åtgärder
o Innovativa metoder med stort fokus på evidensbaserade åtgärder.
o Hur planerare och trygghetsamordnare arbetar i kommuner och vikten av kontext i deras arbete mot brott och otrygghet.
o Hur man går från ord till handling när man jobbar med ett situationsbaserat fokus på situationsbaserade brottspreventiva och trygghetsfrämjande åtgärder.
Denna rapport som finansieras av FORMAS (Ett forskningsråd för hållbar utveckling) är en fortsättning på den tidigare rapporten, Trygg Stadsmiljö - Teori och praktik för brottsförebyggande & trygghetsskapande åtgärder (2019) av Ceccato och kollegor, och har ett större fokus på fallstudier och exempel på säkerhets- och trygghetsskapande arbete i praktiken. Den första rapporten var ett resultat av ett uppdrag som Avdelningen för Samhällsplanering och Miljö på KTH erhöll i februari år 2019 av Boverket för att kartlägga aktuell teori och praktik för brottsförebyggande och trygghetsskapande fysiska åtgärder i Sverige i ett internationellt perspektiv.
Some perspectives from environmental criminology have hypothesized that broader planning governance issues relating to the provision of public transport and taxis services as egress mechanisms may sometimes act to precipitate crime and disorder and exacerbate public safety issues. Utilising research findings from a study of regular users of the Night Time Economy (NTE) of Cardiff, this article examines the hypothesis that poor urban governance may precipitate crime, particularly the use of taxis as egress from the NTE space. This survey is the empirical basis of this paper. The findings, whilst not being completely representative, indicate the perceived importance of the role of taxis as facilitators for reducing anti-social behaviour and egress from the NTE by customers and end-users of this facility. Consequently, it is suggested that any reduction in the provision of such services may well increase the incidents of anti-social behaviour and disruption within the NTE, with a consequential increase in demand for services from police and other agencies.
This chapter reports the growing body of literature on crime and safety in rural areas via a systematic review of four decades of publications, from 1980 to 2020. This chapter describes the review approach, which focused on English-language literature (in Scopus, JSTOR, and ScienceDirect) in the form of articles, books, and book chapters, and identified research themes. This chapter characterizes the research on crime and safety in rural areas; highlights some of the most prevalent themes, such as policing, crime prevention, and methodology; and emphasizes the importance of the interdisciplinary nature of the field.
Researchers and practitioners are increasingly concerned about juvenile delinquency and victimisation as complex social problems. These two phenomena span across the rural–urban dimension, but little research has been dedicated to studying the influence of geographic variables on juvenile delinquency and victimisation. Even though crime rates and fear of crime are generally higher in urban areas, and crime varies heavily across the rural–urban dimension, it is not absent in rural communities. Studies have tended to generalise findings about juvenile delinquency and victimisation from urban areas to rural areas. Early studies found that delinquency rates were higher in densely populated urban
areas, but later studies indicated that rural delinquency is also a growing concern. For example, some researchers found that rural youth are at higher risk of being victimised and bullied. Risk and protective factors are similar for both urban and rural youth, but the relative impact of those factors differs across communities. Studies have also found differences in access to various services, commodities, and facilities across the rural–urban spectrum. There is a shortage of studies in Slovenia that focus on studying the urban and rural dimensions of juvenile delinquency and victimisation. The only
study in Slovenia that adequately addressed these issues was the Second International Self–Report Delinquency Study (ISRD2). Although this study did not find any statistically significant differences between the two settings, we believe that this does not indicate that crime in rural communities is not worthy of attention. Future studies should focus more on comparing urban and rural regions and qualitatively address juvenile delinquency and victimisation. Rural areas also require preventative place-specific policies and services.
I februari år 2019 erhöll Avdelningen för Samhällsplanering och Miljö på KTH i uppdrag av Boverket att kartlägga aktuell teori och praktik för brottsförebyggande och trygghetsskapande fysiska åtgärder i Sverige. Målet med studien var att inhämta och sammanställa kunskap om hur trygghetsskapande och brottsförebyggande perspektiv ser ut idag och vilka åtgärder som vidtas i utformningen av fysiska miljöer i de olika skedena av samhällsbyggnadsprocessen. Rapporten är en kartläggning av aktuell nationell och internationell teori och praktik för brottsförebyggande och trygghetsskapande fysiska åtgärder.
The aim of this article is to discuss the trends and nature of rural violence in Brazil. Assuming the hypothesis of an increase in violence rates, urban–rural violence rates are compared at three geographical levels: national (Brazil), state (São Paulo), and municipal (Rio Claro). The study combines the analyses of official statistics with newspaper reports, videos, and articles published by the national media. Findings indicate an increase in violence in rural areas in recent decades but such a rise is far from homogenous across the country; it shows links to patterns of population change, economic expansion, and organized crime. Although violence has long being an inherent characteristic of rural Brazil—a place of conflicts and struggles—it is argued here that the more recent rise in violence is distinct from the past, at least in its portrayal by the media. The article finalizes by suggesting a research agenda to improve the understanding of the dynamics of violence in the Brazilian context.
Traditional criminology has focused on the criminal nature of offenders as a means for reducing crime. In contrast, situational crime prevention (SCP) is a process of multiple stages and seeks to understand where, when, and how crime incidents occur. Similar to epidemiology, SCP has sought to alter environments which host crime behavior in order to make them less suitable for offending. Based on an analysis of the incidence and distribution of a given crime problem, the SCP approach then identifies risk factors, formulates and implements appropriate solutions, and evaluates the results. In this way, the individual “propensity” of offenders, like individual diagnoses, becomes less important, at least as a means of prevention. This chapter discusses in more detail the situational crime prevention approach. Following a brief description of its historical development, the theoretical foundations are presented. An overview of the process and types of prevention techniques are then outlined followed by a discussion on the existing evidence of effectiveness.
Objectives
This study evaluates the effects of precaution technologies (i.e., window bars, extra locks, alarms and electric fences, CCTV, private security, dogs and combinations of these tools) on household burglary and robbery in Brazil. Methods
Using a sample of 121,042 unique households from the Brazilian National Household Sample Survey for 2009, this study estimates a Recursive Bivariate Probit to obtain the average treatment effect of these precaution technologies in the likelihood of home burglary and robbery victimization. ResultsThis study demonstrates that technology does not reduce home burglaries, but certain combinations of technologies may reduce home robberies. The combination of electric fences and alarms with private security reduces the likelihood of home robbery by 9.5 %, and when combined with a dog, these technologies reduce the likelihood of home robbery by 86 %. Conclusions
No precaution technology is able to prevent crimes when employed independently. Occupancy combined with a set of technologies can reduce the expected victimization in crimes against property.
Crime is often perceived as an urban issue rather than a problem that occurs in rural areas, but how far is this view tenable? This book explores the relationship between crime and community in rural areas and addresses the notion of safety as part of the community dynamics in such areas.
Rural Crime and Community Safety makes a significant contribution to crime science and integrates a range of theories to understand patterns of crime and perceived safety in rural contexts. Based on a wealth of original research, Ceccato combines spatial methods with qualitative analysis to examine, in detail, farm and wildlife crime, youth related crimes and gendered violence in rural settings.
Making the most of the expanding field of Criminology and of the growing professional inquiry into crime and crime prevention in rural areas; rural development; and the social sustainability of rural areas, this book builds a bridge by connecting Criminology and Human Geography. This book will be suitable for academics, students and practitioners in the fields of criminology, community safety, rural studies, rural development and gender studies.
Objective
Police use-of-force continues to be a major source of international concern, inviting interest from academics and practitioners alike. Whether justified or unnecessary/excessive, the exercise of power by the police can potentially tarnish their relationship with the community. Police misconduct can translate into complaints against the police, which carry large economic and social costs. The question we try to answer is: do body-worn-cameras reduce the prevalence of use-of-force and/or citizens’ complaints against the police?
Methods
We empirically tested the use of body-worn-cameras by measuring the effect of videotaping police–public encounters on incidents of police use-of-force and complaints, in randomized-controlled settings. Over 12 months, we randomly-assigned officers to “experimental-shifts” during which they were equipped with body-worn HD cameras that recorded all contacts with the public and to “control-shifts” without the cameras (n = 988). We nominally defined use-of-force, both unnecessary/excessive and reasonable, as a non-desirable response in police–public encounters. We estimate the causal effect of the use of body-worn-videos on the two outcome variables using both between-group differences using a Poisson regression model as well as before-after estimates using interrupted time-series analyses.
Results
We found that the likelihood of force being used in control conditions were roughly twice those in experimental conditions. Similarly, a pre/post analysis of use-of-force and complaints data also support this result: the number of complaints filed against officers dropped from 0.7 complaints per 1,000 contacts to 0.07 per 1,000 contacts. We discuss the findings in terms of theory, research methods, policy and future avenues of research on body-worn-videos.
This study measures the effectiveness of anti-burglary security devices, both individually and in combination. Data for 2008-2012 from the Crime Survey of England and Wales are analysed via the Security Impact Assessment Tool to estimate Security Protection Factors (SPFs). SPFs indicate the level of security conferred relative to the absence of security devices. It finds that, for individual devices, external lights and door double locks or deadlocks, are most effective but, counter-intuitively, burglar alarms and dummy alarms confer less protection than no security. Combinations of devices generate positive interaction effects that increase protection more than additively. In particular, combinations with door and window locks plus external lights or security chains confer at least 20 times greater protection against burglary with entry than no security. Although further research is needed, the findings are consistent with improved security playing an important role in long-term declines in burglary rates.
Burglar alarms are widely used as a means to try to reduce the risk of domestic burglary. Previous research has suggested that some burglars are deterred by alarms and that they are therefore effective. Using multiple sweeps of the Crime Survey for England and Wales, the research reported here sought to corroborate these findings. It finds that alarms have become associated with increased rather than decreased risk of burglary with entry. This counter-intuitive finding needs to be treated cautiously. A series of hypotheses that might explain it are outlined.
New technological innovations have been developed to prevent crime and to improve the performance of the police, but we know remarkably little about how and why certain innovations are adopted, and the consequences –both intended and unintended—of technology-driven solutions to the problem of crime. This article provides an examination of a wide range of new technological innovations that have applications in the areas of crime prevention generally, and crime control (by police) in particular. We provide a description of recent technological innovations, summarize the available research on the extent of adoption in the United States, and then review the available research on the impact – both intended and unintended – of each form of new technology on crime prevention and police performance. We also discuss three key issues – (1) militarization of crime prevention and policing, (2) coercive vs. non-coercive technology, (3) public vs. private sector control over crime prevention and policing – raised by both proponents and critics of what has come to be known as the second technology revolution.
In the field of CPTED, theorists and practitioners alike readily acknowledge the need to design buildings and layouts that closely fit the local context and wider design requirements, including aesthetics, social conditions, and development and construction constraints. Crime prevention functions cannot simply be imposed or bolted on while ignoring local circumstances and other priorities such as energy conservation. But getting crime prevention designs to work successfully can be tricky because they rarely act directly (as with putting high walls around a building), but exert their preventive effect by motivating and directing the actions of people such as residents, managers and passers-by, and deterring offenders. Crime prevention designs for the built environment can thus rarely be mass-produced but must be customized to local conditions. CPTED evolved in Western countries, with commonalities of culture and built environment, despite variations, for example, in climate between Northern Europe and Australia. Transferring CPTED to other regions such as the United Arab Emirates therefore poses even more of a challenge, where there are marked differences not just in terms of climate but also in culture pertaining, for example to privacy, ownership of property, development control and tradition. Recent experience in researching international good practice and standards for application in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, is used to illustrate these contextual differences, to draw broader lessons for CPTED, and to discuss the challenges to cross-cultural knowledge transfer in crime prevention.
This article discusses the nature of environmental and wildlife crime (EWC) in Sweden. A review of the international literature helps to frame the Swedish case study. The novelty of this study lies in using 11 years of police records as well as newspaper articles (Media archives) as a basis for analysis. Geographical Information System (GIS) supports the spatial analysis of EWC at municipal and coordinate levels. Since most EWCs take place outside large urban areas, this study looks closely at the cases of EWC in the rural county of Västernorrland. Findings show an increase in both EWCs recorded by the police and covered by the media in the last decade. EWC-geography varies by crime type: rural areas are in general more prone to unlawful handling of chemicals and to nature and wildlife crimes than are urban areas, where dumping and other minor EWCs are more common. Detection of EWCs is highly dependent on people’s routine activities and accessibility. Drawing upon the Swedish evidence, the article closes with suggestions for improvements in research on environmental and wildlife crimes.
Over the last years there has been a massive increase in rhinoceros poaching incidents, with more than two individuals killed per day in South Africa in the first months of 2013. Immediate actions are needed to preserve current populations and the agents involved in their protection are demanding new technologies to increase their efficiency in the field. We assessed the use of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) to monitor for poaching activities. We performed 20 flights with 3 types of cameras: visual photo, HD video and thermal video, to test the ability of the systems to detect (a) rhinoceros, (b) people acting as poachers and (c) to do fence surveillance. The study area consisted of several large game farms in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. The targets were better detected at the lowest altitudes, but to operate the plane safely and in a discreet way, altitudes between 100 and 180 m were the most convenient. Open areas facilitated target detection, while forest habitats complicated it. Detectability using visual cameras was higher at morning and midday, but the thermal camera provided the best images in the morning and at night. Considering not only the technical capabilities of the systems but also the poacherś modus operandi and the current control methods, we propose RPAS usage as a tool for surveillance of sensitive areas, for supporting field anti-poaching operations, as a deterrent tool for poachers and as a complementary method for rhinoceros ecology research. Here, we demonstrate that low cost RPAS can be useful for rhinoceros stakeholders for field control procedures. There are, however, important practical limitations that should be considered for their successful and realistic integration in the anti-poaching battle.
Car theft in the UK fell two-thirds from the mid-1990s as part of more widespread crime drops, and has been attributed to improved vehicle security. This study develops a Security Impact Assessment Tool (SIAT) to gauge the contribution of individual security devices and their combination. The metric of impact derived is termed the Security Protection Factor (SPF). Cars with central locking plus an electronic immobilizer, and often an alarm, are found to be ‘SPF 25’, that is, they were up to 25 times less likely to be stolen than those without security. That impact is greater than expected from the individual contributions of those devices, and is attributed to interaction effects. Tracking devices are found to be particularly effective but rarer. Protective effects were greater against theft of cars than against theft from cars or attempts, almost certainly reflecting the difficulty imposed on thieves by electronic immobilizers. It is suggested that this type of analysis could be usefully extended to other crime types and security combinations. The analysis also lends support to a ‘security hypothesis’ component of an explanation for the major national and international crime drops that is based in the criminologies of everyday life.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to critically review the core findings from recently published place‐based crime prevention research. The paper aims to critically evaluate the available evidence on the contribution of crime prevention through environmental design as a crime prevention strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
Large‐scale evaluations of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) are reviewed with a view to clarifying current knowledge on the evidence of crime prevention through environmental design.
Findings
The review concludes that there is a growing body of research that supports the assertion that crime prevention through environmental design is effective in reducing both crime and fear of crime in the community.
Research limitations/implications
Although the paper may not review all the evaluations of CPTED, it nonetheless provides a detailed compilation and overview of the most significant research in the area, including an extensive and modern bibliography on the subject. Research implications will be the subject of a forthcoming paper.
Practical implications
CPTED is an increasingly fashionable approach and is being implemented on a global scale. Additionally, individual components such as territoriality, surveillance, maintenance, access control, activity support and target‐hardening are being widely deployed. However, the evidence currently available is inconclusive and much criticised, which effectively prevents widespread intervention and investment by central government. The paper details the difficulties associated with demonstrating the effectiveness of CPTED.
Originality/value
The paper concludes that although empirical proof has not been definitively demonstrated, there is a large and growing body of research, which supports the assertion that crime prevention through environmental design is a pragmatic and effective crime prevention tool. This review provides an extensive bibliography of contemporary crime prevention through environmental design and a follow‐up paper will discuss the future research priorities for it.
The study of rural crime has the potential to make important contri- butions to crime policy, criminological theory, and research methods in criminology. Although most places in America remain rural, researchers have paid insufficient attention to rural crime and have not utilized the wide variations among rural areas as natural laboratories for research. This chapter outlines what is known about rural crime and suggests likely rural crime issues for the future. Understanding rural crime requires understanding factors that make rural life distinct from urban life, including geography and culture. Understanding rural crime and anticipating future rural crime issues also requires under- standing how technology, economic factors, and demographics shape the nature of rural crime. Official police data and victimization data are used to examine the levels of rural crime and to compare patterns of rural and urban crime. A variety of sources are used to examine substance abuse and domestic violence, two types of crime that appear to have similar rates across rural and urban areas. The chapter also focuses on the emerging issue of environmental crime in rural areas. And, despite the importance of race in urban studies of crime, little rural crime research has directly addressed links between race and crime.
This paper summarizes the first systematic attempt to document and assess the extent of open-street CCTV systems in Australia. In addition to providing empirical data, this paper argues that it is tempting for Australian scholars, and those elsewhere, to view the UK 'surveillance revolution' as the harbinger of inevitable global trends sweeping across jurisdictions. However analysis of the Australian data suggests that the deployment of CCTV in other national contexts may follow substantially divergent patterns. While the Australian CCTV experience follows many trends exhibited in other nations, it is nevertheless significant that the diffusion of CCTV in Australia has been more restrained than in the UK. We suggest that the divergence between the UK and Australian experiences resides in contrasting political structures and the consequent variation in the strength of debate and resistance at the local level.
The objective of this article is to assess the levels and spatial patterns of crime in rural Sweden. This involves a summary of the changing levels and composition of a selected group of offences from 1996 to 2007 in two groups of rural areas (remote and accessible) in relation to urban areas. Crime rates are modelled cross-sectionally as a function of the municipalities’ structural indicators. Geographical information systems (GIS) and spatial statistics techniques are used to assess shifting patterns of concentration of thefts and violence as well as for modelling crime rates. Findings show that rural areas have become more criminogenic than they were a decade ago. Changes in the rates and geography were found using cluster techniques for both violence and theft. Although models of rural crime do not show any special ‘rural dimension’, the predicting variables in models containing both urban and rural areas are not exactly the same as in models with rural areas only. Crime is often linked to the presence of alcohol-selling premises, characteristics of family structure and proportion of young male population.
This paper presents the results of an empirical investigation into active Neighbourhood Watch (NW) Schemes in Hereford and Worcester: an area which has experienced a rise in both crime rate and the number of active NW Schemes in the last ten years. The example of NW is used to examine the effectiveness of voluntary action to tackle social problems in rural areas and to consider the changing nature of social relations found there. More specifically, the study of these schemes allows an assessment to be made of the impact and nature of crime in rural areas and measures the effectiveness of NW in countering it. The paper reveals that NW does have an important role to play in reducing fear of crime and improving police relations. It confirms that NW operates with considerable social bias which is a recognised problem associated with voluntary action. The final discussion highlights the need for more systematic studies of the problem of rural crime.
In rural Kenyan households, property theft is a persistent problem. To explore how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) may be used to address this problem we designed and deployed "M-Kulinda"-a sensor-based technology probe. We used interview, observation, diary, and data logging methods to understand 20 households' experiences using the system. Our findings suggest that a probe's approach is useful in this context, more specifically we found that participants used our system in different ways to address their specific needs (e.g., monitoring poultry, electronics, and their family members). We also observed changes in our participants' understanding of sensors; M-Kulinda prompted them to reflect on other areas where sensors could be used in their households. We present design implications based on these findings, and offer new perspectives on the role of technology in deterring crime.
Poaching is considered a major driver for the population drop of key species such as tigers, elephants, and rhinos, which can be detrimental to whole ecosystems. While conducting foot patrols is the most commonly used approach in many countries to prevent poaching, such patrols often do not make the best use of the limited patrolling resources.
Technology has become a major source of expenditure and innovation in law enforcement and is assumed to hold great potential for enhancing police work. But does technology achieve these expectations? The current state of research on technology in policing is unclear about the links between technologies and outcomes such as work efficiencies, effectiveness in crime control, or improved police–community relationships. In this article, we present findings from a mixed-methods, multiagency study that examines factors that may mediate the connection between technology adoption and outcome effectiveness in policing. We find that police view technology through technological and organizational frames determined by traditional and reactive policing approaches. These frames may limit technology’s potential in the current reform era and cause unintended consequences.
The future of biodiversity in Asia is increasingly dependent on networks of effective protected areas. Three wildlife sanctuaries of the Bangladesh Sundarbans are typical examples of protected areas where detection and monitoring of threats is difficult due to low densities of patrol staff and low frequency of patrolling relative to the area that requires monitoring. The aim of this study was to use camera traps to quantify: 1) the levels of different types of illegal human activities (IHA), 2) spatio-temporal variation in illegal human activities, and 3) what proportion of camera trap records can be used to identify perpetrators. Each photograph was categorized as either illegal human activity (IHA) or legal human activity (LHA) based on interpretation of the particular human activity and equipment observed in photograph. For IHA, infraction type was based on the Bangladesh Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act 2012. A total of 914 unique human activity events were recorded (872 IHA and 42 LHA) in camera trap photos over a total of 1039 trap nights. The best model suggests that during spring tide 91% of camera trapped locations in the West Sanctuary had IHA occurring in them during the survey period, while 84% and 74% locations had IHA in the South Sanctuary and East Sanctuary respectively. Camera trapping in remote areas can potentially help protected area managers to increase rates of detection of IHA in their conservation landscapes and increase rates of arrests and prosecutions by providing appropriate supporting evidence.
Situational prevention seeks to reduce opportunities for specific categories of crime by increasing the associated risks and difficulties and reducing the rewards. It is composed of three main elements: an articulated theoretical framework, a standard methodology for tackling specific crime problems, and a set of opportunity-reducing techniques. The theoretical framework is informed by a variety of "opportunity" theories, including the routine activity and rational choice perspectives. The standard methodology is a version of the action research paradigm in which researchers work with practitioners to analyze and define the problem, to identify and try out possible solutions, and to evaluate and disseminate the results. The opportunity-reducing techniques range from simple target hardening to more sophisticated methods of deflecting offenders and reducing inducements. Displacement of crime has not proved to be the serious problem once thought, and there is now increasing recognition that situational measu...
In a neighborhood watch group, neighbors cooperate to prevent crime by sharing information and alerting police of suspicious activities. We propose a digital neighborhood watch (DNW) in which security cameras of individual homes work together to monitor the neighborhood. DNW could augment neighborhood watch by providing digital evidence of crime, increasing visibility of neighborhood activity, and automatically sending alerts when suspicious events occur. We investigate the appeal of sharing camera data with neighbors through semi-structured interviews with 11 households. Our participants validated the potential of sharing data with neighbors, particularly to provide evidence after an incident. But they also had security and privacy concerns about divulging their cameras' field of view and giving ongoing access to neighbors. For some participants, these concerns can be alleviated by enabling sharing of processed cameras views that include only the fore-ground activity or only public property (e.g., sidewalks).
Community policing, crime mapping, and the recent attention to theories of social disorganization are all examples of the renewed appreciation for understanding the social and environmental context within which crime occurs. However, most studies of the ecological context of crime have focused on urban settings, with little research attention in less metropolitan areas. Despite a growing interest in rural crime, it remains an under-studied issue. The study reported here used a national county-level data set to consider whether variables commonly used to predict urban crime patterns can be applied similarly to more rural settings. The results showed that, although ecological and structural factors did a good job of predicting urban patterns of crime, they were less predictive of crime rates in more rural counties. Further, the constellation of variables that best predicted urban crime rates was not identical to the set that best predicted rural crime rates.
Most research on drug use and the drug industry in the United States has been done in urban areas. On a practical level, the neglect of rural areas is important because these areas (a) have problems with drug use, (b) are important in the transshipment of drugs across the country, and (c) are increasingly the sites for the production of synthetic drugs and marijuana. From a methodological and theoretical standpoint, the study of variability is the essence of the scientific approach. By excluding substantial rural-urban differences, the study of the drug industry is seriously handicapped. Research in rural areas presents a unique set of problems, however. This study examines research issues in the study of drugs in rural areas, drawing on the author's experiences in studying domestic marijuana production.
This article reports on a systematic review—incorporating meta-analytic techniques—of the effects of improved street lighting on crime. Studies were included if they had before-and-after measures of crime in experimental and control areas. Eight American evaluation studies met the criteria for inclusion, and their results were mixed. Four studies found that improved street lighting was effective in reducing crime, while the other four found that it was not effective. However, five more-recent British evaluation studies showed that improved lighting led to decreases in crime. In two studies, the financial savings from reduced crimes greatly exceeded the financial costs of the improved street lighting. A meta-analysis found that the 13 studies, taken together, showed that improved lighting led to reductions in crime. The overall reduction in crime after improved lighting was 20% in experimental areas compared with control areas. Since nighttime crimes did not decrease more than daytime crimes, a theory focusing on the role of street lighting in increasing community pride seems more plausible than a theory focusing on increased surveillance. Future research should be designed to test the main theories of the effects of improved lighting more explicitly and should measure crime using police records, surveys of victims, and self-reports of offending.
This article reports on the findings of a systematic review--incorporating meta-analytic techniques--of the available research evidence on the effects of closed-circuit television (CCTV) on crime in public space. A number of targeted and comprehensive searches of the published and unpublished literature and contacts with leading researchers produced twenty-two CCTV evaluations that met our criteria for inclusion in this review. CCTV had a significant desirable effect on crime, although the overall reduction in crime was a rather small 4 percent. All nine studies showing evidence of a desirable effect of CCTV on crime were carried out in the United Kingdom. Conversely, the other nine studies showing no evidence of any desirable effect of CCTV on crime included all five North American studies. CCTV was most effective in reducing crime in car parks. It had no effect on violent crimes but had a significant desirable effect on vehicle crimes.
The views expressed in this report are those of the authors, not necessarily those of the Home Office (nor do they reflect Government policy).
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) secured an agreement in 1989 among its member states to
ban the international trade in ivory. This disruption of the international ivory market was intended to reverse a sharp decline
in the African elephant population, which resulted from widespread poaching for ivory in the previous decade. The continent's
overall population of elephants increased after the ban, but an analysis of elephant population data from 1979 to 2007 found
that some of the 37 countries in Africa with elephants continued to lose substantial numbers of them. This pattern is largely
explained by the presence of unregulated domestic ivory markets in and near countries with declines in elephant populations.
The meta-analyses that have to date been published provide no support for the contention that the use of electronic monitoring
(EM) in the home as a substitute for the whole or part of a prison sentence might produce any positive effect in relation
to reoffending. The few studies that these analyses are based on have a number of shortcomings, however; several of them are
very small, and they often fail to provide a complete description of the elements that electronic monitoring programmes include
in addition to the monitoring itself. The study presented in this article has produced more positive results however. It focuses
on the first 260 individuals to participate in an early release programme that included electronic monitoring in the home.
This group was compared with a register-based control group. In addition to electronic monitoring by means of an ankle bracelet,
it was obligatory for programme participants to have a daily occupation, which could be arranged by the prison and probation
service if necessary, and they were subject to regular sobriety controls. The early release group reoffended to a significantly
lesser extent than the control group did. It is not possible, however, to state to what extent this was a result of the electronic
monitoring in the home or of the other elements included in the programme. When the group was trichotomised on the basis of
levels of prior involvement in crime, it was found that the difference between the early release group and the control group
was particularly large among those with intermediate levels of previous criminality.
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University of New England.
Emerging technologies: Smarter ways to fight wildlife crime
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(ACTION) Program. Washington, District of Columbia: The Urban Institute.
Scarcity of space: A study of income inequality and land conflicts in Brazil (Master's thesis)
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Shinde, N. N. (2017). Scarcity of space: A study of income inequality and land conflicts in Brazil
(Master's thesis). University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Smith, K. & Byrne, R. (2017). Farm crime in England and Wales: A preliminary scoping
study examining farmer attitudes. International Journal of Rural Criminology, 3(2), 191-223.
Monitoramento participativo da caça de quelônios (Podocnemididae) por comunitários ribeirinhos no baixo rio Purus e proteção de sítios de desova na RDS Piagaçu-Purus, Brasil
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participativo da caça de quelônios (Podocnemididae) por comunitários ribeirinhos no
baixo rio Purus e proteção de sítios de desova na RDS Piagaçu-Purus, Brasil. Revista
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Crime in Ireland: Agricultural crime reporting to Gardaí and crime prevention employed by farmers in Ireland
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Walsh, K. M. & Walsh, L. (2017). Crime in Ireland: Agricultural crime reporting to Gardaí and crime
prevention employed by farmers in Ireland (Report 3). Waterford, Ireland: Waterford Institute of
Technology.