Description
Abstract:The ubiquitous existence of a near repeat pattern in victimizations is well established in the criminological literature. About the strength of this phenomenon, evidence is less clear. From a practical point of view, the question is whether the near repeat pattern can be used for crime prevention. The paper describes quasi-experimental design for evaluating a near repeat surveillance scheme in the Amsterdam South police district in the Netherlands. During a three months period, police installed, immediately after the occurrence of a burglary, heavily intensified conspicuous police surveillance. Police activity focused on the near repeat zone, for a few days in a circle of a given radius around that victimized target. Parameters of the near repeat zone had been estimated on previous burglary incidents in the district. We compare crime levels in some neighborhoods in which this scheme was operated with a comparable set of neighborhoods where police activity was as usual, concentrating on the occurrence of burglary as well as other crimes. Side effects on citizens’ reactions on the intensified police activity are studied as well, about trust in the police, fear of crime and intention to take preventive action.
| Period | 14 Nov 2012 |
|---|---|
| Event title | 2012 American Society of Criminology Meeting |
| Event type | Lecture |