Essay: Reducing Crime Rate in Neighborhoods: Exploring Crime Prevention Approaches



Abstract

The intention of this research paper is to discuss the different types of neighborhood crime preventions that are used in neighborhoods around the nation. The research was derived from the textbook Crime Prevention amongst other sources discussing the effectiveness of preventative programs. This research will explain the different types of neighborhood crime prevention approaches such as neighborhood/block watch, community anti-drug programs, and citizens patrols. The purpose of this paper is also to evaluate the neighborhood crime prevention programs and get a better understanding if there is actually a positive effect on the community. This paper will include who participates in neighborhood crime prevention and how these approaches are formed. The literature review included in this paper show that communication is key and the active role of community members is essential to have successful neighborhood crime prevention programs. The goal of neighborhood crime prevention and the key component of guardianship will also be discussed within this paper. The finding from the research of neighborhood crime prevention can help citizens keep crime away from their neighborhood, that the criminal justice system cannot. In order for these programs to be implemented, the participation and support of the citizens is required in order to have a lasting impact on crime in the community.

Keywords: neighborhood crime prevention, block watch, citizens patrols, anti-drug program, citizen participation, guardianship

Neighborhood Crime Prevention

Introduction

In order to reduce and prevent crime in neighborhoods there are a variety of successful options available. Neighborhood watch, community anti-drug programs, and citizens patrols are a key elements of neighborhood crime prevention. These different strategies are a way of solving the problem of crime, specifically in neighborhoods, making it a large part of crime prevention. Programs dealing with neighborhood crime prevention typically try to instill a sense of security for the community members and improves everyday life for all of those who reside in the neighborhood.  Citizens are typically in charge of running these types of crime prevention approaches. These types of neighborhood crime prevention approaches can help solve the crime problem that the criminal justice system struggles to do. It is proven that an attempt to have some sort of neighborhood crime prevention program available will have an impact on the level of crime in the neighborhood. Having these methods available can not only help reduce crime, but also reduce the fear of crime. The effectiveness of these approaches includes the impact on the community and its members as well as the impact on crime itself. Neighborhood prevention programs can have a positive impact on various types of crime such as burglary, theft and robbery. Implementing some type of neighborhood crime prevention program and keeping the programs consistent throughout the community will have a large improvement on the rate of crime in that specific community. The key component of guardianship is consistent throughout the different types of neighborhood crime prevention programs, where guardians have the ability to lessen the chance for crime to occur (Lab, 2016, p.94). The role of the citizens of the community, such as supporting the different programs and participating when needed, the approaches of neighborhood watch, community anti-drug programs and citizens patrols will be more effective.

Literature review

Research on neighborhood crime prevention approaches explain what each program consists of and what is needed for the program to succeed in solving the problem of crime. The numerous studies that examine how effective programs such as neighborhood watch, community anti-drug programs and citizens patrols actually are. The National Crime Prevention Council (2018), provides information, such as safety tips, to keep communities safe from crime. This organization also enforces the approach of having a neighborhood watch program implemented in the community. The National Crime Prevention Council (2018), makes it clear that there are many different approaches that the community can come together to do to reduce and prevent crime from occurring in their neighborhood. This source emphasizes that the participation of the citizens is necessary to prevent crime, so all community members should be involved to solve problems.  

Lab, (2016) provides the definition of what a neighborhood watch program consists of, while giving examples of what should be expected from the members of the community. They include that having social control over a neighborhood is a key aspect in preventing crimes in the specific area of their community. They also highlight that it is important to have an interaction between citizens and law enforcement, due to the fact that it is impossible for law enforcement to be patrolling all parts of the community at all times.

There is also research by Lab (2016), that allows readers to get a statistical view of how many neighborhoods are actually participating in neighborhood crime prevention programs. The data from this shows that neighborhood watch is most popular in the new world when being compared to other countries. Lab (2016) includes that other neighborhood crime prevention programs, such as community anti-drug programs, typically copy the same techniques as neighborhood watch because they have been successful in reducing crime levels in the community.

When discussing citizens patrol, Lab (2016), the emphasize is on getting a larger number of eyes on potential crime occurring in the community. This source includes examples of successful citizen patrol groups in the world such as Guardian Angels, Street Pastors, and Street Angels. Just as neighborhood watch and community anti-drug programs require the help of community members, citizen patrol groups also require the community members to have an active role.  

Pridmore, Mols, & Wang (2018), makes it apparent that neighborhood crime prevention programs must have active citizens involved. In order to keep the neighborhoods safe, communication amongst community members must be present. Pridmore et al (2018), makes an emphasis on a sense of community and how neighbors should look out for one another by involving themselves and participating in neighborhood crime prevention programs to make their homes safe.

Lab (2016), goes into depth about how building guardianship is key to any neighborhood crime prevention program. This source includes a routine activities triangle, demonstrating what is necessary for crime to occur. The research done by Lab (2016), shows that an offender, place, and target are needed in order for crime to occur. This source analyzes what is required for crime to occur and includes that a guardian, manager or handler is needed in order to reduce crime in neighborhoods.  

In document written by Fowler (1979), data is provided that implementing neighborhood crime prevention programs indeed have an effect on reducing crime and the fear of crime in the community. The experimentation on whether or not these preventative efforts were truly effective were tested, and it is shown that these programs are successful in making positive changes in neighborhoods.

Neighborhood Watch

Having a program implemented in an individual’s community such as neighborhood watch allows the community to have safer streets and overall safer life at home. A neighborhood watch is one of the most effective crime prevention programs that brings neighbors together and allows them to share information about what is currently going on in their neighborhood. “Key activities of neighborhood watch groups include discussions of mutual problems in the neighborhood, actions to increase feelings of community, and the promotion of interventions to address common problems” (Lab, 2016, p.89). Not only does neighborhood watch allow citizens to have an active part in their community, this program allows citizens to have a relationship with their local law enforcement. Neighborhood watch groups became a common approach reducing crime when incidents such as vandalism, burglaries and auto thefts became a problem (NCPC, 2017). This program is not difficult to get started in an individual’s community and also allows the members of the community to improve their own neighborhood making it safer for all.  Members of the community want to join groups such as this to create a safer neighborhood for themselves and their families. When a neighborhood watch group is in place, there are many benefits such as “reducing drug dealing and open-air drug markets, discourage gangs, improve the security of young people, and help older neighbors stay safe from crime” (NCPC, 2017).  

Allowing community members to be consistently informed about the problems of the community, such as letting one another know who is a member of the community is and who is not, will help all members stay updated on their community’s crime problem. In order for community members to be a part of a neighborhood watch program, all members of the neighborhood who are participating should be well informed on how to prevent crime and should have a relationship with the local law enforcement. The goal of being involved in an approach such as neighborhood or block watch, is to make the crime problems of the community aware to all and recognize that these problems lead to increased crime and an area’s decline (Lab, 2016, p.89).

Having social control over a neighborhood allows for a safer neighborhood that could potentially have their crime problem prevented or reduced. The use of surveillance allows for social control in the community, by allowing everyone to have hard proof of who is out of place in certain situations. Heavy surveillance allows the members of the community to have evidence for law enforcement, in the case of a crime occurring. Having a program in an individual’s neighborhood that allows them to voice specific problems, such as traffic safety, can help address problems that individuals are concerned about. “Neighborhood Watch works because it reduces opportunities for crime to occur; it doesn’t rely on altering or changing the criminal’s behavior or motivation” (NCPC, 2017).  The involvement of being in a neighborhood watch programs has many benefits for the community, but most importantly these programs have the ability to prevent crime from happening and also keeps the members of the community safe and not fearing crime.

Community Anti-Drug Programs

Shining a light on community drug problems can be done with the help with community anti-drug programs. This crime prevention programs allows for communities to get a handle on the crime in the neighborhood dealing specifically with drug use. This community program uses “their use of surveillance tactics, reporting to the police, working with agencies to clean up the area, providing information to residents, instituting anti-drug programs, and participating in citizen patrols” (Lab, 2016, p.92). Community anti-drug programs target the drug problem in their community such as eliminated drug houses within their area.

It is important to realize that a community anti-drug program only is effective when the program is actively reducing the level of crime in the neighborhood. In order for crime relating to drugs to be reduced, the participation of community members is needed to consistently contribute to the drug problems of the community. Having community members encourage one another to have an active role in prevention activity is an essential part of this program.  Anti-drug programs implemented in neighborhoods should be focusing on drug use, drug sales and other drug related problems in order to combat the surge of drug use in the community (Lab, 2016, p.92).

Citizens Patrol

Another neighborhood crime prevention approach is the key element of implementing citizen patrols. The main goal of citizen patrols is to have a consistent role as resident in their community, where they give the community more eyes over the entire neighborhood. Having more eyes on an area that could have potential crime allows for crime to be seen more effectively. Also, by putting more eyes on crime the chances of detecting strangers in the area and discovering crime in progress are higher (Lab, 2016, p.93). It is important to acknowledge that community members that are citizen patrols should never intervene with any crime that could be occurring.

The most known citizen patrol group in the United States of America, The Guardian Angels, includes teenager and young adults who help the neighborhood with their surveillance efforts (Lab, 2016, p.93). Citizen patrol groups can also include the involvement of members of the community out on the streets, surveilling the area for potential crime. Whistle stop and radio watch are just two specific variations of citizen patrol that include the search of suspicious activity and suspicious people while these citizen patrols are going along their normal daily routine (Lab, 2016, p.93). The most important element of citizens patrol is to simply just observe, never to involve themselves in the crime, and report the information about the crime to the local law enforcement.

Citizen Participation

In order for all of these different approaches to function, the participating and support of citizens is required. Failure in neighborhood crime prevention programs can easily come about if participation is not all there or is not consistent. It is every community members goal to maintain a safe neighborhood and in order to do so they must actively communicate with one another as a community. “Sense of community helps citizens improve their environment as people experiencing a sense of community are more encouraged to take action. This sense of community improves one’s perception of the environment, neighbor relations, and perceived control and empowerment within the community” (Pridmore et al, 2018, p.5). Being an active citizen in an individual’s community allows for a safer environment by reducing crime around with the use of crime prevention approaches.

Guardianship

Without building guardianship, neighborhood crime prevention programs would not work effectively. A guardian usually is a resident of that specific neighborhood who looks over that certain area to aid in reducing crime. Guardianship, also recognized as citizen action, is needed to stop crime while also encompassing routine activities effectively (Lab, 2016, p.94).  In order for the routine actives theory to work a suitable target, motivated officer, and an absence of guardians must occur (Lab, 2016, p.94). The absence of a guardian allows for crime to occur more easily, so building guardianship can reduce the opportunity for crime to happen in the first place. Without an offender, place or target, crime could not happen, so if guardianship is built, the crime will be addressed, and the opportunity of crime will be diminished. Certain guardians are able to take action if a crime were to happen, allowing them to intervene if they see the situation fit.

Effectiveness of Neighborhood Crime Prevention

When being evaluated, neighborhood crime prevention programs are measured by how effective their approach is with reducing and preventing crime. The two levels that effectiveness is measured by is “the impact that these activities have on crime and the fear of crime and the second measure of effectiveness is the impact of neighborhood organizing on intervening factors” (Lab, 2016, p.95). Looking at how fear of crime and the rate of crimes are reduced will play a large part if the preventative program is actually effective. Fowler et al (1979), discusses how a neighborhood crime prevention program was executed in Hartford, Connecticut in hopes of reducing the fear of crime, such as burglary, in urban residential neighborhoods. This program was proven to be successful in improve the level of safety in their neighborhood and also changed their outlook on fear of crime. All in all, it is proven with data to back it up, that implementing community prevention programs can in fact reduce the crime rate in a local community.