There are many different criminal problems within any community, all of which need addressing. The issue that I have chosen to address is that of burglary, with a multi-tiered community program to be implemented as a means of addressing the issue. The issue of burglary is one which causes no end of frustration for homeowners and law enforcement officials alike. It causes the headache of having to deal with insurance companies, increased paperwork for law enforcement officials and there is a low rate of these burglars being caught, as there are often limited leads to follow up on. This particular issue has been addressed in many different communities, and as a means of addressing this particular issue, I have designed a program which works to incorporate several different aspects of preexisting programs that have shown a decrease in crime following their implementation.
Given the fact that many of the burglaries occur after the criminals have gained alleyway entrance, as a result of the amount of windows and doors that face the alleyways with little visibility from the street, the first aspect of the community crime prevention program that would be implemented is similar to one that was implemented in Liverpool; the gating of alleyways, allowing only for those who reside within the premises to have a key to these gates (CrimeSolutions.gov, 2013). This gating program would include the creation of a neighborhood watch, wherein citizen groups would organize to patrol the streets, each taking turns, working to identify possible issues and resolve or phone those issues in to the police department on a case by case basis (BJA, 2013). The third aspect of the program would be a public safety notification system, an automated system that works to notify homeowners within a given area of situations that may affect the health, safety, or welfare of the citizens within the community. It would notify individuals within the given area of crimes that occurred, resolutions to problems, or other potential issues by means of a voicemail, email, or text notification, as the individual prefers (Polk County Sheriff’s Office, 2013).
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This multi-tiered approach is designed to do three things; first, it works to take away the opportunity that is presented in the limited visibility alleyways. Second, it works to make the public more aware of the issues that are occurring within their community, allowing them to become more vigilant in addressing the issues. Third, it works to increase the traffic within the neighborhood, providing guardians which, by their very presence, will work to deter crime within the area. By implementing this particular program, it works to address the crime triangle in two of the three sides, decreasing opportunity and increasing vigilance. In doing so, the amount of crime overall, not just burglaries, will decrease, given the fact that there is a greater presence within the area, and that presence will work to deter the committing of other criminal actions.
This type of community program will work to deter re-incarceration as it will work to prevent criminals from being as active as they have been within the area. In taking away the opportunity, the level of crime decreases, which works to deter repeat arrests and repeated incarceration of those criminals. While it is possible that those criminals will take up action elsewhere, it will deter crime within the given area, and it will prevent re-incarceration within the given area. Those who are caught as a result of these increased precautions will likely face higher jail time, increasing the amount of time and possibility for rehabilitation while understanding the consequences of their actions. It is understood that, as with all criminals, there is not always a possibility for rehabilitation, but it is hoped that through the creation of such a program, those repeat offenders will move on to easier targets, ones where they have a decreased likelihood of being caught, for now.
- BJA. (2013). What are community-based crime prevention programs?. Retrieved from https://www.bja.gov/evaluation/program-crime-prevention/cbcp1.htm
- CrimeSolutions.gov. (2013). Community crime prevention strategies. Retrieved from http://www.crimesolutions.gov/TopicDetails.aspx?ID=10
- Polk County Sheriff’s Office. (2013). What is the Polk county public safety notification system (PSNS)?. Retrieved from http://www.polksheriff.org/InsidePCSO/OfficeCOS/OOC/CrimePrevention/Pages/Communicator.aspx
