Situational Crime Prevention Evaluation Database
This is a collection of articles reporting evaluations of situational crime prevention initiatives. The collection is intended to facilitate research and assist practitioners in finding studies relevant to their current needs. It includes a complete bibliographical listing of studies with links to full text versions (where available).
To download a more expansive summary of each initiative, click here.
| Title | Citation | Results |
|---|---|---|
| Launceston – Lighting for Crime Prevention | Abernethy, I. (2002). Launceston – Lighting for Crime Prevention. Launceston, Australia: Launceston City Council | Case study 1) 42% decrease in calls for service; 2) low fear of crime; 3) 85% decrease in commercial burglary, but 127% increase in vandalism; 4) low fear of crime; 5) inconclusive |
| Residential Security: Containment and Displacement of Burglary | Allatt, P. (1984). “Residential Security: Containment and Displacement of Burglary.” Howard Journal of Criminal Justice 23(2):99-116 | Target area burglary was contained rising only 9% while control estate increased 77%; Displacement- 9% and 21% displacement increase in comparison areas. Crimes prevented greater than level of displacement |
| Cars and Robbers: Has Car Theft Crime Prevention Worked Too Well? | Altbeker, A. (2006). Cars and Robbers: Has Car Theft Crime Prevention Worked Too Well? Institute of Security Studies; Paper No. 124. Pretoria, South Africa: Institute for Security Studies | Vehical thefts declined, robbery rates increased. Inverse correlation found between two |
| An Evaluation of Secured by Design Housing Within West Yorkshire | Armitage, R. (2000). “An Evaluation of Secured by Design Housing Within West Yorkshire.” Briefing Note 7/00. London: Home Office, Policing and Reducing Crime Unit | 26% fewer overall crime rate in Target area; Twice number of burglary offenses in Comparison areas compared to Target; 42% fewer vehicle crimes in Target area; |
| Surveillance of Public Space, CCTV, Street Lighting and Crime Prevention | Armitage, R., G. Smyth and K. Pease (1999). “Burnley CCTV Evaluation.” In K. Painter and N. Tilley (eds.). Surveillance of Public Space, CCTV, Street Lighting and Crime Prevention. Crime Prevention Studies, Vol. 10. Monsey, N.Y.: Criminal Justice Press | Target area - 28% decrease; Displacement area - 1% decrease; Comparison area - 9% increase |
| Second-Year Evaluation Report for Cabrini-Green High Impact Program | Arthur Young & Co. (1978). Second-Year Evaluation Report for Cabrini-Green High Impact Program. Chicago: Arthur Young & Co | Crime decreased in treatment estate 29 percent a rate greater than comparison estate and Chicago overall. Four buildings where situational interventions were implemented experienced a 50 percent decrease in index crimes and a 38 percent decrease in non-index offenses. |
| The Influence of Street Lighting on Crime and Fear of Crime | Atkins, S., S. Husain and A. Storey (1991). The Influence of Street Lighting on Crime and Fear of Crime. Crime Prevention Unit; Paper 28. London: Home Office, Crime Prevention Unit | Target area 2.7% decrease in night time crimes (not sig. w/ Chi-sq.); Five zones found sig. change but conflicting findings three zones decreased while two increased; Surveys showed reduced fear |
| Street Light Project: Final Evaluation Report | Atlanta (Ga.) Regional Commission (1974). Street Light Project: Final Evaluation Report. Atlanta, Ga.: The Commission | Target crimes continued to increase post intervention; though the rate of increase for burglaries did slow. |
| The Impact of Street Closures and Barricades: A Florida Case Study | Atlas, R., and W. LeBlanc (1994). “The Impact of Street Closures and Barricades: A Florida Case Study.” Security Journal 5(3):140-145 | Burglary, Larceny & assault decreased in target area, while increases occurred in comparison area |
| Measuring Positive Externalities from Unobservable Victim Precaution: An Empirical Analysis of Lojack | Ayres, I., and S. Levitt (1998). “Measuring Positive Externalities from Unobservable Victim Precaution: An Empirical Analysis of Lojack.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 113(1):43-77 | 17.4% decrease (for all 6 cities aggregated) in auto theft rate per capita in 4 year period after introduction |
| Electronic Article Surveillance: Management Learning in Curbing Theft | Bamfield, J. (1994). “Electronic Article Surveillance: Management Learning in Curbing Theft.” In M. Gill (ed.), Crime at Work: Studies in Security and Crime Prevention. Leicester, U.K.: Perpetuity Press | Weighted average decrease of 28.3% in target stores; 3.6% increase in control store |
| Preventing Auto Theft in Commuter Parking Lots: A Bike Patrol in Vancouver | Barclay, P., J. Buckley, P.J. Brantingham, P.L. Brantingham and T. Whinn-Yates (1997). “Preventing Auto Theft in Commuter Parking Lots: A Bike Patrol in Vancouver.” In R.V. Clarke (ed.), Situational Crime Prevention: Successful Case Studies. 2nd ed. Guilderland, N.Y.: Harrow and Heston | Target: 82% decrease; versus only 45% and 53% decrease in comparison areas |
| Preventing Vandalism: What Works? | Barker, M., and C. Bridgeman (1994). Preventing Vandalism: What Works? Crime Detection and Prevention Series; Paper 56. London: Home Office, Police Research Group | Case study 1) 30% decrease in graffiti but nearby broken windows doubled; 2) 46% drop in cleaning costs; drop to 0 graffiti cases in followup period; 3) cash compartment attacks reduced 50%; 4) inconclusive-only one school showed decline in vandalism. |
| Toward a Brighter Monsall: Street Lighting as a Factor in Community Safety: The Manchester Experience | Barr, R., and H. Lawes (1991). Toward a Brighter Monsall: Street Lighting as a Factor in Community Safety: The Manchester Experience. Manchester, U.K.: ESRC Urban Research and Policy Evaluation-Regional Research Laboratory, Department of Geography, University of Manchester | Post increased lighting on estate pedestrian traffic increased; fear of crime remained unchanged; and burglaries decreased. |
| An Evaluation of the Effect of Offender-Oriented Publicity on Auto Crimes | Barthe, E. (2003). An Evaluation of the Effect of Offender-Oriented Publicity on Auto Crimes. Dissertation, Rutgers University. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms International | While rates of car theft went down during the intervention in all three treatment areas; the was no significant decrease in the post period for any of the treatment areas. |
| Context-Specific Measures of CCTV Effectiveness in the Retail Sector | Beck, A., and A. Willis (1999). “Context-Specific Measures of CCTV Effectiveness in the Retail Sector.” In K. Painter and N. Tilley (eds.) Surveillance of Public Space: CCTV, Street Lighting and Crime Prevention. Crime Prevention Studies, Vol. 10. Monsey, N.Y.: Criminal Justice Press | Low level CCTV stores had 27% decline in shrinkage; Midlevel CCTV stores 18%; Highlevel CCTV stores had increase in shrinkage |
| Evaluation of the Richmond Project: A Crime Prevention Project Conducted by East Precinct and the S.E. Uplift Crime Prevention Program | Beedle, S. (1984). Evaluation of the Richmond Project: A Crime Prevention Project Conducted by East Precinct and the S.E. Uplift Crime Prevention Program. Portland, Ore.: Portland Police Bureau | Those households which fully complied with the survey recommendations experienced a lower burglary rate per 100 households than the households which had not complied (1.1 burglaries/100 households versus 2.8 burglaries/100 households) when all 180 households were considered. However, overall rates of burglary decreased slightly (4%), a rate similar to comparison areas. |
| Evaluation of the Home Security Program | Beedle, S., and J. Stangier (1980). Evaluation of the Home Security Program. Portland, Ore.: Portland Police Bureau | Program achieved a 70% reduction in burglary from pre to post periods. Fear of crime was reduced and participants were overwhelming pleased with the project, thereby improving citizens' perceptions of the police. |
| An Assessment of the Design, Implementation and Effectiveness of Neighbourhood Watch in London | Bennett, T. (1988). “An Assessment of the Design, Implementation and Effectiveness of Neighbourhood Watch in London.” Howard Journal of Criminal Justice 24(4):241-255 | Overall, the prevalence of crime (the number of households victimised at least once) did not change significantly over the experimental period in one area and increased in the other and the incidence of crime (the total number of victimisations) increased in both areas. However, some areas did report improved feelings of safety (e.g. less fear of crime). |
| Preventing Residential Burglary in Cambridge: From Crime Audits to Targeted Strategies | Bennett, T., and L. Durie (1999). Preventing Residential Burglary in Cambridge: From Crime Audits to Targeted Strategies. Police Research Series; Paper 108. London: Home Office, Policing and Reducing Crime Unit, Research, Development and Statistics Directorate | Burglary decreased in target areas but also decreased as much or more in overall jurisdiction/comparison areas; Limited scope (dosage) of intervention cited. |
| Evaluation of Merchant Security Program: A Case Study Assessing the Impact of Electronic Protection Devices on Safety in Retail Stores in New York City | Berkowitz, M. (1975). Evaluation of Merchant Security Program: A Case Study Assessing the Impact of Electronic Protection Devices on Safety in Retail Stores in New York City. New York: New York City Police Department | There was no significant reduction in robberies, however, treatment merchants reported improved perceptions of safety and that they were in fact contributing to crime reductions. |
| Eliminating Pay Phone Toll Fraud at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan | Bichler, G., and R.V. Clarke (1996). “Eliminating Pay Phone Toll Fraud at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan.” In R.V. Clarke (ed.), Preventing Mass Transit Crime. Crime Prevention Studies, Vol. 6. Monsey, N.Y.: Criminal Justice Press | Gross toll revenues and thus toll frauds dropped from 11 million dollars in '90 to 2 million dollars in '94 |
| The Celebration of Midsummer Eve in Sweden: A Study in the Art of Preventing Collective Disorder | Bjor, J., J. Knutsson and E. Kuhlhorn (1992). “The Celebration of Midsummer Eve in Sweden: A Study in the Art of Preventing Collective Disorder.” Security Journal 3(3):169-174 | Number of arrests increased but perceptions of the situation is that it has improved |
| Single-Family Home Construction Site Theft: A Crime Prevention Case Study | Boba, R., and R. Santos (2007). “Single-Family Home Construction Site Theft: A Crime Prevention Case Study.” International Journal of Construction Education and Research 3(3):217-236 | Across four builders construction areas, an abrupt, continuous drop in construction site burglaries was observed post implementation of the intervention. |
| Evaluation of the 'Secured By Design' Initiative: Pilot Study | Roger Bone & Associates (1994). Evaluation of the 'Secured By Design' Initiative: Pilot Study. London: Roger Bone & Associates | In the sample areas examined the statistical tests undertaken for burglary incidence alone did not show a statistically significant difference, but those for all crimes considered, i.e. domestic burglary, theft of cars and theft from cars. did. |
| Small Business Crime: The Evaluation of a Crime Prevention Initiative | Bowers, K. (2001). “Small Business Crime: The Evaluation of a Crime Prevention Initiative.” Crime Prevention and Community Safety: An International Journal 3(1):23-42 | Commercial burglary rates in treatment businesses decreased significantly with no indications of displacement. |
| Pushing Back the Boundaries: New Techniques for Assessing the Impact of Burglary Schemes | Bowers, K., S. Johnson and A. Hirschfield (2003). Pushing Back the Boundaries: New Techniques for Assessing the Impact of Burglary Schemes. Home Office Online Report 24/03. London: Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate | Treatment area experienced a significant reduction in burglary. Repeat victimization decreased and examining victimization over time revealed that 13 burglaries were prevented in a one-year period across 363 properties that had been target hardened. Moreover, the risk to these properties was almost halved following target-hardening. |
| Closing Off Opportunities for Crime: An Evaluation of Alley-Gating | Bowers, K., S. Johnson and A. Hirschfield (2004). “Closing Off Opportunities for Crime: An Evaluation of Alley-Gating.” European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research 10(4):285-308 | Target: 37% reduction in burglary; |
| Golf Links Estate – Social and Recreational Scheme for Young People | Bozhurt, E. (1994). “Golf Links Estate – Social and Recreational Scheme for Young People.” In S. Osborn (ed.), Housing Safe Communities: An Evaluation of Recent Initiatives. London: Safe Neighbourhoods Unit | Overall crime levels were 77% lower in 1987 than in 1983, There was also a remarkable consistency across all offence categories in terms of the size of reduction in 1987. |
| Problem-Oriented Policing in Violent Crime Places: A Randomized Controlled Experiment | Braga, A., D. Weisburd, E. Waring, L. Mazerolle, W. Spelman and F. Gajewski (1999). “Problem-Oriented Policing in Violent Crime Places: A Randomized Controlled Experiment.” Criminology 37(3):541-580 | Social disorder alleviated at 91% of target places; All crime types in target areas decreased at varying levels |