Crime by Design: An Exploratory Investigation

Abstract

This paper extends and develops Newman's (1972) theory of defensible space, by investigating changes in criminal activity as a result of a re-development programme initiated by a district council and local police authority. As part of a re-development programme, the housing estate underwent changes in environmental and residential design as part of a crime prevention campaign to reduce criminal activity. The offence types: burglary, criminal damage, theft of a motor vehicle and theft from a motor vehicle were assessed both before and after the implementation of the redevelopment programme. Problems in analysing qualitative data were overcome by using a non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis, Partial Order Scalogram Analysis (POSA). The crime site profiles of all four offences were shown to be qualitatively and quantitatively different in the ‘new’ estate. It was found that, where access by both roads and footpaths had been restricted, the crime site profile changed favouring features such as a corner and terraced and identifying a new, vulnerable property. Reported offences relating to motor vehicles reduced significantly. However, incidences of both burglary and criminal damage increased. It was argued that this shift in offence type was an example of ‘displacement theory’, whereby, due to the restrictions imposed in the new estate, the criminal activity had been displaced towards an alternative offence.