Assignment Task
How to utilize the data for identifying crime risk and problems?
Example 1
Data:
Participant 1: “Breaking-in is common in this area. I had experienced that three times last year. There is a drug addict living next-door and I suspected that it was done by him. My neighbours also experienced that. I guess, I am not sure if I am right, but we all suspected that it was because there are many drug users around. When they are out of money, they just break into your house, take your stuff to sell for buying drugs.”
Participant 2: “This area is safe in general, except theft. Yes, this happen in my store quite often, mostly done by drug users. They often come to my store without buying anything. You know, their behaviour is weird sometimes and scared away my customers. ”
Observation for risk and problem identification:
Based on the interview data from participant one and two, we can see there is one thing in common: – they believe that the property crime in Liverpool were committed by drug users, as they need money for drugs. So, drug using behavior is closely linked to property crime.
Concept application:
Here, you might provide some research that address the correlation/linkage between property crime and drug use which explain why we need to combat drug use problem in order to reduce property crime.
Example 2
Data:
Participant 6: “My area is not that vibrant compare to where I lived. It’s very quiet with no shops or any amenities around. People drive, so you seldom see people here. People just drive home straightaway, who would hang around in such boring residential area? Police petrol? You kidding, are you new to this area? CCTV? Well.. you could find that in the rail station but not here. I heard my neighbour that someone sneaked into her unit from backyard and stole her computer when she was having shower.”
Observation for risk and problem identification:
Based on the interview data from participant 6, two crime prevention risk are identified. First, Liverpool is not very vibrant and lack of amenities. Second, Liverpool is lack of police petrol.
Concept application:
Then, you are required to think of some crime prevention theories that explain why lack of amenities and police petrol are risk factor that leads to crime.
- Routine Activity Theory
- Felson’s Crime Triangle
- Eck’s Modified Crime Triangle
Which concepts above can be used to explain these risks as problem of crime? Which element of the above concepts is best explained that lack of amenities and police petrol as crime risk factor?
Also, think about the Environmental crime prevention, is there any research can best explain lack of amenities can be the problem of crime? For example, Jane Jacobs’s research?
Note:
You are not required to copy and paste the data to your crime prevention plan, just identify the issues drawing from which participant is good enough. Remember, your word count is precious.
You are not required to identify all of the problems and risks in the case, as you have the word count limit. I would recommend students to identify as many problems as possible in a separate file, then select a few risks and problems that you would like to focus on in Part I.
Part II
Recommendations: provide a recommendation, outline key crime prevention tactics to take to deal with problems and risks identified.
- Students are required to provide firm and explicit recommendations for the Council of Liverpool to deal with problems and risk identified.
- Recommended tactics should include both crime prevention approaches.
- Provide steps, practices, or procedures
Recommendation should include:
- Which crime prevention tactics should they implement?
- How do the recommended tactics address the key problems?
- Which community stakeholders would be involved for implementing your recommendations (e.g. which community partners/organisations would be included) and how they would be involved for implementing your recommendations?
Note:
Remember, you are required to make recommendation based on the problems/risk identified in Part I.
Remember, you don’t need to mention those concepts and theories in this section, leave that for Part III.
Example
Crime prevention approach
To use example 2 in Part I as example, so you have to think about which crime prevention approach is better to resolve the problem:
Environmental? Social? Developmental? Community?
Crime prevention tactics
For instance, if you think Environmental crime prevention is best for resolving lack of guardian problem, then you have to think about which tactics is best to resolve such problem. For example, increasing police patrol, or installing CCTV? If so, then where should the council install the CCTV and which area should have more police patrolling?
In additional to formal surveillance (think about the concept of Jane Jacobs), then what can be done to enhance amenities and make it more vibrant, in order to enhance the natural surveillance?
Community Stakeholders
If we need to have more police patrolling and CCTV, then who would be the community stake holders to be involved? What roles that they need to perform?
For example, the council might need to collaborate with the NSW police in Liverpool.
For installation of CCTV, so who need the council need to consult? Say example, if they might need to collaborate with the business owners in the Liverpool Plaza in front of our campus, then you might consider some tactics that involve business owners (have a look on community partnership lecture, something has been done in Australia before, you can cite that as example.
Part III
Justifications – Concepts applications and analysis
- Students are required to justify their recommendations based on the crime prevention concepts.
- What elements of which crime prevention approaches support your recommendations?
- What are the strengths of that approach? What aspects of the problem does it address?
- What are the weaknesses of that approach? What does it not address?
Note:
In this section, you are required to apply the theories and concepts to explain why the crime prevention approach and tactics works on resolving the problems identified.
For example, in Part II mentioned Environmental crime prevention and CCTV as one of your recommendations, then you need to explain why it helps to resolve the problem by relating your approaches and tactics recommended to the environmental crime prevention concepts/theories or principles/ assumptions of the concept.
Say example, for environmental crime prevention, improving the guardianship can help to reduce crime based on Routine Activity Theory.
Next, you are required to mention the strength and weakness of that particular crime prevention approach you recommended.
Say example, environmental crime prevention helps to improve what kind of problems (better quote research to back up your arguments), but what kind of problems that fails to resolve.
You might also mention the strength and weakness of your recommended tactics. For instance, every student love to mention CCTV but it isn’t perfect for resolving all types of crime, So what is the strength and weakness of CCTV installation? I remember there is an article talks about which type of crime is better resolved by using CCTV (e.g. cars theft in carpark).
Remember what you have done in the journals? Have a look, you will get the answer. However, please don’t just copy and paste your journal content in Part III.