Crime rates fluctuate around the world. Although it may seem complicated, there are things that can be done to control crime in society. There is no need to feel powerless against evil. By taking action, you have made a positive change in the environment.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Educate Yourself and the Environment
Step 1. Always know the situation
Get to know the environment. Knowledge is a very powerful tool in the fight against crime. The education of a wide variety of individuals can be key to any type of crime prevention.
- Talk to the neighbors. By getting to know the neighbors, you get to know the people who live in the neighborhood. A burglar can enter the house of one of your neighbors and you probably wouldn't think twice if you didn't know the occupants. If someone's child is causing a nuisance to someone else's home, you can contact the parents if you know them.
- Study the normal occurrences in your environment to help identify when things are odd.
- Know the crimes in your area. Search the internet or local newspapers to learn about crime in your area. Contact your local police station to see if they can provide you with crime statistics.
Step 2. Talk to law enforcement in your area
By working with law enforcement agencies in your area, you can help them stay informed about your neighborhood. In addition, they can help provide support and education to residents. Remember that law enforcement wants to help you.
- Do not call the emergency telephone number unless there is an emergency.
- Visit the police station in person for information.
Step 3. Use media to focus attention
This can be done for crime-ridden areas, as well as for community projects used to rehabilitate them. The media can be asked to publicize community events and promote public education. The media can also be used to inform about crime in areas that are not well controlled.
- Issue a press release.
- Write a letter to the editor of a local or regional newspaper.
- Use social media.
Method 2 of 3: Setting the Environment
Step 1. Organize and/or join patrol activities
It may also be called a “area patrol”, “residential patrol”, “residential patrol”, or “neighborhood patrol”. This program functions to regulate communities to work with local police to control crime in their area. Three important elements of this program are monitoring for suspicious activity, marking homes to show ownership, and surveying residential safety.
- Residential patrols at night, support for victims, and close communication with the authorities can be carried out with these organizations.
- Such programs have already started across the country. Maybe one of them already exists in your community. This organization does not require a number of meetings (once a month or something). They will not ask anyone to risk themselves in preventing crime. They handed over the responsibility for catching the perpetrators to the rightful party – the police.
- This is not a "vigilance" group. The group aims to gather citizens to learn crime prevention from local authorities. You'll be working with neighbors to report suspicious activity in the neighborhood, keep an eye on homes while residents are away, and keep everyone in the area aware of the standard home and self-precautions that must be followed at all times. Criminals often avoid environments where such groups exist.
Step 2. Use the "positive loitering" technique
Positive loitering has proven useful in crime-ridden areas. People choose to occupy areas that are usually controlled by criminals in groups. Where there is armed violence, drug trafficking, and other illicit activities, communities have managed to reclaim their space simply by occupying it.
- A number of communities in Chicago have found this tactic very effective, with the police even coming to support the movement.
- The Take Back Santa Cruz movement supports positive loitering as an effective way to fight crime.
Step 3. Celebrate community achievements together
Crime is a very confusing thing in the lives of many people. Problems in society can be overwhelming. Therefore, it is important to celebrate small achievements together. This can help improve morale, as well as further strengthen bonds within society.
Method 3 of 3: Advancing the Environment
Step 1. Increase the lighting on the street
This is a proven measure of reducing crime in a region. Dim lighting makes it easier for criminals and criminals to operate unnoticed. By placing more lights and brighter lights in poorly lit areas, you can help reduce crime.
- Programs in the UK that improve street lighting conditions have been found to "definitely" reduce crime in these areas.
- A similar study of parks in Los Angeles showed that keeping parks bright at night also reduced crime in lit areas.
Step 2. Include CCTV
By placing CCTV cameras outdoors to monitor crime, you can help catch criminals should a crime be caught on video.
- In Chicago, research shows that for every $1 spent on camera costs, more than $4 is saved in court costs, detention, and preventable crime-related hassles.
- Cameras work best to deter criminals when there are multiple cameras in sight.
Step 3. Block traffic, help pedestrians
Areas with heavy traffic that are not pedestrian friendly can be crime-prone areas. Drive-by shooting relies on open, fast-moving roads. Areas without sidewalks, which are more profitable for motorists than pedestrians, make it easier for criminals to operate.
- The Cul-de-Sac operation in Los Angeles has proven effective in reducing homicides associated with shootings while driving. They put up traffic barriers to cut off car access to certain roads.
- The Bridgeport, Connecticut area has had success with their “Project Phoenix”. The planners implemented an elaborate road modification program. By changing and controlling traffic flow in their city, there has been a 75% reduction in crime.
