Abstract
This Campbell systematic review synthesizes the existing published and non‐published empirical evidence on the effects of focused police crime prevention interventions at high‐activity crime places and will provide a systematic assessment of the preventive value of focused police crime prevention efforts at crime hot spots. The review also examined whether focused police actions at specific locations result in crime displacement.Studies that used randomized controlled experimental or quasi‐experimental designs were selected. Nine eligible studies were included in this review.The results of this systematic review support the assertion that focusing police efforts at high activity crime places can be effective in preventing crime. Whatever the impact, we need to know more about the effects of hot spots policing approaches on the communities that the police serve.
Highlights
Place-oriented crime prevention strategies have begun to have an important role in police crime prevention research and policy (Eck and Weisburd, 1995)
This idea developed from the “hot spots” of crime perspective, which suggests that crime does not occur evenly across urban landscapes; rather, it is concentrated in relatively small places that generate more than half of all criminal events (Pierce et al, 1988; Sherman et al, 1989; Weisburd et al, 1992)
Beyond studies observing the clustering of criminal events, in their review of the research literature, Eck and Weisburd (1995) identified four other concepts that illuminate the role of place in crime
Summary
Place-oriented crime prevention strategies have begun to have an important role in police crime prevention research and policy (Eck and Weisburd, 1995). Beyond studies observing the clustering of criminal events, in their review of the research literature, Eck and Weisburd (1995) identified four other concepts that illuminate the role of place in crime Facilities, such as bars, churches, and apartment buildings have been found to affect crime rates in their immediate environment depending on the type of people attracted, the way the space is managed, or the possible crime controllers present such as owners, security, or police. Several evaluations suggest place-focused policing interventions effectively prevent crime, the well-known RECAP (Repeat Call Address Policing) experiment in Minneapolis did not find problem-oriented policing to be effective in controlling addresses that generated a disproportionate amount of citizen calls for police service (Buerger, 1993) These results were probably due to the assignment of too many cases to the RECAP unit, outstripping the amount of resources and attention the police officers provided to each address (Buerger, 1993). Given the growing popularity of hot spots policing, as well as a conflicting result and the suggestion that the research design may have attributed to the negative findings, a systematic review of the empirical evidence on the effects of focused police interventions on crime hot spots is necessary to assess the value of this approach to crime prevention
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