The Concept of the 'Neighbourhood' in Crime and Place Theory and Its Influence on Police Strategy

Abstract

The neighbourhood is a basic unit in police work in the city. Throughout the twentieth and twenty- first centuries, theories of crime and place conceptualized the neighbourhood differently; some emphasized sociological aspects, while others focused on physical aspects. Each theory offers different practices for crime reduction and police action strategies in neighbourhoods. This paper shows how the police implement different strategies in a neighbourhood in South Tel Aviv. It argues that the diversity of approaches increases the range and areas of police intervention in the neighbourhood and empowers their control and effect on place. It indicates the dominance of physical and microgeographical approaches over sociological approaches. Methodologically, this paper uses a three-pronged approach: 1. In-depth interviews with police officers and other dominant actors in space; 2. Ethnographic work with the urban police; and 3. Spatial analysis of policework in the neighbourhood. The conclusion discusses the consequences and shortcomings of the current paradigm in policing and suggests three directions as departure points for new thinking on crime and neighbourhoods: rethinking scale; reassessing the subject of concern; and readdressing the entanglement between crime and space.