Situational Crime Prevention

Question 1

What are the harm levels caused by crime?

Answer 1

Individual
Community
Institutional
Societal

Question 2

What were the estimated total losses from fraud according to HM Government (2023)?

Answer 2

£6.8 billion

Question 3

What types of harm can crime cause?

Answer 3

Physical
Emotional
Financial
Privacy
Community safety

Question 4

What questions does crime prevention try to answer?

Answer 4

Why did this happen?
How could it have been prevented?
What caused the offender to act?

Question 5

Why is criminological theory important to crime prevention?

Answer 5

It helps identify causes of crime, which informs effective countermeasures and policy design.

Question 6

What are the three population-targeted conceptions of crime prevention?

Answer 6

Primary (entire population)
Secondary (‘at risk’ groups)
Tertiary (known offenders/victims)

Question 7

What are the three process-oriented conceptions of prevention?

Answer 7

Situational
Social
Community

Question 8

What are the three audience-focused types of prevention?

Answer 8

Victim-oriented
Offender-oriented
Community-oriented

Question 9

What are six complexities in crime prevention?

Answer 9

Proximal vs distal causes
Dynamic causal networks
Arms race with offenders
Crime as a social construct
Divided responsibility
Multi-agency involvement

Question 10

What is the SARA model in problem-oriented policing?

Answer 10

Scanning, Analysis, Response, Assessmen

Question 11

What are the two key theories behind SCP?

Answer 11

Rational Choice Theory (Cornish & Clarke, 1986)
Routine Activities Theory (Cohen & Felson, 1979)

Question 12

What is the core idea of SCP (Clarke 1992)?

Answer 12

Alter the immediate environment to reduce opportunities, raise risk, reduce rewards.

Question 13

hat 3 elements must converge for a crime to occur (RAT)?

Answer 13

Motivated offender
Suitable target
Absence of capable guardian

Question 14

What is a ‘crime script’ (Cornish, 1994)?

Answer 14

A breakdown of crime into stages, identifying decisions and intervention points.

Question 15

Give an example of situational crime prevention in tackling drug labs.

Answer 15

Retail control of chemical stock
Public reporting of odours
ID requirements at post/couriers
Education for hospital staff (suspicious chemical burns)

Question 16

What is the concept of ‘defensible space’ (Newman, 1972)?

Answer 16

Crime can be reduced by designing spaces that foster ownership and surveillance.

Question 17

What are the 4 elements of defensible space?

Answer 17

Territoriality
Surveillance
Image
Milieu/ Environment

Question 18

Give examples of crime prevention through environmental design.

Answer 18

Well-lit areas
CCTV
Bollards/barriers
Clear sight-lines