This brief article is as summary of the peer reviewed article titled ‘Using Ethnography to Identify Deviant Behaviours, for the Development of Crime Prevention Interventions’. This methodology was utilized to reduce the incidence of burglary crime by 42% in the Canberra suburb of Kambah from July 2018 to January 2020.
Generally, there are three approaches to crime prevention. Firstly, the Developmental approach, which seeks to reduce underlying social and economic pressures which may motivate a person to commit a crime. Secondly, the Environmental approach which seeks to change the physical environment that a potential offender enters and reduce the opportunities to commit crime. Thirdly, is the Criminal Justice System approach, which seeks to reduce the number of offenders in society.
Given that these approaches are not always successful, and also to reduce the increasing cost of crime, it may be beneficial to utilize other approaches. Such an approach may be to guide potential offenders from committing a crime. This could occur during the time that a person leaves a Developmental program influence, and the time that that same person is about to actuate a crime.
This paper provides empirical qualitative research that can be utilized by community safety specialists, shopping centre managers, law enforcement bodies, community groups and security specialists. This approach focuses on using ethnography, which uses field observation, to identify deviant community’s beliefs and behaviors. This approach then identifies subgroups of offenders that focus on burglary, and how they plan, prepare, and gather intelligence prior to actualization of a burglary crime.
Crime Pattern Theory identifies that most offenders will live, travel or work within several kilometers of their intended target. This research focused on deviant communities that were identified and living within the selected treatment area of Kambah West, a suburb of Canberra, ACT.
Using ethnographical techniques, these communities were approached and engaged with to determine and identify their beliefs and behaviours. Interventions were then developed that would have the greatest influence on potential offenders. The purpose being to cause a shift in belief and/or behaviours, which in turn would lead the deviant away from potential criminal burglary acts. The community interventions were delivered through the community organization of Kambah West Neighbourhood Watch.
Interventions included:
Active Management, which consisted of participant observation and informal discussions with the various deviant communities. The aim being to develop trust associations with the groups that could guide potential offenders away from offending acts.
Sibling Influence, which consisted of identifying particular older siblings of some deviants, who then influenced their younger siblings to not commit burglary crime.
Neighbourhood Watch Newsletters, which alerted the treatment area’s residents to the methods the deviant burglars were utilizing. This included how the deviants were planning, preparing, and gathering intelligence prior to undertaking a burglary. These newsletters also identified measures that could be used by residents that could counter the planning, preparation and intelligence gathering efforts of deviants.
NHW public meetings, which explained to residents the activities and methods that deviant communities were using. Also explained were measures that could be used by residents to neutralize deviant activities.
Specialized newsletters, which alerted residents living in targeted areas that deviants were planning to conduct burglaries in their areas. These newsletters were also provided to deviant communities within those areas as a means to show them that their activities were known, and were being watched.
Results
Results were gathered from data collected from conversations with deviant burglars, their support networks, peers and siblings, and residents of the treatment area. These conversations indicated that the interventions had the intended effect. Which was to guide potential deviants along non-deviant pathways.
ACT Policing provided crime related incident data regarding the frequency and location of burglary crime within the treatment and control areas. Analysis of this data indicated that the incidence of burglary crime reduced by 42% from the pre-intervention period.
In addition, a detailed review was conducted to identify other possible reasons that could explain the reduction in the incidence of burglary. Investigations reviewed Police crime reduction operations, community developmental programs, changes to the demographics and population of the area, and the possibility of bias from the participants under observation and discussion. In all these aspects there is no plausible reason for the decrease in criminal activity.
This approach, if combined with developmental and environmental crime prevention methodologies could produce significant benefits.
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