The next important feature I will outline is science. As the name ‘crime science’ suggests, science is an essential part of this discipline. Science can help us in crime control in four main ways: can help us to understand the nature crime (e.g. social sciences), reduce crimes by preventing them from happening (e.g. engineering design), detect crime (forensic sciences), by providing scientific methods and approaches to study, for example, the role of opportunities in crime, effectiveness of prevention methods etc. (gathering data, testing hypotheses, accumulating knowledge)*. Rationality, data and logic are important in this area of study. Crime science is an evidence-based, problem-solving approach which embraces empirical research*. Alternative …show more content…
Herman Goldstein invented this policing strategy; it is focused on taking a problem-solving approach to crime control*. Essentially, POP is a scientific method that places emphasis on research and analysis. John E. Eck and William Spelman expanded POP model into SARA model for problem solving*. This model is the main POP strategy and a common approach used by the police to identify and solve repeat crime and community problems. SARA is an acronym for Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Evaluation, which are four steps of problem solving*. Scanning means identifying and describing the problem, Analysis is determining the causes, scope, and effects of the problem, Response is conducting actions to alleviate the problem, and finally Assessment means evaluating whether the response works. In case of SARA model, science is applied in practice by providing scientific methods to tackle crime; hypotheses are used in analysis and assessment. After analysing the problem (which involves gathering data from various sources), we form hypotheses suggesting an appropriate response to the problem. Then, assessment involves the testing and possible modification of hypotheses (checking if the proposed response was successfully implemented and if it had the desired effect). This way, by using SARA model, three most important parts of scientific methodology: gathering data, testing hypotheses, building up a body of knowledge, are applied in practice to reduce