Situational And Environmental Crime Prevention And Problem-Oriented Policing

Situational & Environmental Crime Prevention Situational and environmental crime prevention techniques have emerged to supplement problem-oriented policing. Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is a form of problem-oriented policing wherein “target hardening” among other approaches are used to eliminate the opportunity for crime (Welsh & Farrington, 2010, pgs. 31-32). CPTED involves “changing various aspects of the building, the site, the location, and how the place is used” (Zahm, n.d., p. 6). This process also consists of alterations to the environmental cues proximal to the location where the specified crime occurs. Moreover, situational prevention by definition involves “reducing opportunities and increasing the risk of

31-32). Very recently a suspect allegedly involved in a triad of armed robberies attempted to rob the business, but was unsuccessful partly because the business owner has responded to these incidents of armed robberies by installing “bulletproof glass” around the cash register with high value merchandize encased inside (Jasinski, 2018). Although, this may seem like an appropriate course of action, this may not be the most appropriate approach as there are remaining problems with the property that “entice” armed robberies, including “easy access,” a quick and effortless getaway, and merchandize that fall underneath the “CRAVED” categorization (Felson & Eckert, 2016, p. 38-39). In order to come up with an appropriate response to such crimes there must be a fundamental understanding of the psychology of crime, more specifically routine activities theory (Felson & Eckert, 2016, pgs.

30-31; Zahm n.d., p. 8). This issue could be easily remedied by clearing any obstructions from the windows on the front of the building where there is a sidewalk frequented by potential “stakeholders” in the community and “capable guardian(s)” in the form of pedestrians, bicyclists, etc. (Felson & Eckert, 2016, pgs. 30-31; Zahm, n.d., p. 29). Currently, this convenience store is not taking advantage of the stakeholders present in the surrounding neighborhood by obstructing sight lines into the facility, which is a mistake that could be remedied with little to no cost to the business owner. This simple remedy could prove to be successful in preventing further robberies at this particular location from happening in the near