Stopping Crime Before it Starts

With the standards of living in the 21st century gradually rising, so is the crime rate. In the modern world today, crime has been one of the biggest problems many countries are facing. For this reason, more funds are being put aside for crime control and correctional facilities. However, there are many things you could do to prevent or at least control crime around in your neighborhood and in the neighboring communities. The following are a few ways you can achieve this.

Put up proper lighting around your neighborhood.

Improved lighting around your house and in the street has proven to reduce crime significantly. Research has shown that it is the most effective

method of crime control after police presence. There have always been requests by the public to improve or repair street lighting in their neighborhoods. The society also understands the direct relationship between crime and lighting. It shows how much people believe in crime prevention through lighting.

Proper lighting in your neighborhood deters potential criminals who capitalize on executing their plans in the cover of darkness. They fear that a person could intervene, recognize them, or dial 911. However, the effect of lighting on crime is not as simple as it may sound. There are many ways lighting impacts crime. It might push crime to the nearby neighborhoods.

While thinking of a way to prevent crime through lighting, you should also have plans for implementing the same in nearby communities. One of the ways to achieve this is by consulting the necessary authorities to come up with essential measures to widen the geographical length of safety as much as possible from your community. High probability of crime in the outskirts of your neighborhood makes you and your loved ones vulnerable.

There are many ways that proper lighting in your neighborhood prevents crime both at night and during the day.

At Night

It deters potential criminals from hanging around the neighborhood for fear of being recognized or caught.

Where police officers are visible, criminals change their minds.

Facilitates the capture of repeat offenders hence the probability of committing a crime in the neighborhood declines.

Encourages a form of informal surveillance where residents and sit on their front yards in the evening.

Encourages people to walk around their neighborhood, also increasing informal surveillance.

During the day

Proper street and yard lighting around your neighborhood shows that you are determined to prevent and control crime. Because of this, potential offenders might rule out your neighborhood as an easy pick to commit their atrocities.

Proper lighting encourages togetherness in the community building the confidence of residents in fighting crime.

Install CCTV cameras

CCTV systems don’t have a physical impact on criminals, make your possessions harder to steal, limit the accessibility of your neighborhood, or

prevent you from getting mugged. However, it is one of the most efficient crime control mechanisms in the 21st century. To back up the point above, crime prevention through video surveillance in darkness is more productive where there is proper lighting. Therefore, the installation of CCTV cameras around your neighborhood should be done simultaneously with putting up improved lighting appliances.

To maximize the advantages of video surveillance in crime control, you should focus on the following points.

First, the home security cameras must be visible to everyone. This makes potential criminals aware that they are being watched, thereby deterring them from committing a crime. In a study done in a part of Glasgow’s Business District, it concluded that only a third of the people were aware of 35 new home alarm systems. Though this may lead to the capture of criminals, it does not exercise its full potential of preventing the crime in the first place.

Secondly, the cameras should pose a considerable threat to the criminals by making them believe it presents enough risk towards their capture. Suffice to say, the public must also believe in the effectiveness of video surveillance in preventing crime. In your neighborhood, you could achieve this by putting up the cameras in strategic places to rule out any possibility of blind spots. In some countries, fake cameras have been put up where funds were minimal. Though this strategy may work, it is not as effective as installing real ones.

There are many other ways video surveillance can prevent crime.

It reduces the fear of crime in residents around your community. When people feel safer, it increases the number of people who want to live around your neighborhood. This, in turn, increases the possibility of natural surveillance.

It helps the police in their investigations. Numerous criminals have been convicted through CCTV tapes. On the other hand, it helps you identify areas in your neighborhood that are vulnerable to crime. Additionally, it may help in the identification of witnesses and victims of crime who fear coming forward.

It helps you monitor the behavior, identify and gather Intel on known offenders and petty crime criminals. E.g., People who steal packages and parcels.

Provision of assistance. Many people have been victims of crime and may have feared to come forward for one reason or another. Surveillance cameras and security monitoring assist in identifying them to ensure they get the necessary help they need.

Educate your community on ways to identify and act on potential crimes.

Studies have shown that educating children on crime and crime control from a younger age makes them responsible adults in the future. On the other hand, training the adults too will equip them with the necessary skills to make the right decisions in the event of a crime. Passing relevant information about crime to your community facilitates awareness and self-protection. Police officers use publicity as a way to pass information (e.g., Increased patrols) to victims of crime and potential offenders. This gives the victims the courage to approach police officers and subsequently decreases offenses.

Additionally, educating your community facilitates the need for organizing a neighborhood watch. Many communities work together to manage crime in their neighborhoods. The main objective of groups like this is home security surveillance, looking out for suspicious activity, and marking boundaries to indicate ownership. It is also a way for neighbors to know each other and what they own.

Inform everyone in the neighborhood on police contacts, locations, and vice versa.

The reason why I have put this point last is to make sure you have the necessary information to do your part first. Implementing effective strategies on your own before involving the police results in a better outcome in crime control. Policing has been the most effective factor in crime prevention. But to help the police in doing their work, you must also have done your part as a patriotic citizen to ease the capture and detainment of criminals where possible. Developing creative efforts to reduce social disorder and prevent crime is the main objective of police work.

The police should be familiar with everyone in your community, by name, if possible, to create an emotional connection between them. You can take the initiative in organizing community meetings at least annually to interact with your neighbors. In meetings like this, you could send invitations to the local police stations. This will make them familiar with your neighborhood. It would also give people the courage to speak with them freely and raise concerns where necessary. This way, you can strengthen the bond between neighborhood and security agencies.

It’s important for everyone to feel safe. It gives you peace of mind knowing that your loved ones and properties are safe. It is also satisfying to know the people who live around you have your back. So when it comes to protecting your home with an alarm system, call someone you can trust. Call True Protection today and sleep soundly knowing our award-winning alarm monitoring has your back.