Crime prevention series

What is community-based crime prevention?

Published in:
Crime prevention for migrant communities
Kayleen M Hazlehurst
Canberra : Australian Institute of Criminology, 1990
ISBN 0 642 15514 3 ; ISSN 1031-5330
(Crime prevention series) ; pp. 1-4

The community : a force for good

There has been a growing interest in restoring community life and community vitality, particularly in built-up urban districts. The sense of 'belonging' which community life brings provides a powerful incentive for dealing with local problems. Community life has the effect of bringing a greater sense of wellbeing and security to residents.

Where a degree of community integration exists-whether it be centred on common ethnicity, a shared religious base, local school activities, or even a social club - citizens can use this as a starting point for organising crime prevention programs. A high-rise apartment, a city suburb, or a country town, can also be the focus for initial get-togethers to discuss crime prevention programs.

Where strong community identity exists along ethnic or religious lines, for instance, commitment largely depends upon decisions of the leaders to add crime prevention to their groups' agendas, and to encourage community participation in these activities.

Where communities are able to take responsibility for local problems, and to participate in programs which they feel provide solutions to those problems, an increasing sense of confidence and mutual support will replace an earlier sense of helplessness and social disorder.

Local residents provide the most important source of wisdom and understanding of local problems and needs. An examination of a community's crime prevention needs can also lead to social developments which may address the underlying causes of some of these problems.

For instance, juvenile delinquency may be seen to be related to boredom and a lack of challenge or recreational facilities for young people in the area. Many disputes and consequent hostilities between neighbours could be settled before they get out of hand through the establishment of simple dispute resolution mechanisms. The isolation and suffering of the elderly, or of single parent families, might be lessened by the activities of Neighbourhood Support Groups.

Preventative, and complementary social development programs, require a degree of community Organisation and participation. Local conditions and the fears of local residents come into play. Those who feel most vulnerable to crime and victimisation are often more likely to distrust new programs and, ironically, to undermine efforts towards crime prevention.

This is an educative process. To be most successful community members need to feel involved, and a part of these developments. An awareness of alternatives and options helps to replace fear with the knowledge that something can be done. This is the first step towards successful crime prevention.

Community care and community responsibility are the foundation stones of community-based crime prevention.

Types of preventative programs

Environmental defence

Planning for crime prevention usually entails some 'situational crime prevention'. That is, practical steps which attend to situations which invite crime, such as locking our doors and windows, securing property and cars, and providing community education in personal safety.

Crime prevention also entails examining our surroundings and taking decisions which will make them safer. Crime prevention by 'environmental design' involves the identification and improvement of dangerous features of our environment-such as dark streets, footpaths or alleys; poorly guarded entrances into buildings; or poorly designed housing which invites break and entry or personal attack.

Social defence

A third, and very important feature of crime prevention is 'social defence' planning. Communities need to examine the underlying reasons behind local crime. Solutions which foster social awareness and community responsibility in individuals, families, and neighbourhoods will have a far-reaching effect in preventing crime.

Social defence planning goes hand-in-hand with strategies for crime prevention and community wellbeing.

Community intervention approaches

Social defence occurs when a community chooses to intervene actively to prevent crime problems. These responses can take several forms.

Crisis intervention

'Crisis intervention' is an approach which may be appropriate as an immediate response to a problem. In personal or family crisis, neighbourhood conflict, or other potentially dangerous situations, specially trained community members can use their skills to intervene and divert a crisis before matters get out of hand.

Some communities set up special support-groups which are prepared to respond to the needs of juveniles, the elderly, or victims of assault and other crime.

Alternative dispute resolution or mediation

In minor crime and civil, neighbourhood or family disputes, 'mediation' or 'dispute resolution' techniques are increasingly being used in Australia.

Disputing parties are brought together in an informal setting to seek to resolve and settle their disputes in a peaceful manner with the help of a neutral mediator. A mediator is not a judge, and does not make decisions about who is right or wrong in the dispute. The parties involved are helped to discuss their problem and to come to a settlement with which they can both agree.

Primary prevention

As its name suggests, a 'primary prevention' approach tries to go to the heart, or the beginning, of the problem and to respond at this level.

For instance, having thought about the underlying causes of juvenile crime in their area, a community might decide to set up sports, recreational, social club and other 'fun' kinds of activities to help their young, and to give them a sense of purpose, pride, and commitment to the community.

Primary prevention is aimed at transforming the individual. It is designed to divert people from negative kinds of activities and to re-channel them into positive, healthy-living kinds of activities (see the video, Primary Prevention for Community Wellbeing, in Appendix V, Kits, manuals, videos and posters).