Vaˆnia Ceccato * and Dietrich Oberwittler

In this paper, we test hypotheses about the spatial variation in rates of robbery in West and East European cities (Cologne, Germany and Tallinn, Estonia). This comparison represents an interesting case study because Tallinn is an example of former socialist cities which have undergone a period of profound political and socio-economic change since the country’s independence in the early 1990s (including EU membership). These changes are expected to have implications for the level and composition of offences as well as their geographies. Using cross-sectional datasets, we examine whether or not levels and patterns of robbery in Tallinn follow similar processes to the ones found in Cologne applying GIS (Geographical Information System) and spatial statistical techniques. Findings show that although levels of robberies (rates) are higher in Tallinn than in Cologne, their geography (ratios) follows the same overlapping components of social contexts, as social disorganization and, particularly, routine activities.

Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

by Gary A. Mauser

The effect of the 1977 Canadian firearm legislation on robberies involving firearms is evaluated between 1974 and 1992 using a pooled cross-section, time series model. The results show that the 1977 legislation did not reduce robbery involving firearms, nor did it have a significant effect on the total robbery or armed robbery rates. The legislation may even have acted perversely in that it may have increased robberies with firearms. In general, these results are consistent with previous published findings but contrast with unpublished governmental studies. The implication that this legislation may have acted perversely is new and requires further investigation.

Unpublished.

Toakodi Adongoi, Ifeanyichukwu Otodo and Adioni-Arogo Azibasuam

This study examined strategies adopted by relevant security agencies to curb sea robbery in Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select respondents’. A Sample of 400 was derived using Taro Yamane sample size determination technique. Questionnaires and oral interview were the methods used for data collection, while data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results revealed that the joint task force (JTF) is selective in carrying out its constitutional mandate as their presence is felt only in critical facilities, which implies that security is porous and much is needed to guarantee safety of lives and properties on Nigeria territorial waters. Consequent upon this finding, crime-mapping as indicated on GIS map of sample states is recommended.

International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 2019, 8, 75-90

Edited By Andrew von Hirsch, David Garland, and Alison Wakefield

Ethical and Social Perspectives on Situational Crime Prevention is a penetrating examination of the ethical, social, and political questions raised by contemporary crime prevention strategies. Rather than debating whether situational crime prevention is effective, this volume explores the broader consequences of preventing crime by altering environments, regulating opportunities, and managing risk. [

Edited by leading criminologists Andrew von Hirsch, David Garland, and Alison Wakefield, the book brings together influential scholars to assess the impact of surveillance, target hardening, environmental design, access control, and other preventive measures on civil liberties, public space, community life, and social justice.

The contributors examine fundamental questions about the balance between security and freedom, the role of government and private organizations in crime control, and the ethical limits of increasingly preventive approaches to social regulation. Through rigorous analysis, the essays challenge readers to consider how crime prevention policies shape not only criminal behavior but also the character of modern society.

Combining criminological insight with philosophical and sociological inquiry, this collection is an essential resource for students, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners interested in the moral foundations and societal implications of crime prevention. It remains a significant contribution to debates about governance, security, citizenship, and the responsible pursuit of safer communities.

Oxford. Hart Publishing. Series: Studies in Penal Theory and Penal Ethics. 2000. 239p.

Ronald V.Clarke

Situational Crime Prevention: Successful Case Studies is a landmark collection that demonstrates how crime can be reduced by changing environments, opportunities, and systems rather than attempting to change offenders themselves. Edited by criminologist Ronald V. Clarke, this influential second edition presents 23 real-world case studies from around the world that show how practical, evidence-based interventions have successfully prevented crimes ranging from burglary and vehicle theft to fraud, robbery, vandalism, and public disorder.

The book introduces the theory of situational crime prevention, explaining how crime opportunities arise and how they can be systematically reduced through environmental design, management practices, surveillance, access control, target hardening, and other preventive strategies. Clarke outlines sixteen opportunity-reducing techniques and illustrates them through detailed case studies involving improved street lighting, CCTV systems, steering-column locks, property marking, public transport security, retail theft prevention, fraud reduction, and community safety initiatives.

Drawing on rigorous evaluations from the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, and Canada, the volume challenges traditional assumptions about crime control, including the belief that offenders inevitably displace their activities elsewhere. Many of the featured projects demonstrate significant and measurable reductions in crime, often producing wider community benefits beyond their original targets.

Widely regarded as a foundational text in criminology, policing, security management, and crime prevention, this book remains essential reading for scholars, practitioners, law enforcement professionals, policymakers, and students interested in understanding how carefully designed environments and strategic interventions can make crime more difficult, risky, and unrewarding.

Ciminal Justice Press. 1997. 367p.

by Graeme R. Newman with the assistance of Claude.

Can you stop crime before it starts, without fully knowing what causes it? A reader's guide to the 1936 symposium that gathered twenty-four programs trying to find out.

Preventing Crime: A Symposium, edited by Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck, brought together the directors of coordinated community councils, school bureaus, police prevention units, residential homes, child guidance clinics, a parent school, and boys' clubs, and asked each the same questions: what evidence shows the need for your program, how does it work, and how do you know whether it succeeds? The editors were candid from the start. Their title, they admitted in the preface, was optimistic, and a more accurate one would have been "Promising Efforts to Prevent Delinquency and Criminality." Only time and real evaluation, they wrote, could say whether these programs actually prevented anything.

The book is a portrait of what serious people believed about crime prevention in the depths of the Depression, and a case study in the gap between good intentions and good evidence. This Reader's Guide makes it accessible without replacing it. It explains what each program did, sets out the twelve principles the Gluecks drew from the contributions, and shows exactly what counted as proof of success in 1936, and how little of it would count today.

INSIDE THIS GUIDE

• A reading plan and a chapter-by-chapter map of the original, with all twenty-five contributors

• The Gluecks' opening argument: can crime be prevented without knowing its causes?

• Twelve principles distilled from the programs, from starting early to using trained personnel

• Community councils, school programs, police prevention bureaus, residential homes, clinics, and boys' clubs, program by program

• A close look at "the audit problem": what each contributor offered as evidence, and what it actually showed

• A worked example that tests one program's before-and-after numbers against six hard questions

• What has changed since 1936, including the Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study's sobering results and decades of research on what works, what doesn't, and what's promising

• Five common misreadings, a primer of evaluation terms, a glossary, an annotated reading list, an FAQ, 26 discussion questions and classroom activities

WHO IT'S FOR: Students of criminology, social work, education, public policy and program evaluation; practitioners designing youth programs; teachers and reading groups; and general readers curious about where crime prevention came from and why proving it works is so hard.

PLEASE NOTE: This is an independent guide, not an abridgment or edition of the original symposium. It does not reproduce the original's text and is not endorsed by the editors', or contributors', heirs. It is meant to be read alongside the original, which is in the public domain in the United States.

Written by Graeme R. Newman with the assistance of Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic. The AI-generated content is disclosed in accordance with Read-Me.Org policy.

Download the original book here.

Read-Me.Org Inc. New York-Philadelphia-Australia. 2026. p.54p.

By Caitlin Bennett and Jackie Fitzgerald

AIM To compare crime and safety in New South Wales (NSW) with other Australian states and territories for violent and property crime. METHOD Crime data is considered from both police administrative systems and crime victimisation surveys. Police-recorded crime statistics for the year 2023 were obtained from the national collection collated and standardised by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Victimisation surveys gather self-reported experiences of crime from a representative sample of the population. ABS crime victimisation surveys include the Crime Victimisation Survey (2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24), the Personal Fraud Survey (2023/24), and the Personal Safety Survey (2021/22). In the case of some low prevalence offences, survey data was pooled across multiple years to improve victimisation estimates. NSW victimisation rates and recorded crime rates were compared with other states and territories, and the national average. Comparisons were produced for a range of violent and property crime offences available in the various sources. Statistical significance for the survey data was determined at the 95% confidence level. RESULTS NSW consistently records some of the lowest crime victimisation rates nationally for many violent and property offences. The specific offences for which NSW shows very low comparative crime rates are: murder, physical assault, robbery, break and enter, motor vehicle theft, malicious damage and theft from motor vehicle. Sexual assault, however, stands out as an offence of concern. NSW rates from police-recorded crime statistics and the Personal Safety Survey suggest NSW is at the higher end of the national range, though not significantly different from the national average. Rates of domestic violence and fraud in NSW appear to be comparable to the national average, with no significant differences detected. CONCLUSION Overall, the analysis demonstrates that crime rates in NSW are generally low compared to other Australian states and territories. Sexual assault rates in NSW are the main area of concern. These findings suggest that while NSW is generally safer than elsewhere in Australia, ongoing attention to sexual assault prevention and support is warranted.