Environmental Crime Control - Essay Example

? Environmental crime control Crime is one of the societal limitations from the ancient ages. Crime is a dynamic factor that keeps changing with changes in technology, societal setup, human knowledge and economical status. There are several ways to control or reduce the rates of crime and this include arrests followed by trials in the criminal courts then finally varied punishments depending on the nature of crime. Philosophers have come up with various environmental controls also called Crime Prevention through environmental design (CPTED). This discourse is about some of the environmental strategies initiated to control crime in the modern society. The environmental designs or controls to control crime are initiated on the norm that difficult environment is more likely to discourage various people from committing crimes. Furthermore, the designs are meant for long term controls rather than employing more security guards or personnel in certain areas (Brewer, 2001). The designs are also likely to reduce the conflict or danger between the criminals and the judicial system among other benefits. Natural surveillance is the process of using modern cameras and technology to capture major incidences in certain areas for future reference and to pose threat to the criminals. Formal surveillance is the process through which the government or relevant authority installs watching mechanisms to record any criminal or suspicious acts in the community. The process could also mean ensuring sufficient space and light so that every activity in various places can be monitored without strain (Burke, 2004). This would increase chances to noting fishy activities and taking the appropriate actions. Natural surveillance may also limit the criminals from escaping the crime scenes and this would discourage them from making any criminal attempts. This strategy could be implemented in various ways and this includes having landscape designs with well lit entries, having transparent walls in entry corridors to enhance noting anybody entering or leaving certain premise. The lighting designs should ensure good distribution of lighting devices and limit blind spots that may favor easy escape of criminals. There should be sufficient lightening in strategic areas like the ATMs, bus stations, children’s playgrounds, parking sites, recreational zones and major and minor pathways among others, and this should be placed in appropriate heights to capture everybody’s face and movements. Pedestrian tacks should be alongside the motor vehicle tracks to create more surveillance. Bright lights should be avoided in such strategic areas as it may cause blindness and favor criminal activities. It is important to consider the best light intensity in accordance to normal human sights. Curved streets have been used in major developed nations to ease viewing of majority of residential entrances and reduce traffic speeds in case a certain criminal has been spotted. Natural surveillance may also involve installing mechanical monitoring devices like closed circuit television (CCTV) and cameras to capture the major movements or images in certain strategic places. The cameras are strategically placed at the entrances to record the entry or existence of every individual in such places. Some CCTVS and cameras are connected to alarming systems and this raises awareness in instances fishy or awkward activities are suspected. CCTVs are made with high resolution to capture both close and far objects, for future analysis. Informal surveillance on the other hand involves the community taking its own initiative to protect itself from criminal acts. Neighborhood watch schemes are popular in various regions of the United States and Europe, among other places. The community members are encouraged by homeland security to remain vigilant and report any suspicious individuals in the community. This has helped reduce domestic assaults, rape, negligence and bestiality among other crimes. Controlling access points is another environmental strategy to control crime in the modern era. It begins with creating the difference between private and public spaces. The private space may include those for the VIPs and premise owners and this pose less threat. The public zone or entrance is meant for the authorized visitors or individuals and need more monitor or care, since it is associated with total strangers whose missions may be unclear. This strategy may also include erecting controlling fences or blocks with controlled entrances and exits. The premise should have a common controlled entries and exits to limit chances of trace passes among other crime related activities. Having a single common entry point is also another way of limiting crime in any premise or location. From the social or psychological perspective, criminals like being separated from the normal crowd to avoid their suspicions or even detection. They will always use different entrances and exits to avoid being detected. It is recommended that the architectural and landscape designers should include a common entrances with sufficient view to help notice any suspicious characters. The same designs could also include special diversions or directions to avoid confusions. Various criminal studies and investigations reveal that major crimes are committed in the state of human confusions. The criminals would take the advantage of such situations to exercise assassinations, robbery and kidnapping among other kinds of crimes. Human stability is vulnerable at the confusion states as the crimes usually comes a surprise. Terrorists use human confusions to control their thoughts and emotions. The landscapers should place the directing boards and arrows to direct any gathering in their appropriate destinations. Fences with short thorny layers or membranes could also be installed to limit the criminals from creating their own entrances and exits. Such fences should be designed to scare the criminals as they pose some sort of danger. Electric fences should be installed at appropriate points to scare away criminals from making illegal or unexpected entries in certain premises (British Journal of Criminology, 2004). However, it is important to indicate by providing signs to such dangerous fences to meet the legal obligations. The fences should also be installed on private property or land to avoid future legal accusations. The fences could also be surrounded by poisonous thorny plants to scare away criminals. The thorns could cause some abnormal swellings and wounds that could be used to track the criminals. However, environmental laws should be observed before such installments are implemented. The architectural designs should avoid features enabling easy access of the roofs as this could harbor the criminals without notice. Major assassinations are always conducted roof tops due to a clear view of the victim, easy escape and lack of surveillance cameras among other appliances. The front yard of the residential or commercial compound could be aligned with the picket kind of fences to control the entrance and improve the general view or surveillance of all individuals in the compound. The entrance and exit gates should always be locked and have installed bells to be used by authorized visitors to create awareness of their existence. Natural territorial reinforcement is also another environmental strategy to limit or control crimes. It involves proper description and marking of various spaces to differentiate between private and public property. The owner of a certain property usually have an advantage of winning case involving trespass or intruders, once the premise was marked as private property (Downes & Rock,2003).. The court will always confirm such markings before appropriate verdict Is made. The makings are made in such away that is visible from both sides and angles to limit the criminals or offenders from making any excuse. Marking certain territories would always distinguish the intruders and the right owners of the property, and this could enable easy identification and arrest of any suspicious character. The property ownership could be marked with pavements, fences, boards with respective signs and landscaping flowers and grass among others. Appropriate landscaping could also be employed to communicate active ownership or the existence of the property owner. Well maintained fences, grass, pavements, flower gardens and water jets would always indicate the existence of the property owner and this would scare away criminals planning to implement their ill motives in such premises. Well maintained trees are not only attractive but commute some sense of belonging or ownership of the property (Ainsworth, 2002). The majority usually opts to plant attractive trees both within the outer and inner perimeter of the residential space to indicate that the land or the homestead is inhabited by active human beings. Some people may also opt to keep noisy livestock like horses, donkeys, dogs, pigs and cows to communicate the existence of people in such residential spaces (Harower, 2004). The property owners may also restrict movements to sensitive or private zones to promote safety and security. Clear posters should be pinned in such areas, to inform visitors. However, this method is considered inappropriate by various psychologists on the basis that human beings are always tempted to meet their curiosity and access the limited zones. Seats and refreshments could be placed in safe and accessible zones in the residential and commercial spaces to limit criminals from hiding in the compound. Motion sensors could be installed in various parts of the compound to create awareness of the existence of humans in the compound. This could assist during the weird hours like nights when no stranger is expected in the compound. The sensors could be connected with alarms to alarm the security personnel in case there are unauthorized individuals in the compound. Biometric detectors could be installed at strategic entry points to limit any unauthorized individuals from accessing the premise (Feldman, 2003). The biometric system could involve fingerprint, palm or eye lenses readers or detectors. This is mainly applied in more sensitive areas like banks, top governmental institutions, diplomatic offices and accommodation rooms, gold among other mineral reserves and medical research labs and offices among other areas. The security sensors could also synchronize with the compound lightening system so that the whole compound is lit once the criminal or unauthorized individual is detected in the compound. This would enable easy tracing and even capture of such criminals. However, it is important to follow the legal procedure to bring such people to justice; otherwise the law may find the property owner guilty and not the otherwise. Maintenance is another environmental strategy to limit crime in the modern residential, commercial and learning institutions among others. It is a soft way of communicating property ownership. Researches in learning institutions indicate that students are likely to behave in well maintained areas without committing any vandalism or even looting, unlike in poorly maintained areas. Good maintenance may mean proper arrangements of property, general hygiene or cleanliness and marked territories among other strategies (Dwyer, 2002). Property owners should repair any broken windows, doors or any other kind of housing components to limit prohibited entry or access of such premises. There should be limited broken or neglected buildings, huge heaps of litter, broken street lights, huge bushes and unwanted shades to control crime in the community. Target hardening implies creating security entries in buildings among other property. This could be accomplished through deadbolt locks to inhibit criminals or intruders from accessing the property. Doors and windows should be made of good quality materials like steel, reinforced wood to limit chances of breakage or illegal entry to both public and private property. Screws could also be used to fasten the wooden components to keep off criminals or individuals with suspicious characters. Protective window films could apply in sensitive structures to improve the security. Introduction of anti-robbery screens in financial institutions like banks, micro-financial institutions would also help keep off criminals. Business premises like shops, supermarkets and petrol stations among others may stick on credit cards as the main payment and not cash to limit chances of robbery among other criminal acts (Davenport, 2005). Car owners may lock car wheels using chains in the packing lot to keep off car theft or car spare parts theft among other car related crimes. Target removal on the other hand is another environmental crime control where certain business insist on credit cards as the only pay or transaction mode. Credit cards are more secure than carrying huge amounts of cash. Criminals are likely to avoid such premises since cheque among other credit payment modes could be traced and the criminal brought to justice. Defensible spaces is a phenomenon used to describe some sort of residential ownership, in other words, the residents are made to have the feel of ownership of such residential property. Here the residents are advised to create boundaries, either real or imaginary using pathways, walls or fences among other structures to create boundaries (Young, 2007). This reduces chances of intrusion or trespass, hence improved security. Good social understanding or community unity is another environmental strategy to reduce crime. From the social and psychological perspective, human are likely to remain friendly and good to one another should they respect and understand each other. There should be no societal boundaries or differences in the society. Such differences could be based on economical status, educational background, religious status and ethnicity among others (Winders, 2001). Community policing should also be encouraged and here every society member is his brother keeper or watch dog. Criminals are usually community members who can be easily identified and brought to book, should the community remain united. Environmental crime controls have various benefits for instance they are cheaper than the actual judicial processes, they are more on prevention rather than dealing with the actual criminals, they can be initiated with all the community members irrespective of financial status or educational knowledge (Hetzel, 2008). Environmental crime controls are long span, for instance installing camera or CCTVs in strategic locations could serve for years and years. Community unity improves the general living conditions or status in the community, for instance, there are several community health care institutions in Britain that started as community security initiative (Harrower, 2001). This also promotes socialism and better understanding in the community. However, the environmental crime controls pose some limitations and these include: it encourages transfer of crime from security tight zones to other areas. It is considered more effective compared with the judicial systems. Crime displacement is a phenomenon used to describe the tendency of criminals taking advantage of poor environmental controls to harm the community. One may commit certain crime after realizing the faults in CCTV cameras, faulty doors and windows and poor natural surveillance in general. To conclude, environmental crime controls involve the application of various environmental elements to keep criminals or limit their activities in the society. These include the applications of natural, formal and informal surveillance, community or social cohesiveness, hard targeting, maintenance, territorial reinforcements and controlling access points among other strategies. The strategies have proven to be feasible in both developed and developing g regions. It comes with various advantages for instance the application of credit cards for transactions is much better than carrying huge amounts of cash and enhances conveniences (Sawyer, 2007). It also enhances community cohesiveness and this promotes understanding g and the general improvement of social implications in the community. It could also lead in the establishment of more community institutions like health care and community policing centers among others. However, it has some limitations and these include crime displacement. Crime displacement is the act of opting to commit crime in regions with ineffective environmental controls like rural or remote setups among other regions. It is also less effective compared with the applications of the judicial system to curb crime in the society. The system is more suspicious or speculating hence no one can be brought to justice through the environmental crime controls. It could be expensive for low class individuals more so the informal surveillance which may require various families to have CCTVs in their homesteads among other private property. However, despite the few limitations, environmental crime controls are considered to be effective and economically friendly. Bibliography Ainsworth, P. (2002). Psychology and crime. London: Longman. Brewer, K. (2001). Psychology and crime. London: Heinemann press. Burke, R. H. (2004). Hard cop, soft cop; dilemmas and debatesin contemporary policing. Downes, D. & Rock, P. (2003). Understanding deviance: a guide to the sociology of crime and rule breaking (4th ed.). London: Taylor. Dwyer, D. (2002). Angles on criminal psychology. New York: Nelson Thornes publishers. Feldman, P. (2003). The Psychology of crime. London: Cambridge press. Harower, J. (2004). Applying psychology to crime. New York: Hodder & Stoughton. Harrower, J. (2001). Psychology in practice-crime. New York: Hodder & Stoughton. Taylor, I. (1999). Crime in Context. Cambridge: Polity. Young, J. (2007). The Vertigo of Lte Modernity. London: Sage. British Journal of Criminology (2004). Policing communial spaces. a reconfiguration of the mass private property' hypothesis , vol.44 (4), p.562 (20). Davenport, T. (2005). The Attention Economy. USA: Harvard Business press. Hetzel, R. (2008). Monetory policies. USA: Cambridge University press. Sawyer, G. C. (2007). Business and its environment. USA: Pearson Inc. Winders, J. A. (2001). Gender, Theory and the canon. 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