NCJ Number
195746
Date Published
2001
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article discusses a systematic review, using meta-analytic techniques, of crime hot spot evaluative studies, and concludes that targeted policing can prevent crime and disorder in hot spots.
Abstract
This review examines the available evaluation evidence on the effects of concentrating police enforcement efforts on crime hot spots, rather than spreading police efforts out thinly over a wide urban area. Five random experiments and four nonequivalent control group quasi-experiments were evaluated in this review to determine if concentrating police enforcement efforts in high-risk places where crime is concentrated, or hot spots policing, is effective. This study reviewed and synthesized published empirical evidence on this subject and provided a systematic assessment of the preventive value of such programs. A no-treatment control group, which experienced regular police intervention, was used to measure before and after measures as compared to crime areas smaller than a neighborhood or community or police beat receiving focused police interventions. Types of interventions measured in hot spot policing, which were measured for quality, included problem oriented policing (using traditional policing tactics), directed patrol, heightened levels of traffic enforcement, and aggressive disorder enforcement. Outcomes measured included crime incident reports, citizen emergency calls, arrest data, surveys, and social changes described in eligible studies. It was found that rather than displacing crime by driving it from hot spots to other community locations, an opposite result occurred, wherein crime control benefits spilled over into areas beyond the targeted hot spot. All published and unpublished studies, including those not written in English were considered for this study. Search strategies led to 588 distinct abstracts. Screening yielded nine evaluation studies, from five large cities in the United States and one suburb in Australia, that were included in this review. Four studies used randomized experimental designs, and four used non-equivalent control group quasi-experiment designs. It was found that focused police actions can prevent crime and disorder in crime hot spots. It was also suggested that crime dislocation did not necessarily follow from focused police action. This review recommends that additional research is needed to understand important policy-relevant issues, such as community reaction to focused police enforcement efforts. Tables, references