NCJ Number
61661
Journal
Canadian Police Chief Volume: 68 Issue: 3 Dated: (SUMMER 1979) Pages: 25-29
Date Published
1979
Length
5 pages
Annotation
CRIME PREVENTION IN CANADA IS DISCUSSED IN THE CONTEXT OF POLICING PHILOSOPHY, SLOWED GROWTH OF FUNDING FOR POLICE WORK, AND CONTINUING GROWTH IN CRIME INCIDENCE AT A SYMPOSIUM ON PREVENTIVE POLICING.
Abstract
BECAUSE ECONOMIC REALITIES PREVENT CRIME ERADICATION FROM BEING A REALISTIC GOAL, THE POLICING SYSTEM MUST BALANCE STATE AND INDIVIDUAL WELFARE IN DETERMINING ITS LEVEL OF ACTIVITIES. PAST CANADIAN POLICING HAS BEEN REACTIONARY, LEGALISTIC, AND INCIDENT ORIENTED. IN ADDITION, ALTHOUGH INVESTIGATIVE AND ENFORCEMENT TECHNOLOGY AND TECHNIQUES HAVE GREATLY IMPROVED SINCE WORLD WAR II, BOTH CRIME AND THE RATE OF UNSOLVED URBAN CRIMES, ESPECIALLY MINOR ONES, CONTINUE TO RISE. MOREOVER, BETTER POLICE RESPONSE CAPABILITIES HAVE INCREASED PUBLIC EXPECTATIONS, THEREBY INCREASING DEMAND FOR POLICE SERVICES. YET TOO MANY POLICE RESOURCES ARE BEING USED ON UNSUCCESSFUL INVESTIGATIONS OF LOWER-LEVEL OFFENSES AND MORE EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVES ARE NOT BEING EXPLORED. POLICE HAVE OVERLOOKED PREVENTIVE ACTIVITIES WHICH WOULD AFFECT OPPORTUNITIES FOR CRIME. INITIAL CRIME PREVENTION ACTIVITIES CONSIST OF PUBLIC RELATIONS ACTIVITIES; NEXT IS WORK WITH COMMUNITIES TO REDUCE SPECIFIC CRIME TYPES. FUTURE CRIME PREVENTION ACTIVITIES SHOULD AIM TO DEVELOP COMMUNITY COMPETENCY TO REDUCE CRIME OPPORTUNITIES AND THEREFORE THE DEMAND FOR POLICE SERVICES. FOR EXAMPLE, A HIGH PROPORTION OF CREDIT CARD OFFENSES COULD BE PREVENTED IF FIRMS USING CARDS AND BUSINESSES ACCEPTING THEM WOULD ADOPT REASONABLE SAFEGUARDS. SIMILARLY, PROPER LIGHTING, FENCING, AND LANDSCAPING COULD GREATLY REDUCE CRIME OPPORTUNITES IN BUSINESSES SUCH AS FAST FOOD ENTERPRISES. POLICE AT ALL LEVELS SHOULD TAKE THE INITIATIVE TO ESTABLISH ONGOING WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE COMMUNITY. INTERNAL POLICE DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT MUST CHANGE IN ORDER TO MAKE CRIME PREVENTION AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE POLICE STRUCTURE. (CFW)