NCJ Number
181121
Editor(s)
Barry Webb
Date Published
1999
Length
59 pages
Annotation
The Domestic Burglary Task Force (DBTF) was established in July 1994 in Cambridge, England, to examine the nature of residential burglary and to design and implement initiatives to prevent it.
Abstract
The DBTF devised an overall strategy that divided the work into two stages: (1) a data gathering stage during which information about burglary in Cambridge was collected; and (2) a program implementation stage during which various projects were designed and implemented. Data showed residential burglary in Cambridge was concentrated in specific wards to the north of the city and in specific hot spots within these wards. Hot wards and hot spots were characterized by high levels of repeat victimization. There was some evidence that residential burglaries were committed by local youth who lived in the same or adjacent wards and who selected target areas because of convenience, easy access, and the perceived abundance of suitable targets. As a result of the data collection, several burglary prevention strategies were identified and implemented that were categorized as projects aimed at potential victims, projects aimed at potential capable guardians, and projects aimed at potential offenders. Although individual projects were implemented as planned, the DBTF approach as a whole did not appear to be sufficiently effective in its design to reduce burglary rates at the community level. An appendix illustrates hot spots of residential burglary in Cambridge between 1991 and 1996. 8 references, 4 tables, and 11 figures