Criminological Theories and Property Crime Prevention Strategies
Policy Evaluation and Decision Making
It is regrettable (e.g., concerning a program in a neighborhood or a law regarding gender violence) if the former is positive or, conversely, if one must reject the measure and propose alternatives to it.
5. Theories of Property Crime
Any theory of crime against property must be based on a hypothesis about the social dispersion of crime. There are two opposing versions:
The “Rotten Apples” Hypothesis
This theory suggests that a few individuals engage in antisocial behavior, robbing others (for example, to fund drug habits). In this view, the spectacular growth of theft during the 1980s was due to the introduction of hard drugs in Spain and the consequent increase in the group of regular heroin users. That is, there was an increase in the number of antisocial individuals.
The Opportunity Hypothesis
The alternative hypothesis is based on the opportunity created for the thief. Modern society offers many temptations, making it relatively easy to steal with little risk of identification.
This was demonstrated by Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian mathematician, in the eighteenth century. His pioneering analysis of official statistics noted that offenses were not equally distributed throughout a country’s geography but were concentrated in large cities. The explanation he proposed is known as relative deprivation, which, translated into today’s language, aligns with the theory of opportunity.
Many existing criminological studies view theft as a multidimensional phenomenon. There is no simple explanation or a single cause. Some causes relate to the author’s personality, others to the country’s economic structure, and still others to deficiencies in property monitoring.
Several monitoring studies indicate that 5% of all men are responsible for half of all thefts. The other half of the robberies is scattered among the larger population that commits crimes very occasionally, when an opportunity arises.
Factors Contributing to Increased Theft
An increase in the number of thefts can result from two types of factors:
Increased Opportunity for Youth: This occurs when society becomes more permissive, offering more accessible goods, less supervision, and lower risk. In summary: increasing the opportunity to steal.
Occasional Offenders Become Habitual: This happens during periods of high unemployment, increased drug use, and fewer professional opportunities. In summary: increased motivation to steal.
6. Measures to Prevent Theft
A. Magnetic Tags (Sheets Magnetized)
In one of the experimental outlets, magnetic tiles were placed on all items. This small token or magnetized tape had to be deactivated at the checkout. A detection device would sound the alarm if active tags passed through.
This measure is suitable for shops with fewer high-value items (e.g., boutiques), but it is more laborious to place and disable the tags in stores with many small objects. Furthermore, there are known tricks to disable the tags (e.g., covering the product with aluminum foil, or raising the item above the detector, which usually does not exceed five feet tall), meaning this method primarily deters the amateur thief.
B. Security Guards (Rangers)
Another anti-theft method evaluated in this experiment was the hiring of a security company, which posted a uniformed guard at the store’s entrance.
C. Store Redesign and Reorganization
The third method investigated was the reorganization of the store layout to make theft more difficult. Reforms included the following:
- The placement of more attractive objects in highly visible sites.
- A basket of videotapes, which had previously offered a special attraction for the amateur thief, was removed. Items were then packed in packages of 5…