4 minute read
EVIDENCE-BASED LP
Environmental Criminology
Loss prevention executives have a clear mission—to support their organization’s success by cost-effectively reducing crime and loss. Past columns have discussed how professionals like physicians use evidence to drive how they design and deliver preventive and therapeutic programs. Good science can focus and improve crime and loss control more precisely than benchmarking and small tests. Where does an LP manager start? What programs really work?
Place-based vs. Offender-based Action
Criminologists have long debated the best ways to reduce crime. Overwhelmingly most modern criminologists spend their time building and testing theories on reducing crime by reducing the likelihood an individual wants or needs to commit an offense. They concentrate on criminality rather than crime events. They study who is predisposed to offend and how to change their course. Criminologists’ discussions often revolve around nature versus nurture.
On the other hand, a small but growing number of criminologists are more interested in directly reducing crime events, rather than the disposition to offend. Reducing criminal propensity is valuable and laudable, but situational prevention can produce more immediate benefits…and retailers need immediate benefits. This group of scientists is dedicated to preventing crime by reducing crime opportunity. I belong to this group of “environmental criminologists.”
Environmental criminology strives to prevent crime by altering crime opportunities. Offenders may have varying backgrounds and motivations, but Texas State University’s Marcus Felson describes how crime occurs when these likely offenders come into contact with relatively vulnerable and desirable targets. Simon Fraser University’s Paul and Patricia Brantingham explain how offenders happen on or search for these desirable crime opportunities. Finally, Rutgers University’s Ronald Clarke provides insight into how offenders assess and make offending choices in specific environments.
Criminal decisions and choices are like those of most people in that they are somewhat rational. Offenders consider potential benefits of stealing, potential risk of detection and punishment, and how much effort they would need to steal something.
by Read Hayes, Ph.D., CPP
dr. hayes is director of the loss prevention research council and coordinator of the loss prevention research team at the university of florida. he can be reached at 321-303-6193 or via email at rhayes@lpresearch.org. © 2010 loss prevention research council
Situational Crime Prevention Techniques
Adapted from Cornish and Clarke (2003:90)
Increase the Effort
1. target harden 2. control access to facilities 3. Screen exits 4. Deflect offenders 5. control tools/weapons
Increase the Risks
6. extend guardianship 7. assist natural surveillance 8. reduce anonymity 9. Utilize place managers 10. Strengthen formal surveillance
Reduce the Rewards
11. conceal targets 12. remove targets 13. identify property 14. Disrupt markets 15. Deny benefits
Reduce Provocations
16. reduce frustrations and stress 17. avoid disputes 18. reduce emotional arousal 19. neutralize peer pressure 20. Discourage imitation
Remove Excuses
21. Set rules 22. post instructions 23. alert conscience 24. asist compliance 25. control drugs and alcohol
Situational Crime Prevention
Environmental criminological theory (how things really happen) and growing research evidence can definitely help
retail LP executives become even more effective. Dr. Clarke has worked hard over the years to develop, and guide and motivate others to help develop a practical crime prevention toolset (see chart opposite). The key is called situational crime prevention (SCP). This SCP matrix describes twenty-five research-backed crime prevention techniques for practitioners like LP Magazine’s readers.
SCP techniques are designed to make theft less rewarding, more difficult, and much riskier. The theory is aimed entirely at deterring offenders before and after they approach a store. SCP can guide any LP practitioner in devising, testing, and deploying their LP programs since the simple, evidence-based concepts are flexible, testable, and can be cost-effective.
Situational Crime Prevention Techniques
SCP contains many examples of existing retail LP techniques, including those that increase risks for offenders—EAS, lighting, product alarms, exception reporting, hotlines, awareness programs, customer service programs, selection-sound generating fixtures, and others. SCP examples that reduce potential rewards for offenders include benefit-denial tools like ink/dye tags, small clamps, and phone or gift cards that require post-purchase activation to use them. Finally, SCP techniques that increase theft efforts include locking fixtures, not carrying or taking products off of open sale, barriers, locks, and safes.
Bear in mind, all retail-focused SCP techniques have some supporting evidence, but most have little or poor evidence at this point. That is the industry and the Loss Prevention Research Council’s challenge—to better design and more rigorously test SCP techniques.
Focus, Focus
Another critical SCP point is pre-implementation analysis. SCP starts with the word “situational.” Crime and loss prevention efforts need to be designed or refined to address very specific problems. Rarely are two situations completely the same. Retail LP professionals need to conduct a thorough analysis of their problems. Carefully look at where the problems are clustered in place, time, and product and then select and tailor proposed solutions or treatments. Future columns will further discuss these concepts. The next step is to conduct some pilot research and development, then a larger, more rigorous field trial of the solution versus control to gain critical loss and sales data for return-on-investment projections.
My advice is to use your personal expertise and experience, but to use even more science in diagnosing, testing, and treating current and emerging problems. This method isn’t easy, but desired results and success will follow.
As always, I look forward to your insight, comments, and questions, and we’d love to someday work with you and our team. Please email me at rhayes@lpresearch.org.
If your business is about doing business with restaurant and food service risk management professionals then the NFSSC Annual Conference is a must attend event for you. No other event allows you to target with such accuracy this segment of the multibillion dollar food service industry.
