From: Environmental interventions to reduce fear of crime: systematic review of effectiveness
First author [reference(s)] | Design | Sample size (I/C) | Follow-up | Quality rating | Location | Intervention content |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Category 1. Home security improvements | ||||||
CBA(S) | 338/322 | 1 year | A | Newcastle and Gateshead, UK | Improvement of residential security on deprived housing estates | |
Brownsell [16] | CBA(S) | 24/28 | 5 years | A | UK, location NR | Telecare package in sheltered housing for older people |
Halpern [17] | UBA(S) | 55 | 3 yearsa | C | UK, location NR | Comprehensive renovation program on housing estate, with emphasis on security |
Matthews [18] | UBA(D) | 636 | 1 yeara | C | Leicester, UK | Multi-component crime reduction strategy, including residential security and social components |
Matthews [19] | UBA(D) | 907 | 1 yeara | C | Leicester, UK | Similar to Matthews [18] |
Category 2. Installation or improvement of street lighting | ||||||
Atkins [20] | CBA(S) | 248/131 | 2 months | A | Wandsworth, London, UK | Improvement of street lighting |
Bainbridge [21] | UBA(S) | 468 | 1 year | B | Birmingham, UK | Improvement of street lighting |
Barr [22] | UBA(S) | 229 | 2 months | C | Manchester, UK | Improvement of street lighting |
Burden [23] | UBA(D) | NR | NR | C | Leeds, UK | Improvement of street lighting |
Davidson [24] | UBA(S) | 251 | 6 weeks | C | Hull, UK | Improvement of street lighting |
UBA(S) | 154 | 2 months | C | Cardiff, UK | Improvement of street lighting | |
Knight [27] | UBA(S) | 125 | 3 weeks | C | St Helens, UK | Change of street lighting from yellow to white lights |
UBA(D) | 207 | 6 weeks | C | North London, UK | Improvement of street lighting | |
UBA(D) | 143 | 6 weeks | C | East London, UK | Improvement of street lighting | |
UBA(S) | 263 | 13 months | B | West London, UK | Improvement of street lighting | |
Painter [32] | CBA(S) | 431/443 | 1 year | A | Dudley, UK | Improvement of street lighting |
Painter [33] | CBA(S) | 317/88 | 11 months | A | Stoke-on-Trent, UK | Improvement of street lighting |
Painter [34] | CBA(S) | 140/167 | 1 year | A | Dudley, UK | Same intervention as Painter [32] |
Payne [35] | UBA(S) | 228 | <1 year | C | Rugby, UK | Improvement of street lighting |
Vamplew [36] | UBA(D) | 820 | <1 month | C | Middlesbrough, UK | Improvement of street lighting |
Vrij [37] | UBA(D) | 160 | 1 week | C | Enkhuizen, the Netherlands | Brighter bulbs and installation of one extra lamppost |
Category 3. Installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems | ||||||
Brown [38] | UBA(D) | 699 | 1 year | C | Birmingham, UK | Installation of 12 CCTV cameras in city centre |
Ditton [39] | CBA(D+) | 1,018 total | 15 months | C | Glasgow, UK | Installation of 32 CCTV cameras in city centre |
CBA(D−) | 4,427/2,099 | 1 year | C | Several locations, England | Installation of nine different CCTV systems, four in town/city centers, five in residential areas | |
Musheno [42] | CBA(D+) | 32/29 | 3 months | C | New York City, NY, USA | CCTV in public housing project with transmission to residents’ television sets |
Squires [43] | UBA(D) | 750 | 8 months | C | East London, UK | Installation of CCTV in town centre |
Squires [44] | UBA(D) | 243 | 1 year | C | Brighton, UK | Installation of 10 CCTV cameras in housing estate |
Category 4. Multi-component interventions for crime prevention | ||||||
CBA(S) | 920/150 | 2 yearsa | A | Chicago, IL, USA | Multi-component intervention in a housing estate (locks, security personnel, entry systems, fencing, various social components) | |
Baker [47] | CBA(D−) | 124/337 | 6 months | C | Pennsylvania, PA, USA | Multi-component intervention in a park (CCTV, fencing, lighting, locks, signage, cleaning, community policing, Neighborhood Watch) |
UBA(D) | 191 | 5 years | C | Dayton, OH, USA | Multi-component community-based program (road closures, various social components, community-oriented policing) | |
Felson [50] | UBA(D) | 3,581 | 3 years | C | New York City, NY, USA | Extensive physical redesign of bus station using CPTED principles (redesign, renovation, cleaning, lighting, information, social and policing interventions for homeless people) |
CBA(D+) | 93/798 | 3 years | C | Hartford, CT, USA | Multi-component community-based program (road closures, landscaping, community-oriented policing, resident organizations) | |
Kaplan [55] | CBA(D−) | 2,772 total | 6 months | C | Broward County, FL, USA | Extensive renovation work in schools using CPTED principles (renovation, reconstruction, fencing, alarms) |
UBA(D) | 311 | 3 yearsa | C | Portland, OR, USA | Multi-component community-based intervention with emphasis on commercial premises (security advice, lighting, traffic calming, landscaping, cleaning, bus shelters, business organization, social programs) | |
RCT | Approx. 199/199 | 3 months | B | Oakland, CA, USA | Police-led intervention with focus on reducing disorder in the physical environment by enforcing building/housing codes | |
Webb [61] | CBA(D+) | Approx. 560/560 | Unclear | C | London, UK | Multi-component crime prevention project on the London Underground (CCTV, passenger alarms, manned kiosks, mirrors, lighting, policing patrols) |
Category 5. Housing improvement and relocation | ||||||
Barnes [62] | CBA(S) | 199/85 | 6 months | C | West London, UK | Refurbishing housing association housing and relocating tenants to new, improved housing |
UBA(S) | 415 | 5 yearsa | C | Newcastle, UK | Housing renewal program (environmental improvements, refurbishment, demolition, security, road safety improvements) | |
Critchley [65] | CBA(S) | 200/207 | 1 year | A | Liverpool, UK | Housing redevelopment with main focus on energy efficiency, security improvements (entry systems, CCTV, lighting) |
Foster [66] | CBA(D−) | 820/862 | 3 yearsa | C | East London and Hull, UK | Tenant management program including environmental improvements (security, maintenance, landscaping, entry systems) |
CBA(D+) | 6,008 total | 2 yearsa | C | Glasgow, UK | Several types of regeneration and housing program, ranging from extensive rebuilding to minor renovation works | |
Nair [69] | UBA(S) | 69 | 3 months | C | Glasgow, UK | Re-lighting, landscaping, housing renovation, including security improvements |
CBA(S) | 334/389 | 2 years | A | Several locations, Scotland | Relocation of social housing tenants to new housing | |
Category 6. Area-based regeneration initiatives | ||||||
CBA(S) | 19,633/4,000 | 6 yearsa | A | Several locations, England | Broad multi-component regeneration program, New Deal for Communities | |
Rhodes [75] | UBA(S) | 3,459 | 5 yearsa | C | Several locations, England | Broad multi-component regeneration program, Single Regeneration Budget |
Category 7. Small-scale environmental improvements in public areas | ||||||
Cohen [76] | CBA(D+) | 1,535 total | 3 to 14 months | C | South California, CA, USA | Improvements to public parks |
Palmer [77] | UBA(D) | 290 | Unclear | C | Durham, UK | Bus station repainted and graffiti removed by offenders serving Community Service Orders |