Garner Clancey

Policing built environment crime risks: the role of police in CPTED in New South Wales, Australia*

Abstract Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is now routinely adopted in many parts of the world. The role assumed by police in CPTED practices has however received limited academic attention. Through an analysis of available documentation and interviews with local government planners from 10 Sydney councils, this article provides a (partial) understanding of the historical and contemporary roles police have played in the development and implementation of CPTED guidelines in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It is argued that the NSW Police Force was a pivotal driver of the introduction of planning guidelines to ensure crime risks are considered when new developments are being planned. However, the ongoing contribution of police appears to have waned, largely due to administrative, practical and operational realities. These findings have relevance for ongoing CPTED practice and the work of specialist policing roles more generally.

Crime prevention through environmental design in New South Wales

ABSTRACT Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) involves the manipulation of the built environment to reduce crime risks. The introduction of the Crime Prevention and the Assessment of Development Applications: Guidelines under Section 79c of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (S79c Guidelines) stimulated work in this area in New South Wales (NSW) in April 2001. While the S79c Guidelines have never been formally evaluated, a growing body of research projects have been conducted that shed some light on contemporary CPTED practice in NSW. Taken together, the findings arising from this research suggest that there has been an increased acknowledgement of CPTED in planning circles, but there have been numerous implementation challenges. The Guidelines speak little to built environment professionals and provide limited guidance to consent authorities; crime risk assessments are generally undertaken late in the development process; and operational policing issues have in some instances undermined police–council liaison. After reviewing these and other key implementation challenges, a series of recommendations are made to improve CPTED practice in NSW.

Applying machine learning to criminology: semi-parametric spatial-demographic Bayesian regression

ObjectivesThis paper describes the use of machine learning techniques to implement a Bayesian approach to modelling the dependency between offence data and environmental factors such as demographic characteristics and spatial location. The main goal of this paper is to provide a fully probabilistic approach to modelling crime which reflects all uncertainties in the prediction of offences as well as the uncertainties surrounding model parameters.MethodsThe proposed method is based on a Bayesian framework, with a Gaussian Process prior and MCMC, allowing uncertainties in prediction and inference to be quantified via the posterior distributions of interest. By using Bayesian updating, these predictions and inferences are dynamic in the sense that they change as new information becomes available.ResultsWe applied the proposed methodology to particular offence data, such as domestic violence-related assaults, burglary and motor vehicle theft, in the state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Our results demonstrate the strength of the technique by validating the factors that are associated with high and low criminal activity, including bounds on the degree of the relation.ConclusionsWe argue that this fully probabilistic approach will improve prediction, in the sense that the uncertainties are more accurately quantified, with attendant benefits to policymakers and policing organisations seeking to deploy limited criminal justice resources to prevent and control crime. While limitations and areas for potential improvement are identified, the success of the Bayesian approach, implemented using machine learning techniques, in a criminological context represents an exciting development.

The patchwork of alcohol-free zones and alcohol-prohibited areas in New South Wales (Australia)

Purpose Developing policies to curb public alcohol consumption is a priority for governments. In the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), local governments have introduced alcohol-free zones (AFZs) and alcohol-prohibited areas (APAs) to prohibit the public consumption of alcohol and reduce crime stemming from intoxication. Previous studies, however, argue that these policies are driven by stakeholder desire rather than alcohol-related crime and may result in increased criminal justice contact for vulnerable populations. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the number of AFZs and APAs in NSW and examine the extent to which these policies are connected to the frequency of alcohol-related crime. Design/methodology/approach Examining the 152 local government areas (LGAs) of NSW, the authors analysed whether the implementation of AFZs and APAs were linked to the frequency of liquor offences and assaults using group-based trajectory models. Findings The authors found that AFZs and APAs were often not advertised nor inconsistently implemented both across and within jurisdictions. Group-based trajectory models indicated that AFZs were more common in low liquor offence LGAs than high liquor offences LGAs, but were more frequently implemented in high assault LGAs compared to low assault LGAs. APAs were more common in the lowest crime LGAs compared to those LGAs that experienced higher levels of recorded crime. Originality/value These analyses demonstrate how widespread AFZs and APAs have become and provides evidence that the implementation of is only tenuously linked to the frequency of crime.

A local case study of the crime decline

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the local dimensions of the “crime decline”. Design/methodology/approach – Two focus groups and 15 semi-structured interviews with local practitioners. Findings – Some offences have fallen significantly in the case study site in the last ten to 12 years. Local practitioners tended to explain these declines with reference to local services and programmes. These declines have potentially contributed to the reduction in crime prevention infrastructure and there is concern that funding will be reduced as crime falls. Research limitations/implications – The findings have been generated from a single case study site. While aspects of the findings resonate beyond the case study area, there are some characteristics of the site that limit the application of the findings to other areas. Practical implications – The findings from this research have few practical implications. The research sought to understand dimensions of local crime and the impact on local activiti...