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 Crime prevention begins at home By Gene Friedman The concepts of personal safety and security of property are frequently misunderstood. Too often people abdicate this duty solely to the police. The fundamental principle of crime prevention, however, is that it is a participatory process. Each person must be part of the solution; no one can place total responsibility for safety on the police. Think of it this way: Imagine going to the dentist once a year and telling him that you are paying him good money to take care of your teeth. Therefore, you will not brush, floss or watch your intake of sweets. You are placing total responsibility for your dental health in the hands of your dentist. Now, tell the police the same thing: You are paying a lot of money in taxes for them to safeguard you, your family and your property. Thus, you will not lock the doors of your residence or your vehicle, you will leave personal property in your yard, and you will leave wallets, cell phones, money, credit cards and other valuables in your vehicle. If anything gets stolen, it is the fault of the police. While these two scenarios are exaggerated to make a point, they are analogous. In both cases, the responsibility for protection lies solely in the hands of others. This, obviously, is not true. Each person must take all possible measures to ensure health and safety in every aspect of life. Each person also is personally responsible for building the first line of defense in this process. As anyone in the military or law enforcement will agree, every defense must consist of protection in depth. In other words, there is no one silver bullet or panacea to provide complete protection. Many protective layers must be put in place to achieve any degree of success in reducing crime. The truth is that we cannot totally eliminate crime; there is no such thing as a crime-free environment. The best that we can do is discourage all but the most determined criminal. The goal is to reduce the opportunity for a crime to occur, as this is the only variable in the crime equation that each person controls. Crimes take place when means, motive and opportunity are all present. Means (tools or weapons) and motive (criminal intent) are controlled entirely by the criminal. He alone decides to get a weapon and commit a crime. He then waits until opportunity presents itself. Criminals are like vultures; they circle around the unwary, waiting to strike. Opportunity is the only factor that a person can influence. If a person presents the opportunity to a criminal, he will take it and commit a crime. Each person must deny criminals this opportunity by learning ways to protect himself or herself, then consistently employing these strategies. Watch for more information and tips on this subject in upcoming articles of “On The Safe Side” and be sure to incorporate crime prevention practices in daily activities. Friedman is director of college security at SCAD. |
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