Citation

Welsh BC, Farrington DP. Crime Prev. Community Safety 2004; 6(2): 21-33.

Affiliation

Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Massachusetts Lowell; Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group -- Palgrave-Macmillan)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

An evidence-based approach to preventing crime calls for the use of the highest-quality available evidence on the efficacy of a crime prevention program type and the use of the most rigorous methods to analyze this evidence. This article reports on the findings of a systematic review -- incorporating meta-analytic techniques -- of the highest-quality available research evidence on the effects of CCTV on crime in public space. CCTV had a significant desirable effect on crime, with an overall reduction in crime of 21 per cent in experimental compared to comparable control areas. CCTV was most effective in reducing crime in car parks, most effective when combined with improved street lighting and targeted at vehicle crimes, and more effective in reducing crime in the UK than in North America.