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Research Summary:
The present study assessed the comparative effectiveness of two forms of surveillance in preventing crime in public space: formal surveillance, in the form of closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance cameras, and natural surveillance, in the form of improved street lighting. Based on the highest quality available research evidence on these two measures-from systematic reviews incorporating meta-analytic techniques-it was found that they are equally effective in reducing crime. More detailed analyses showed that improved street lighting was more effective in reducing crime in city centers, that both were more effective in reducing property crimes than violent crimes, and that both measures were far more effective in reducing crime in Britain than in America.
Policy Implications:
The results of this study lend support for the continued use of CCTV and improved street lighting to reduce crime, but they suggest that they need to be targeted more narrowly on property crimes. A policy that combines the two interventions may produce a greater yield in reduced crime rates, but this may be limited to vehicle crimes in car parks. Improved street lighting is an effective form of surveillance to reduce crime in public space, and it may attract less public resistance than CCTV surveillance cameras (in America at least). Lessons from the British studies to help improve the effectiveness of the two measures in America are explored.
KEYWORDS: Crime Prevention, Surveillance, Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV), Improved Street Lighting, Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis
For many Americans, the idea of some form of surveillance technology, such as CCTV cameras, being used in public areas conjures up images of Orwell's "Big Brother" society-a society that is constantly watching (and recording) every move, every action that one takes. According to a recent report of the American Civil Liberties Union, America may be on the verge of becoming a "surveillance society" (Stanley and Steinhardt, 2003:1, emphasis in original):
The explosion of computers, cameras, sensors, wireless communication, GPS, biometrics, and other technologies in just the last 10 years is feeding a surveillance monster that is growing silently in our midst. Scarcely a month goes by in which we don't read about some new high-tech way to invade people's privacy, from face recognition to implantable microchips, data-mining, DNA chips, and even "brain wave fingerprinting." The fact...