Burglary Policy

Victimology and Victim Policies

Time Constrained Essay

Has the government been right to prioritise policies directed at helping prevent burglary?

In reflection to the essay title Maguire et al describes Ken Pease’s Crime prevention as involving ‘…the disruption of mechanisms which cause crime events.’ And ‘How to disrupt them is the central question’. (1997:963). The mechanism adopted in preventing burglary has been seen by many as a positive step, but its importance and priority within government policy has been questioned.

It is important to note that the terminology of ‘burglary prevention’ will relate closely to that of ‘burglary reduction’ as it can be argued that no one person or government can in effect completely
2 an instance of this Before 1968 I English law a crime under statute and in common law; after 1968 a statutory’ (Allen 1991:149)

Burglary ‘prevention’ is a form of the criminal justice system modernisation concept implemented by New Labour to reduce crime opportunitities. Crime prevention has been at the top of the government’s agenda for a very long time, especially as there has been a significant move towards a consumer society where pressures for material success has fuelled the demand for cheap stolen goods, ‘off the back of the lorry’ with no questions asked. Many are consuming what they can’t illegitimately afford by being an accessory or by receiving stolen goods. People are striving to treat previous luxury goods as must haves. In response to this the government has committed millions of pounds to the Crime reduction strategies in Britain. Such programmes are rightly prioritised and implemented with the intention to contribute to the reversing of the long term growth rate in crime and build on a foundation laid by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. (Crime reduction website) Amongst five other broad themes the policies presented are to cover ‘tackling crime in the community, particularly high-volume crime such as domestic burglary.’ (Home office
It is also important to note that chance of being burgled is the most feared of all crimes within the modern society. (Victim support website) The focus on regenerating neighbourhoods by the government is evidence of a positive step and the main framework of the policies implemented and should rightly be prioritised to create a safer society where people always feel safe in their homes or other dwellings, rather than feeling socially excluded from the community they live in. The impact of burglary on society, particularly the elderly is a cause for concern. As the fears of burglary plays a significant part in undermining the wellbeing of older people it is important to prioritise such policies. The Primary prevention theory is that:

‘Primary prevention reduces crime opportunities without reference to characteristics to criminal or potential criminals’. (cited in Maguire et al