Overview
The routine activities theory of crime was first postulated by Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson. The scholars argue that the amount and distribution of predatory crimes – crimes committed against persons and in which the criminal tries to steal a valuable object – are directly related to the relations between three variables that replicate the routine activities of the American lifestyle. These variables include the existence of appropriate targets such as buildings that contain goods that are valuable and which can easily be sold; the lack of capable guardians for instance police, owners, and neighbors; and the presence of persons who are motivated to commit a crime. The existence of these three variables increases the possibility of the occurrence of a predatory crime. Targets are highly likely to be victimized if they are not well guarded and if they are rendered to a high number of motivated offenders. The increase in the availability and value of targets also increases the rate of crime (Felson & Boba, 2006). This paper aims to apply the routine activities theory of crime to a shopping center.
The Site
The site of analysis is a shopping center by the name “The Park Plaza Shopping Center”. The shopping center has many shops selling different types of products and services, from home appliances, groceries, office appliances, and electronic goods. The shopping center also has fast-food restaurants, the most widely-known one being McDonald’s. In addition, the shopping center has a branch of the Bank of America with an ATM machine. As a result, the shopping center is always a beehive of activity and serves different cadres of clients: home-keepers shopping for their families needs, businessmen and employees earning a living from the shops, and youths in pursuit of social activities with their peers.
Assessment of the Shopping Center as a Potential Criminal Site
The Park Plaza Shopping Center is indeed prone to high rates of crime due to the interrelation of three major factors. The first factor is the availability of suitable targets. The shopping center has many shops selling different valuable goods such as home appliances and electronic gadgets including phones and home theater systems. In addition, the majority of the shoppers who visit the shopping center have cars which they leave at the shopping center’s parking lot. This parking lot is large in size and caters to the needs of the high number of people who frequent the center daily. The goods as well as the cars are valuable in that a person can easily sell them and earn handsome proceeds from the sale.
The second factor that makes the shopping center prone to crime is the lack of guardians in the area (Schmalleger, 2008). Despite the large size of the shopping center, it lacks an adequate number of security guards to govern the area. Most of the security officials work within the shops of the center but not outside. In addition, the majority of the shoppers and employees leave their cars unattended in the parking lot. The lack of guardians creates a perfect environment for potential criminals.
The last factor that makes the shopping center prone to crime is the presence of motivated offenders. The center attracts all sorts of people, from genuine shoppers and employees to idle youths. Moreover, persons from different income-earning brackets can visit the center. This, coupled with the availability of valuable goods and lack of guardianship, motivates potential offenders to engage in criminal behaviors such as theft and burglary. Potential criminals can observe the routine activities of shoppers and employees, for instance, the time the shops are opened and closed, if the area is adequately patrolled during the day and at night, as well as the behaviors of the shoppers.
Measures Taken to Reduce Criminal Behavior at the Shopping Center
The Shopping Center has undertaken several measures to enhance security in the area. Unfortunately, the measures are taken focus only on internal security but not external security. First, all the shops have employed several security personnel who guard them. The security guards are based within the shops and protect the shops from looting or theft. In the parking lot and the compound of the shopping center, there is no security personnel in sight. The second security measure that has been taken by the shopping center involves the installation of surveillance cameras within the shops. The cameras are used by owners and management of the shops to observe what is going on in the shops. This helps to minimize and solve cases of shoplifting. At the Bank of America branch, the surveillance cameras are crucial in protecting customers from muggers as they withdraw their money. Unfortunately, the surveillance cameras only protect customers and employees while inside the shopping center. Once they leave the shops, they are prone to theft and violence due to a lack of protection.
Techniques That Would Reduce Property Crime Victimization at the Shopping Center
Enhancement of security at the shopping center can be achieved by minimizing access to valuable properties and increasing guardianship around the area. These can be done through: the installation of surveillance cameras around the shopping center, converting the open-area parking lot into a basement parking lot and increasing the number of security personnel patrolling the shopping center.
Increasing the number of security personnel
The management of the Park Plaza Shopping Center should increase the number of security personnel in the area. The focus should not just be on the protection of the valuable goods and money in the shops but also on the security needs of customers. Security personnel should therefore be hired to patrol the entire compound of the shopping center. These guards should be placed strategically on every corner of the shopping center and particularly near the entrance and exit points of the shops. The guards should not only be based at their locations but they should take turns in patrolling the entire area during the day and night. The sight of the security personnel around the area would act as a determent to would-be criminals. On the other hand, people who become victims of crime within and around the shopping center can easily get assistance from the security personnel in case of any criminal attempts. The high number of guards would facilitate the apprehension of criminals and therefore it would be difficult for criminals to escape.
Installation of surveillance cameras at the shopping center
Surveillance cameras can be installed strategically both within and outside the shopping center. The cameras would provide the security personnel with extra eyes in that they would be able to see what is going around the shopping center. Through the cameras, the security personnel can see and apprehend youths committing crimes such as mugging, theft, and car-jacking. Nevertheless, for the surveillance cameras to work effectively, they need to be monitored regularly. The shopping center should therefore employ personnel whose work is to monitor the cameras and report any suspicious activities. The surveillance cameras should also be of good quality and should produce clear images of people, goods, and the cars parked outside. Clear images will make it easy for the operators, security personnel and law enforcement officials to easily identify the persons and objects involved in a crime. The proper lighting should complement the surveillance camera system both during the day and at night when there is darkness. The use of surveillance cameras and alarms will minimize the rate of crime by making it difficult for the offenders to gain access to valuable properties (Siegel, 2009).
Converting the car parking into a basement parking lot
Most of the crimes committed at the shopping center take place within the parking lot. This is because of the lack of security personnel in the area and the fact that it is easy to attack and steal valuables from people when they are just about to enter into their cars. The shopping center can eradicate the opportunities of crime in this area by converting the open-space parking lot into a basement parking lot. Security personnel should then be placed at the parking lot and monitor the activities by ensuring that only the owners of the parked cars enter the parking lot. This can be achieved through the provision of car tickets to car owners.
These three techniques used together would significantly reduce the high crime rate at the Park Plaza Shopping Center by minimizing the accessibility of suitable targets, increasing the number of guardians in the area, and changing the overall environment into one that is hostile to criminal activities (Felson & Boba, 2006).
Reference List
Felson, M., & Boba, R. (2006). Crime and everyday life (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Schmalleger, F. (2008). Criminology Today (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Siegel, L. (2009). Criminology (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.