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Causes Of Domestic Burglary

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The offence of domestic burglary is set out in Section 9 of the Theft Act 1968 which states that a person is guilty of burglary if there is proof that he/she enters any building or part of a building as a trespasser and there is the intention of stealing or inflicting GBH. When looking at crime prevention, there are two key questions to ask; where are crime prevention efforts likely to produce the most benefits and what measures are most likely to deal with the issue most effectively, efficiently and ethically? (Tilley, N. 2009) This essay will discuss what makes domestic burglary such an attractive offence and how Tilley’s four crime prevention approaches can be used in preventing such an offence and whether they are effective.

When looking at the offence of burglary and the ways in which to prevent it, it must first be understood how the victims are chosen and what the offenders look for. Many studies have been done focusing on a burglar’s assessment of the targets, in particular its accessibility, whether a house has high fences or hedges surrounding it, and occupancy, whether there is any indicator that a person is at home. This is done by relying on learned responses to visual cues, including one’s signifying wealth and security. An offender will also look at the potential rewards from burgling a house and whether there is something worth stealing that overrides the risk of getting caught. As stated by Brown and Bentley, “burglars want to know whether residents show territorial concern about their neighbourhood and are likely to defend against intruders” (Brown, p.51), meaning that if a particular area gives off the impression that it is not cared for by the community, then this will be more attractive to a burglar than an area which looks well maintained.

The criminal justice approach uses 10 mechanisms for reducing crime through programs in the courts and correction services, which operate directly, through deterrence, incapacitation and rehabilitation and also indirectly, through effects on socialisation. Crime prevention is often seen by many as “reasons why laws are enacted and criminal law enforced” (Tonry, 1995) meaning that less forbidden behaviour will take place due to these being

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