Illustration: 123rf.com
In 2019, a total of 16,497 house break-ins were reported nationwide, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia. This statistic indicates the urgent need for effective crime prevention. Each figure in this statistic represents a safe haven violated, a sense of peace disrupted.
When it comes to securing our homes – our personal sanctuaries – understanding crime and how to prevent it becomes a necessity rather than an option.
Today, we explore this realm of safety through the lens of the Situational Crime Prevention (SCP) approach.
Managing your environment isn’t just about interior decoration but a strategic part of crime prevention.
Conceived by researchers in the British government in the 1970s, SCP is a theory that empowers individuals to shape their environments to deter crime. Rather than looking at why individuals commit crimes, SCP focuses on creating situations that are unfavourable for crimes to take place.
It’s all about making your home a harder target for criminals.
At the heart of SCP is the concept of increasing the effort for criminals by implementing measures that make breaking into your home a challenging feat. Whether you live in a landed property, an apartment, condominium, or a rented room, there are steps you can take to reinforce your home.
For example, a sturdy fence and secured gates for landed properties serve as the first line of defence.
Doors and windows are typical entry points for burglars, so installing quality locks adds another layer of protection.
For apartments or condos, the primary entrance is the main gateway and should be fortified with quality locks or deadbolts. Window and balcony door locks are additional barriers to entry.
Even for those renting rooms, a portable door lock or security bar can be an effective deterrent.
While we strive to make our homes burglar-proof, we should also ensure that our safety isn’t compromised.
This means keeping emergency exits accessible and equipping doors and windows with locks that can be easily opened from the inside. During an emergency like a fire, every second counts. We don’t want to be trapped inside because of our own security measures. Hence, balancing between crime prevention and safety is crucial.
Heightening the stakes for criminals aims to boost the chances of detecting crimes through increased surveillance and monitoring. This principle operates on the basis that if the perceived risk of being caught increases, then the likelihood of a crime being committed decreases.
It boils down to making your home seem like a high-risk target to potential criminals. One way to do so is to invest in visible security measures. These could include alarms and security cameras. The sight of a security camera, real or even a dummy one, can significantly deter would-be intruders.
If you live in a detached house or a villa, consider installing motion-sensor lights around the perimeter of your property. When triggered by movement, these lights flood the area with brightness, potentially surprising and deterring potential burglars. Also, the sudden illumination can give them the impression that they’re being watched.
For those residing in apartments or condominiums, alarms fitted to doors and windows can help alert you, security personnel, or your neighbours to any suspicious activities. If you’re renting a room in a shared property, a straightforward door alarm can be a practical solution. If someone attempts an unauthorised entry, the noise could draw attention from other people in the house or even neighbours.
This concept centres around the idea of making the potential rewards of a crime less accessible or attractive to potential criminals. This approach targets one of the major motivations behind most crimes – the anticipation of a payoff, a benefit, or a reward – and seeks to minimise or nullify it.
Applying this idea in the context of home security requires a certain degree of strategic thinking. Consider your home from the perspective of a would-be burglar: What can they see that might attract them? What appears to be easily accessible?
If, for example, a person was able to look through your windows and see expensive electronics, jewellery, or other high-value items, you could be inadvertently making your home a more appealing target for burglars.
Therefore, a straightforward tactic to diminish the lure is to ensure that these items aren’t easily visible from outside your home. This could be as simple as rearranging your interior setup or closing your curtains when you’re not at home.
In a similar vein, think about the signals you may be sending after making a significant purchase, like a new home appliance or high-end electronics. The boxes from these items, if left out with the rest of your garbage, could inadvertently advertise to potential thieves that there are new and valuable items inside your home. A practical way to counter this is to properly dispose of these boxes in a way that doesn’t draw attention – cut them up, turn them inside out, or take them to a recycling facility.
Another way to diminish the allure is to secure your most valuable items in a safe or secure storage solution.
Physically securing your valuables not only makes it more challenging for burglars to grab what they want, but it also lessens the anticipated “reward” they might expect to gain from targeting your home.
To further discourage potential intruders, SCP encourages the reduction of provocations. Essentially, it’s about not unintentionally inciting potential criminals with alluring targets or creating scenarios that might spark their illegal ambitions. This approach requires us to empathise with a potential criminal’s mindset, understanding what might spur them into action, and then purposefully removing or reducing these stimuli.
Think about how your home might appear to an outsider. Are you unwittingly creating an attractive target for potential burglars? For instance, expensive gadgets or pieces of art visible from windows could spark the interest of potential intruders. Therefore, it’s wise to keep such items out of plain sight from the outside. Similarly, signs of neglect or abandonment can send a message that your home is unoccupied, thus provoking potential intruders.
Additionally, consider the security of your home in your social media habits. Posting about vacations or trips when you’re not at home can be tempting for potential burglars scouting for targets.
So, be cautious about the information you share publicly. The goal is to avoid creating an environment that inadvertently encourages or tempts criminal behaviour. Instead, we want to craft a space that communicates security, occupancy, and care – all elements that can effectively deter potential intruders.
This tactic is essentially about eliminating any mental loopholes that criminals might use to justify their actions. The goal here is to undercut any rationalisation that makes criminal behaviour seem acceptable or justifiable in their minds. It’s about asserting control and making it absolutely clear that any infringement of your home’s boundaries is not only unwelcome, but also inexcusable.
Another impactful measure could be showing affiliation with a security company. Even if you don’t actually have a security system installed, simply displaying a security company’s sticker or sign near your entrances can remove any justification a potential intruder might use to convince themselves that your home is an easy target. Lighting can also play a crucial role here.
Well-lit entrances and pathways can indicate that your home is occupied and monitored. Maintaining your home’s appearance, ensuring that it does not look vacant or abandoned, can also thwart potential intruders. Otherwise, a potential burglar might conclude that the house is empty.
Regular upkeep, like maintaining the garden or repainting faded areas, sends a message that the home is well cared for and regularly attended. These preventive measures all contribute to creating an environment where criminal activity is seen for what it is – inexcusable and fraught with too many risks.
With the above measures, we can effectively transform our homes into fortresses that provide peace and safety for us and our loved ones.
We must remember that security is not about living in fear; it’s about empowering ourselves to live safely and confidently. Let’s stand against crime together, because everyone deserves to live in a safe, secure home.
Assoc Prof Dr Cheah Phaik Kin lectures in social sciences at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). She has served in the Royal Malaysia Police Volunteer Reserve since 2014.
