Environmental Issues

Statement of the problem
This paper examines the prevalence and patterns of auto-burglary in open parks in Washington, D.C.

Significance of the problem
Although not much scholarly attention has been focused on autoburglary in park settings, approximately 5 percent of all crimes reported in the U.S. occur in open spaces and parks. Many more crimes go unreported. There is therefore need for more studies into the relationship between auto-burglary and park or outdoor settings (Michael, Hull  Zahm, 2001 pg 368).

Literature material used
The authors rely heavily on books and journals written about crime patterns, criminal behaviour, and criminal psychology. Through this literature, the authors discuss the motivation behind crime, factors which discourage or encourage crime in an area, and the spread and depth of the crime problem in Washington.

Approaches used
Telephone interviews with park managers and law enforcement personnel from 35 cities were first conducted to identiy potential sites.

Researchers then visited the identified potential locations, settling on Washington D.C. as the best choice.
Members of a focus group selected for the study in Washington were taken through an interview conducted away from the crime sites (parks).

Some of the members of the focus group, who had extensive knowledge of the crime zone, participated in on-site interviews.

Fndings
The researchers established that the environment plays an important role in the selection of the target and the exact location where the crime is to be committed. The spot must be located where the criminals can conceal themselves as they watch their targets, strike without attracting unnecessary attention and get away without increasing their chances of being caught.

The researchers also found that the process of burglary not a haphazard one. It is an organized process which follows a sequence of acts beginning with the selection of targets through other stages to the point where the criminals get rid of items which may incriminate them.

Implications
Park services and law enforcement agencies have a good chance of significantly reducing the prevalence of auto-burglaries in the outdoor spaces. By identifying notorious spots, looking out for characters whose behaviour is in accordance with the auto-burglary script, clearing bushes, and locating parking lots on clear grounds, the criminals would stand less chances of making successful attacks.

Visitors to parks also have the duty of keeping an eye on their cars and their property.

Challenges to the validity of the findings
The validity of these findings may be discounted by the fact that auto-burglaries still happen yet the park services and the police know the exact spots where the crimes take place, who commits the crimes and where they hide before and after the crimes. One would expect that armed with all this information, they would be able to stop the crime by manipulating the sites and patrolling the areas more frequently. The fact that the informants suggest that more than a thousand incidents occur (only about 10 percent are reported) suggests that the informants do not understand either the behaviour of the burglars or the sites. Understanding these two would guide them to take steps which would reduce this prevalence.