Crime Displacement

One of the hallmarks of community policing efforts has been the focus of police resources on those locations most in need of policing services. The hope is that focusing on those locations most in need of police services will lead to a reduction in crime. Research has consistently shown that there are a small number of locations, often called hot spots, where crime occurs and that consume the vast majority of police services. Once these hot spots are identified, place-based interventions are used to combat the crime problem at these locations. Researchers have determined that these place-based interventions can often successfully reduce crime in these hot spots, although there is concern that crime may simply be displaced to other locations. In other words, the place-based ...