The safety and security of citizens are paramount to governments. This leaves governments with the responsibility of finding the most appropriate way of curbing crime. I believe that crime prevention, rather than victimization prevention, is a more socially responsible approach. This belief is based on the fact that crime prevention is more inclusive and general, unlike victimization prevention which is individualistic. Victimization prevention entails an individual’s ability to undertake avoidance behavior to ensure their protection from crime and victimization (Davies, 2007). Victimization prevention focuses on making it difficult for the criminal by reducing the target’s attractiveness, while crime prevention focuses on preventing crime before it occurs.
First and foremost, crime prevention promotes and reinforces social cohesion. Crime prevention calls for the input of every stakeholder in society. Be it government, individuals, communities, non-governmental organizations, and even businesses, all these parties need to coordinate and implement effective strategies and interventions to address the short and long-term causes of crime. As mentioned above, victimization prevention is dependent on an individual. Individuals do what they believe or think will help them reduce the chances of falling victim to attackers. It can happen without the involvement of other people.
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Secondly, considering several aspects, crime prevention is easy to implement, and therefore, more practical. First, it is open to improvement in terms of effect and technique. There are many programs, policies, and comprehensive approaches to crime prevention. Second, crime prevention requires funding that is easy to acquire with many stakeholders. The implementation of victimization prevention techniques applied will depend on the financial capability of an individual. People from disadvantaged backgrounds may not have access to the most effective methods of protecting themselves. Hence, victimization prevention encourages class disparities.
Third, the concept of crime prevention is broad and covers victimization prevention too. According to the Australian Institute of Criminology (2012), it contributes to safety and significantly promotes the sustainable development of vibrant communities. Crime prevention strategies are incorporated into society in a cross-cutting manner. They are integrated into the social, educational, health, employment, justice, urban planning, housing, and economic sectors of society (Kapur, 2018).
References
Australian Institute of Criminology, & Australia. (2012). National Crime Prevention Framework.
Davies, P., Francis, P., & Greer, C. (Eds.). (2017). Victims, crime and society: An introduction . Sage.
Kapur, Radhika. (2018). Crime Prevention Strategies. Retrieved on May 20, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net
