Natural Surveillance
Surveillance is considered the first step in crime prevention through environmental design. Four elements are involved including access control, surveillance, activity support and territoriality. Natural surveillance is free. It involves people observing what is happening in the location. Natural surveillance may involve observing any suspicious activity in the premises and reporting to the right personnel.
Formal Surveillance
This involves the deployment of personnel to achieve elevated security in a given place. For instance, hiring security personnel to guard a building qualifies as formal surveillance. The personnel ensure that they check whoever is getting into the building and frisk them to reduce chances of an attack.
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Informal Surveillance
Informal surveillance seeks to achieve the goals of formal surveillance but there is no deployment of security personnel. Natural surveillance is used to achieve the goals of formal surveillance.
Mechanical Surveillance
Mechanical surveillance involves the employment of mechanical equipment such as mirrors and cameras. Today, there are different types of equipment that can be used to observe the activities in a given place. Some cameras can even use the internet to relay real-time information to the interested party.
Effect on Crime
Surveillance is used to deter crime. According to Piza et al. (2019), closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance is among the most common crime prevention measures across the world. Criminals have responded by formulating complex strategies to beat the surveillance systems. It is upon individuals and security agencies to respond fast and curb crime based on new tactics used by criminals. CCTV is the most common surveillance system used in the local community. With real-time CCTV cameras having the ability to send the information to users regardless of the distance, their popularity is increasing. CCTVs also come in different models allowing users to select the ones that best serve their needs.
References
Piza, E. L., Welsh, B. C., Farrington, D. P., & Thomas, A. L. (2019). CCTV surveillance for crime prevention. Criminology & Public Policy, 18 (1), 135–159. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12419
