RT Article
T1 An examination of the effects on crime of switching off street lighting
JF Criminology & criminal justice
VO 20
IS 3
SP 339
OP 357
A1 Davies, Matthew W.
A1 Farrington, David 1944-
A2 Farrington, David 1944-
LA English
YR 2020
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1786221187
AB Prior reviews suggest that improving street lighting leads to a decrease in offending, but little is known about the effects of switching off street lighting. The present research investigates the effects of switching off street lighting in Maldon, Essex, by comparing police-recorded crime rates before and after, in Maldon and in the adjacent area of Braintree, Essex. After street lighting was switched off, burglary and vehicle crime increased relatively in Maldon, but criminal damage did not change, and violence decreased relatively in Maldon. Since violence is a costly crime, switching off street lighting in Maldon was not followed by an increase in the costs of crime. Possible explanations of these findings are discussed, including the fact that switching off street lighting in Maldon might have deterred people from going out at night.
K1 Fear of crime
K1 Situational Crime Prevention
K1 Street lighting
K1 Violence
DO 10.1177/1748895818818861