Guardianship in the Brisbane Suburbs: An Exploratory Study of Crime Control by Residents in Non-Urban Contexts

• In Event: Crime and Place: Crime Controllers and Crime Prevention

Abstract

Within a routine activity theoretical framework, the Guardianship in Action (GIA) Model has been used to determine the level of active guardianship in a variety of contexts. GIA defines guardianship in terms of (1) the availability of guardians, (2) supervision by available guardians, and (3) intervention by guardians when necessary. Although the model has been used to advance our understanding of guardianship intensity and its environmental correlates in European and American urban environments (Hollis-Peel, Reynald & Welsh, 2012; Hollis-Peel & Welsh, 2012; Reynald, 2009, 2011), no known study has applied it to suburban residential areas within Australia. This paper builds on previous GIA studies by examining temporal variation in guardianship intensity within Brisbane suburbs, using observations of active guardianship on various days of the week and times of the day. Street segments from suburbs with high, average and low property crime rates were selected to explore the relationship between environmental factors, active guardianship and property crime in suburban contexts. Results contribute to our understanding of environmental factors that are predictive of property crime in Brisbane suburbs; and how, if at all, guardianship functions differently in the suburban compared to urban contexts.

Authors

• Emily Moir, Griffith University

• Anna Stewart, Griffith University

• Danielle Reynald, Griffith University

• Timothy C. Hart, Griffith University