Examining the effect of CCTV in Public Streets: A Case Study of Two Japanese Downtown Areas

• In Event: Posters I

Abstract

While a great deal of previous research has been conducted on the effect of CCTV on crime, there are few Japanese case studies. This study examines the effect of CCTV on crime in two typical Japanese downtown areas: Nakasu and Tenjin. Changes in the geographical distribution of violent crime, purse snatching, bicycle theft and car-related crime that occurred in the road during the previous year and the year after implementing CCTV were compared with a control area. It was found that purse snatching, bicycle theft, and car-related crime in Nakasu area showed a relative reduction. Crime displacement was another finding. Due to the variation in the installation of CCTV units, there was a difference in the geographical relationship between CCTV and crime in the previous year in the Nakasu and Tenjin areas. In other words, while police set-up CCTV cameras based on crime analysis in the Nakasu area, local authorities set-up CCTV cameras without detailed crime analysis in the Tenjin area. From these results, it can be concluded that before installing CCTV cameras, it is important to conduct crime analysis to achieve the desired effect of CCTV.

Author

• Mamoru Amemiya, University of Tsukuba