CCTV and crime displacement: A quasi-experimental evaluation

Abstract

The installation of CCTV cameras in the historic centre of Malaga in March 2007 was the main crime prevention initiative implemented in the city during the past few years. This was one of the first multi-camera CCTV installations on streets in Spain, which is why a proper evaluation of its effectiveness is so important for the future use of such cameras. Using a quasi-experimental design with a pre/post test, we collected data from interviews with CCTV operators, police officers and local authority officials and from surveys of pedestrians and shopkeepers. The team also examined police crime data and CCTV incident data. In this paper we will discuss the results in terms of the following three hypotheses relating to crime reduction, displacement and public security: (a) the use of cameras reduces the levels of crime, whether property crime (robberies and burglaries), crimes against people or both; (b) some of those crimes are displaced to nearby areas within or close to the city centre where there is no camera coverage but where there are similar opportunities to commit crimes; and (c) people claim to feel safer in the city centre after dark after the cameras were introduced.