Effectiveness of Neighborhood Watch Programs in Reducing Burglary Rates in Urban Areas
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37899/mjds.v1i2.48Keywords:
Neighborhood Watch Programs, Burglary Rates, Urban Crime Prevention, Community Engagement, Quasi-Experimental DesignAbstract
The purpose of the proposed study would be to test the effectiveness of the Neighborhood Watch Programs (NWPs) to lower the rates of burglaries in the urbanized regions by filling the gaps in the current literature by utilizing quasi-experimental design and thorough statistical analysis. The data collected included police records, surveys conducted in the communities and interview procedures taken especially in areas that had and did not have NWPS. Descriptive statistics demonstrated that the rates of burglary among NWP regions (mean = 4.5) were significantly lower than the ones of the non-NWP regions (mean = 7.3) and the difference was considered to be statistically significant (t = -5.32, p < 0.001). Subsequent ANOVA, ANCOVA, and multiple regression gave further evidence that NWPs had a substantial influence on the level of burglary, regardless of the socioeconomic status and the presence of police. There was also a great negative level of association between level of community engagement and burglary rates (r = -0.67, p < 0.001) reinforcing deep roles of vigorous community engagement in the prevention of the crime. Results indicate that NWPs are extremely useful in bringing down burglary rates, and it would be of use to the policymakers and law enforcement agencies. One of the important policies of urban crime prevention might be the promotion and support of the NWPs. It is necessary to suggest in the future new research about the wider scope of NWPs on other forms of crime and which elements of a specific program can make it more effective.
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