The Crime Triangle >> SECURITY TIPS

The crime triangle offers an easy way to visualize and understand crime problems. Three things must exist in order to have a crime: The Desire, Ability, and Opportunity. Lacking any one of these, a crime will not occur.
 
 
Clearly, if we strategically eliminate one leg of the triangle, we also eliminate the crime. However, your chances of success increase if you can impact more than one leg of the triangle. (Working just on the Desire often leaves room for new offenders to replace the old ones because nothing has been done to change the Opportunity or the Ability.)

To be most effective…plan to eliminate TWO legs of the triangle.

When planning to eliminate the crime, it’s also important to consider those community members who can exercise control over a specific side of the triangle (we call them Guardians), e.g. social workers, families of victims/offenders, property owners, etc. Guardians give you options for response strategies.

For each side of the triangle, there are people codes, environmental changes, etc. that can exercise control over that side of the triangle to make it safe or more resistant to crime.