Fact Sheet
Crime Prevention
Basics
The majority of people practice basic crime prevention without giving it a
lot of thought. We lock the doors when we leave our homes or take the keys
when we park the car. Yet many of us fail to take what in many cases are
obvious crime prevention measures because we routinely underestimate
the risk of a common crime occurring.
Why does this happen?
The average person has difficulty
thinking like a criminal. As a result
they routinely fail to recognize the
crime opportunities they create when
they do such things as let their car
warm up in the driveway or leave the
screen door unlocked and the front
door open while working in their
backyards. Most opportunity crime is
easy to avoid.
Avoiding Crime
Opportunity
Before a crime can happen, three
things must be present. There must be a
victim. There must be criminal desire.
And there must be crime opportunity.
Crime opportunity is the pivotal factor
because it acts like the trigger for a
criminal event and ultimately brings
the criminal together with the victim
or their property. A simple graphic
known as the crime triangle can help
to illustrate this point.
ire
es
Op
lD
po
na
rtu
n
i
im
ity
Cr
Victim
At any given time there are potential
offenders and victims. Sometimes, the
PRP 52
Revised – July 2009
potential criminal and victim come in
contact with each other, as represented
by the point of the triangle, but a crime
does not occur. This is most often due
to lack of criminal opportunity and/
or criminal desire and motivation. An
example of this might be a car thief
taking your neighbour’s car after
walking past your house because your
car is parked out of sight and locked
in the garage.
Other times a victim may not be so
lucky because their actions provided a
criminal with the type of opportunity
they were looking for. In the case
of our car thief example, your car
may have been stolen had it been
parked in the driveway where it is
visible, vulnerable and accessible. By
anticipating the potential for crime
then taking some action to remove or
reduce the threat, you have gone a long
way to avoiding a crime.
Recognizing Crime
Opportunity
Taking precautions doesn’t necessarily
mean that you will never encounter
a criminal. Occasionally you may
observe or encounter someone in
the process of actively checking out
a crime opportunity or engaged in a
criminal act. For your protection and
the protection of others, it is vital
that you learn to recognize a criminal
encounter so that you can take some
action to remove or reduce the threat.
So many times we witness something
that we think is strange, yet take no
action because we invent or accept
some explanation no matter how
unlikely.
For instance, Police rarely receive
suspicious activity calls if a resident
answers their door only to find a
teenager they have never seen before
asking for someone who doesn’t
live there. Yet a common tactic of
residential burglars is to knock on a
door prior to breaking-in to confirm
their suspicions that no one is home.
It is also just as unlikely that Police
will receive a timely call if the criminal
activity appears so blatant that an
honest person discounts the possibility
no matter what the circumstance. For
instance, people have been known
not to call Police when they witness
an unmarked moving van being used
to clear property from a residence
where they know the neighbour is not
at home. The reason? It defies their
belief that a criminal would never be
so bold.
For more information on
this subject, please contact:
Peel Regional Police
Crime Prevention Services
7750 Hurontario Street
Brampton, Ontario
L6V 3W6
Tel. 905-453-2121 ext. 4021
Fax 905-456-6106
You may also want to examine our
Internet site at:
www.peelpolice.ca
Crime Prevention Basics
It is important to always remember that
the only way a criminal will identify
himself is through their actions. If you
see something that looks suspicious, you
should always suspect criminal activity
and never invent a legitimate reason
for it. The proper course of action is to
call Police at 905-453-3311 and report
your suspicions. Your actions may stop
a criminal, prevent a crime and make
your neighbourhood safer.
ImprovE your ability to
anticipate and recognize
crime
The average honest person is at a
natural disadvantage when anticipating
crime because they tend not to think
like a criminal, have other things on
their mind and are unaware of some
of the approaches that criminals may
use. To assist you in anticipating and
recognizing criminal opportunity
we recommend that you ask for the
following fact sheets or read them
online:
• Auto and Vehicle Theft
• Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design
• Dealing with Common
Neighbourhood Problems
• Frauds
• General Business Security
• Home Security Challenge
• Personal Safety
• Questions to ask the Sales
Person, Telemarketer or
Internet Retailer
Fact Sheet
• Repeat Burglaries
• Safety for Seniors
• Streetproofing
• Travel Safety
• Workplace Violence
You can also enroll in the Peel Regional
Police Crime Prevention Academy
which will teach you the basics that
you need to know to keep you, your
family and property safe. This fun, free
and interactive, 15 hour program is
available to residents of the Region of
Peel by contacting Crime Prevention
Services at 905-453-2121, ext. 4021
or registering on line at: www.
peelpolice.ca.
Preventing crime is up to
you
Crime prevention is the anticipation,
recognition and appraisal of a crime
risk and the initiation of some action
to remove or reduce it. By knowing
the basics of crime prevention, we
can go a long way towards preventing
crime. But no matter how good our
knowledge, maximum benefits will
only be achieved if we make crime
prevention a habit.
Ten basic tips that make
for good crime prevention
habits
Always
• close and lock the doors and
windows when no one is in the
home,
NOTES
• lock your car,
• close and lock your garage door
when you are out or it’s not in
active use,
• park your vehicle in the garage
overnight,
• make your home look lived in.
Never
• carry excess money or credit
cards,
• carry your social insurance card
on your person unless you know
you are going to need it,
• leave parcels or valuables
sitting in plain view in your
car,
• unlock your door to speak to a
stranger,
• give out your credit card number
over the phone unless you
initiated the call.
Improving your basic
crime prevention
knowledge
To improve your crime prevention
knowledge we recommend that you
ask for the following fact sheets or
read them on-line:
• Home Security
(Doors, Frames & Locks)
• Home Security
(Security Hardware)
• Home Security
(Residential Alarm Systems)
• Mark Your Property
• Residential Hi-Rise Security
• General Business Security