The crime-reduction effects of open-street CCTV in South Korea

• Published in: Security journal Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 241 - 255
• Main Authors: Lim, Hyungjin, Kim, Changjoo, Eck, John E, Kim, Jeonglim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Palgrave Macmillan UK 01-04-2016; Palgrave Macmillan
• Subjects: Cameras; Closed circuit television; Crime and Society; Crime prevention; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Hypotheses; Meta-analysis; Neighborhoods; Original Article; Rape; Robbery; Social Sciences; Studies; South Korea; mixed linear model; crime; crime prevention; WDQ; open-street CCTV; repeated measures
• ISSN: 0955-1662; 1743-4645
• DOI: 10.1057/sj.2013.10

This research examines the crime prevention effects of open-street closed circuit televisions (CCTVs), installed in the city of Chuncheon, South Korea on serious crimes and disorder crimes. After controlling for the length of the month, season and temporal trend, we applied a mixed linear model for repeated measurements. We also used a Weighted Displacement Quotient (WDQ) to analyze the crime-reduction effects of each open-street CCTV location. The results of a mixed linear model showed that, on average, open-street CCTV did not show a statistically significant effect on the reduction of serious crimes or disorder crimes. However, the analysis of a WDQ showed that the crime-reduction effect of open-street CCTV location depends on the characteristics of the locations. The results also showed that the effects of a diffusion of benefits were higher in serious crimes than in disorder crimes. Results are similar to findings in European and North-American contexts.