290307 SE Preventing Crime: The Importance of "Where" and "When" (2026S)

Crime is not randomly distributed. It concentrates in specific places and times. This course examines how understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of crime can inform effective prevention strategies. Drawing on environmental criminology and crime science, students will explore key concepts such as crime patterns, hotspots, routine activities, crime generators and attractors, and near-repeat victimisation.

A central focus is the application of these insights to prevention. The course introduces frameworks including situational crime prevention, defensible space, and crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), alongside contemporary approaches to designing out crime. Students will examine how urban design, place management, and the built environment can reduce opportunities for crime and improve safety.

The course also covers analytical techniques such as hotspot mapping and basic spatiotemporal modelling, highlighting their role in supporting evidence-based interventions. Emphasis is placed on the importance of collaboration between stakeholders, including police, urban planners, local authorities, and communities, in developing sustainable prevention strategies.

Through lectures, case studies, and applied exercises, students will gain practical skills to analyse crime patterns and design place-based prevention solutions in urban contexts.