U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

www.cops.usdoj.gov

Burglary of

Retail

Establishments

by

Ronald V. Clarke

Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Series

No. 15

Burglary of Retail

Establishments

Ronald V. Clarke

This project was supported by cooperative agreement #99-CK-WXK004 by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S.

Department of Justice. The opinions contained herein are those of the

author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of the

U.S. Department of Justice.

www.cops.usdoj.gov

Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Series

Guide No. 15

About the Guide Series i

About the Guide Series

The Problem-Oriented Guides for Police summarize knowledge

about how police can reduce the harm caused by specific

crime and disorder problems. They are guides to

prevention and to improving the overall response to

incidents, not to investigating offenses or handling specific

incidents. The guides are written for police–of whatever

rank or assignment–who must address the specific

problem the guides cover. The guides will be most useful

to officers who

• Understand basic problem-oriented policing principles

and methods. The guides are not primers in problemoriented policing. They deal only briefly with the initial

decision to focus on a particular problem, methods to

analyze the problem, and means to assess the results of

a problem-oriented policing project. They are designed

to help police decide how best to analyze and address a

problem they have already identified. (An assessment

guide has been produced as a companion to this series

and the COPS Office has also published an introductory

guide to problem analysis. For those who want to learn

more about the principles and methods of problemoriented policing, the assessment and analysis guides,

along with other recommended readings, are listed at the

back of this guide.)

• Can look at a problem in depth. Depending on the

complexity of the problem, you should be prepared to

spend perhaps weeks, or even months, analyzing and

responding to it. Carefully studying a problem before

responding helps you design the right strategy, one that

is most likely to work in your community. You should

not blindly adopt the responses others have used; you

must decide whether they are appropriate to your local
ii Burglary of Retail Establishments

situation. What is true in one place may not be true

elsewhere; what works in one place may not work

everywhere.

• Are willing to consider new ways of doing police

business. The guides describe responses that other police

departments have used or that researchers have tested.

While not all of these responses will be appropriate to

your particular problem, they should help give a broader

view of the kinds of things you could do. You may

think you cannot implement some of these responses in

your jurisdiction, but perhaps you can. In many places,

when police have discovered a more effective response,

they have succeeded in having laws and policies changed,

improving the response to the problem.

• Understand the value and the limits of research knowledge.

For some types of problems, a lot of useful research is

available to the police; for other problems, little is available.

Accordingly, some guides in this series summarize existing

research whereas other guides illustrate the need for more

research on that particular problem. Regardless, research

has not provided definitive answers to all the questions you

might have about the problem. The research may help get

you started in designing your own responses, but it cannot

tell you exactly what to do. This will depend greatly on the

particular nature of your local problem. In the interest of

keeping the guides readable, not every piece of relevant

research has been cited, nor has every point been attributed

to its sources. To have done so would have overwhelmed

and distracted the reader. The references listed at the end of

each guide are those drawn on most heavily; they are not a

complete bibliography of research on the subject.
About the Guide Series iii

• Are willing to work with other community agencies to

find effective solutions to the problem. The police alone

cannot implement many of the responses discussed in

the guides. They must frequently implement them in

partnership with other responsible private and public

entities. An effective problem-solver must know how to

forge genuine partnerships with others and be prepared

to invest considerable effort in making these

partnerships work.

These guides have drawn on research findings and police

practices in the United States, the United Kingdom,

Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and

Scandinavia. Even though laws, customs and police

practices vary from country to country, it is apparent that

the police everywhere experience common problems. In a

world that is becoming increasingly interconnected, it is

important that police be aware of research and successful

practices beyond the borders of their own countries.

The COPS Office and the authors encourage you to

provide feedback on this guide and to report on your own

agency's experiences dealing with a similar problem. Your

agency may have effectively addressed a problem using

responses not considered in these guides and your

experiences and knowledge could benefit others. This

information will be used to update the guides. If you wish

to provide feedback and share your experiences it should

be sent via e-mail to cops_pubs@usdoj.gov.

Acknowledgments v

Acknowledgments

The Problem-Oriented Guides for Police series is very much a

collaborative effort. While each guide has a primary

author, other project team members, COPS Office staff

and anonymous peer reviewers contributed to each guide

by proposing text, recommending research and offering

suggestions on matters of format and style.

The principal project team developing the guide series

comprised Herman Goldstein, professor emeritus,

University of Wisconsin Law School; Ronald V. Clarke,

professor of criminal justice, Rutgers University; John E.

Eck, associate professor of criminal justice, University of

Cincinnati; Michael S. Scott, police consultant, Savannah,

Ga.; Rana Sampson, police consultant, San Diego; and

Deborah Lamm Weisel, director of police research, North

Carolina State University.

Karin Schmerler, Rita Varano and Nancy Leach oversaw

the project for the COPS Office. Megan Tate Murphy

coordinated the peer reviews for the COPS Office.

Suzanne Fregly edited the guides. Research for the guides

was conducted at the Criminal Justice Library at Rutgers

University under the direction of Phyllis Schultze by

Gisela Bichler-Robertson, Rob Guerette and Laura

Wyckoff.

The project team also wishes to acknowledge the members

of the San Diego, National City and Savannah police

departments who provided feedback on the guides' format

and style in the early stages of the project, as well as the

line police officers, police executives and researchers who

peer reviewed each guide.

Contents

About the Guide Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

The Problem of Burglary of Retail Establishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Related Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Factors Contributing to Burglary of Retail Establishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Premises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Goods Sold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Length of Time in Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Security Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Understanding Your Local Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Asking the Right Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Offenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Offenders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Locations/Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Measuring Your Effectiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Responses to the Problem of Burglary of Retail Establishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Police Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Retailer Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

City Planning Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Appendix: Summary of Responses to Burglary of Retail Establishments . . . . . . . . . 29

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Contents vii
viii Burglary of Retail Establishments

References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Recommended Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Other Guides in This Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
The Problem of Burglary of Retail Establishments 1

The Problem of Burglary of Retail

Establishments

Retail burglaries are a problem for many communities. A

British survey found that stores lose as much to burglars

as they do to shoplifters. These losses impact the viability

of businesses and, consequently, of the communities

around them. Although much research has been conducted

on burglary in general, little of it has specifically focused

on retail burglaries–break-ins at stores to steal cash or

goods.† However, the research that has been done points

to a number of effective responses to the problem. This

guide reviews what is known about retail burglaries,

suggests ways to analyze them in your jurisdiction, and

provides guidance as to appropriate responses.

The businesses covered in the guide include shops in

downtown areas, in strip malls, in covered malls (or

“shopping precincts,” as they are known in the United

Kingdom), and in retail parks. They also include standalone superstores, neighborhood stores and rural stores, as

well as restaurants, beauty parlors and off-track betting

establishments. Not covered are wholesale warehouses or

retail outlets in industrial parks.

Related Problems

The problem of retail burglaries needs to be distinguished

from those of (1) other retail thefts and (2) other

commercial burglaries. These problems, which should be

addressed separately, include:

• robberies of retail establishments;

• shoplifting;

† This guide also covers smash-andgrabs and so-called "ram raids."

Smash-and-grabbers rely on the

element of surprise to break display

windows or showcases and escape

before the alarm sounds. Ram

raiders use stolen vehicles to smash

their way into buildings, usually after

hours. They grab what they want

and make a quick escape, often in

another vehicle.
2 Burglary of Retail Establishments

• stockroom thefts by employees;

• thefts by delivery personnel;

• insurance frauds involving false burglary reports made by

store owners;

• burglaries of banks (considered a separate problem due to

banks' much greater security);

• burglaries of other commercial spaces such as offices,

manufacturing premises, transport facilities, construction

sites, and cargo-handling facilities; and

• false burglar alarms.

Compared with residential burglaries, commercial

burglaries–especially retail burglaries–have been the

subject of few studies. In part, this is due to the much

larger number of residential burglaries, but it is also

generally believed that commercial burglaries have less

serious consequences for victims and for the community

at large. However, growing recognition of the important

part small businesses play in urban regeneration has

heightened concern about crimes that might reduce their

viability.1 In turn, this has led to more research on crimes

against businesses (including retailers), particularly in the

United Kingdom, Holland and Australia. As a result, we

now know more about retail burglaries, though our

knowledge is still patchy. The following are the bestestablished facts:

• Even though there are considerably fewer retail burglaries

than residential burglaries, the risk of retail burglary per

number of premises is very high. For example, a national

survey in Britain found that, in 1993, 24 percent of retail

establishments were burgled, compared with just 4 percent

of residences.2,† This is because stores tend to be empty at

night; may, if big, offer many entry points to burglars; and

may contain a lot of goods (and, sometimes, cash).

† There seem to be no comparable

data for the United States, though

the commercial burglary rate

(calculated for the number of

premises at risk) in one large

northeastern city in 1968-69 was

found to be nearly 10 times higher

than the residential burglary rate

(Conklin and Bittner 1973).
The Problem of Burglary of Retail Establishments 3

• Most retail and residential burglars are young men who

commit a variety of predatory crimes. Interviews reveal

that their main motivation is economic, though some

burglars also claim to enjoy the excitement. They do not

do much planning, but show some care in selecting “safer”

targets. They claim to be little deterred by physical security,

but try to avoid being seen. Many have drug or alcohol

habits.3

• A small number of retail burglars are highly prolific,

accounting for many burglaries. Some retail burglars are

also more sophisticated in their planning and methods.

They work in small gangs and generally rely on disabling

the alarm, which allows them more undisturbed time on

the premises. They target high-value goods and the safe,

which they may remove entirely.

• Most retail burglaries occur at night or on weekends, when

stores are closed (while most residential burglaries occur

on weekday afternoons, when residents are not likely to be

home).4

• Retail burglars generally enter the premises through doors

or windows. They force door locks, break through doors

or side panels, or force/break windows. The use of

vehicles to break through doors or windows (ram raiding)

is much less common.†

• Substantial variations in burglary risks exist among stores,

depending on the location, premises, goods sold, and

security.

• As with some residences, some stores suffer substantial

repeat victimization.5 This is due to their location or

security, the attractiveness of their goods, and the fact that,

once successful, burglars may strike the same premises

again. National data for Britain show that 2 percent of

retail premises experienced a quarter of the retail

burglaries in 1993.6 A repeat burglary can occur soon after

the initial one–usually within a month.7

† For example, the commercial

victimization survey conducted by

the British government in 1995

found that only 2 percent of breakins were ram raids (Mirlees-Black

and Ross 1995).
4 Burglary of Retail Establishments

• The average financial loss due to burglary is about 20

percent greater for stores than for residences. Perhaps for

this reason, a larger proportion of retail burglaries (about

95 percent) are reported to the police than domestic

burglaries (80 to 85 percent).8 According to a national

British survey of retailers, stores lose as much to burglary

as to shoplifting, and only very rarely recover stolen

goods.9

• Burglary, especially repeat burglary, can have serious

consequences for stores. They can become insolvent, and

owners are sometimes forced to lay off staff, increase

prices or close the stores. Staff can suffer psychological

effects similar to those suffered by people whose homes

have been burgled.10 They report feeling that their personal

space has been invaded, and they worry that the offenders

might return when they are on the premises.

• Unless burglars are caught in the act, they are very difficult

to detect. The clearance rate for burglaries as a whole

(figures for retail burglaries are not available) is the lowest

for the eight UCR index crimes.

Factors Contributing to Burglary of Retail

Establishments 

Understanding the factors that contribute to your problem

will help you frame your own local analysis questions,

determine good measures of effectiveness, recognize key

intervention points, and select appropriate responses.

Not all stores face the same burglary risks. Some are in

areas with low crime rates, and some are not. Some are

open for longer hours, perhaps around the clock. Some

sell goods that are less attractive to thieves due to their

low value or bulk. Some are located where they receive

constant surveillance from passing traffic or pedestrians.
The Problem of Burglary of Retail Establishments 5

Research tends to confirm these factors' effects on

burglary risks, though there are several reasons why we can

draw few definitive conclusions:

• As mentioned, researchers have only recently begun to

focus on retail burglaries, and we still lack large studies

(particularly in the United States) that have adequately

measured important risk factors.

• Many of the risk factors overlap. For example, liquor

stores in deprived areas might be at greater risk because of

their location and the goods they sell. However, owners

are aware of the risk, and they might have more security in

place than owners of other neighborhood stores or of

liquor stores in safer areas. To sort out these relationships

would require a very large and complex study.

• Many risk factors, such as the strength of window bars or

the ease of driving vehicles to the back of a store, are

quite subtle and difficult to measure in large surveys.

• Despite the predictable role of certain risk factors, there is

still a considerable element of chance and opportunity in

burglary, which is impossible to detect in research. For

instance, a particular store might be burgled because a

thief happened to overhear an employee talking about a

temporary breakdown in store security.

For all these reasons, we cannot yet make firm statements

about all the risk factors in retail burglaries. However, by

piecing together research findings in the United States and

abroad, we can be fairly sure that the risks vary with the

following store factors: location, premises, size, goods

sold, length of time in business, and security precautions.
6 Burglary of Retail Establishments

Location

Studies of crimes against small U.S. businesses have found

that retail burglary rates are highest in deprived inner-city

neighborhoods, and lowest in small towns and rural

locations. This probably reflects variations in the number

of offenders living close to the stores.11

Premises 

People's presence in and near stores protects them from

burglary, and this factor varies with the nature of the

premises. For example, several studies have suggested that

stand-alone superstores located away from the downtown

area are particularly at risk, because the sites are deserted

at night. Supermarkets open around the clock are

protected from burglary by the staff's constant presence,

and mall stores seem to be at reduced risk because they

tend to be protected by security guards after hours.† Shops

in busy downtown areas also appear to have lower

burglary risks, again due to the constant surveillance

passersby provide.12

† Stores with attractive goods can

have higher burglary rates even if

they close late (Mirlees-Black and

Ross 1995).

Stores that are open around the clock are protected from burglary

by the constant presence of staff.

Kip Kellogg
The Problem of Burglary of Retail Establishments 7

Size

National victimization surveys conducted in Australia and

the United Kingdom have found that smaller shops have

lower burglary rates than larger ones.13 This may be due

partly to location (downtown shops tend to be smaller than

those in retail parks or malls), and partly to the smaller

number of goods to steal.

Goods Sold

Research has clearly established that shoplifters exhibit

strong preferences in the goods they steal, and that stores

carrying these goods are particularly at risk (see the

Shoplifting guide in this series). In the United States,

shoplifters favor tobacco products (particularly cigarettes),

health and beauty products, recorded music and videos, and

clothing (designer, in particular). The more-limited research

on retail burglaries shows similar preferences,14 with some

predictable variations resulting from differences in

shoplifting and burglary methods. For example, burglars are

more likely to target electronic goods, such as videocassette

recorders and televisions, than are shoplifters, who would

have difficulty taking such goods out of a store without

being seen. A comparison of supermarket goods stolen by

shoplifters and burglars found that both groups targeted

cigarettes, liquor, and health and beauty aids, but as would

be expected, the burglars stole these in much larger

quantities than did the shoplifters. The burglars also robbed

store ATM machines.15
8 Burglary of Retail Establishments

Length of Time in Business

Newer businesses have higher victimization rates than

older businesses.16 This might indicate that stores become

more experienced in preventing crime the longer they are

in business–or that store survival depends on resisting

crime.

Security Precautions

Stores at greatest risk of burglary tend to take the most

precautions, and while these precautions may reduce the

risk of burglary, they do not entirely eliminate it. It is also

the case that stores often increase their security after being

burgled. These facts could help explain why some studies

have found little statistical relationship between stores'

level of security precautions and their rate of burglary.17

However, evaluations of recent crime prevention projects

in Britain (the Safer Cities project and the Small Business

and Crime Initiative) have concluded that improved

security at recently burgled stores can reduce repeat

burglaries and, as a result, overall burglary rates in targeted

areas.18 In addition, some studies have produced evidence

of the effectiveness of specific measures, such as installing

burglar alarms and hiring security guards. While often

falling short of proof, this evidence is reviewed below in

the "Responses to the Problem of Retail Burglary"

section.
Understanding Your Local Problem 9

Understanding Your Local Problem

The information provided above is only a generalized

description of retail burglaries. You must combine the

basic facts with a more specific understanding of your

local problem if you are to develop an effective response.

In most cases, your burglary problem is likely to involve a

group of stores, such as those in a downtown area or in a

particular mall. In other cases, your problem might be

related to stores of the same general type (say, pharmacies

or building supply stores).† If the problem involves a

single store (unless it is a very large store), you might more

appropriately deal with it by offering routine crime

prevention advice rather than undertaking a full-scale

problem-oriented policing project. Your analysis is likely to

focus on differential burglary risks among the stores in

your group, and the reasons for those differences. Your

analysis should address the risks of repeat victimization, as

some particularly effective responses are focused on repeat

victims. Bear in mind that registers of businesses may use

corporate names, which may be different from "doing

business as" names. The registers are also frequently outof-date, and you might need to make your own list.

In general, you should seek to establish what kinds of

offenders are involved, what kinds of stores they target,

how they gain access to the stores, how they deal with

security measures, and, finally, how they dispose of stolen

goods. Knowledge of these factors will help you design an

effective response to the problem.

Police crime reports or calls-for-service data do not

generally distinguish the different kinds of nonresidential

burglaries. Retail burglaries are lumped together with

burglaries of educational institutions, medical centers,

† Each of these variations in retail

burglaries deserves its own guide,

but the information provided here

should be sufficiently broad to

provide assistance in all cases.
10 Burglary of Retail Establishments

offices, and construction sites. Consequently, gathering

information about your local problem can be laborintensive. It requires a careful review of police records and

the identification of retail burglary incidents. Fortunately,

the large majority of retail burglaries are reported to

police, but it can still be difficult to identify repeat

burglaries because locations may not be systematically

recorded. For example, the store name might be included

in some crime reports, and only the street address in

others.

In addition, many important details about the type of

business, points of entry and nature of losses may not be

included. Thus, you should try to gather systematic

information about these details using other data sources.

Because gathering and analyzing data can be timeconsuming and involve technical problems, you should

seek help from your local university, especially one with a

criminal justice department. Data collection methods that

can provide useful information include the following:

• Interviewing store owners or managers. You can

obtain much valuable information by interviewing store

owners or managers, using a standard set of questions.

You should ask about burglary incidents, burglary

consequences, security measures in place at the time of

burglary, and measures subsequently introduced. Unless

you are dealing with a very large number of stores, you

should try to conduct face-to-face interviews, since these

will generally yield valuable information not directly

covered in the questions. Mail or self-completion surveys

suffer from low response rates and missing information.

• Reviewing store records. Some stores, particularly very

large or chain stores, keep records of burglaries.
Understanding Your Local Problem 11

• Reviewing security company records. Large security

companies generally maintain records of burglaries on

client premises. Apart from asking to review these records,

you might interview security personnel familiar with the

stores in your group, since they often know whether or not

a store is serious about security.

• Conducting site surveys. You should conduct site

surveys of stores that have been burgled. These should

cover the store's location on the block, the rear entrance(s)

of the store, the businesses near the store, the amount of

natural surveillance and street lighting the store has, the

store's distance from main roads, and other site variables

related to burglary risks (see "Targets" under "Asking the

Right Questions" below).

• Using computer mapping of incidents. Computer

mapping of retail burglaries can reveal risk patterns and

suggest possible reasons for those patterns. For example,

burglaries may be clustered near a bar area, a drug market

or a public transport hub. Or heavy clusters of repeat

burglaries may indicate that a prolific burglar lives nearby.

Mapping prolific offenders' addresses in relation to

incident clusters may also be helpful.

Kip Kellogg

Site surveys of stores should include an assessment of the natural

surveillance, lighting and security of the stores' rear entrances.
12 Burglary of Retail Establishments

• Interviewing burglary investigators. If burglary

investigators are not part of your project team, be sure to

interview them. They may have considerable knowledge

gained through dealing daily with retail burglary cases.

• Interviewing burglars. Systematic interviews with

arrested burglars can provide useful information about

methods of burglary and disposal of goods.19 Here,

assistance from your local university could be particularly

important, because offenders generally talk more openly to

researchers.

Asking the Right Questions

The following are some critical questions you should try to

answer in analyzing your particular retail burglary problem.

Your answers to these and other questions will help you

choose the most appropriate set of responses later on.

Offenses

• What is the clearance rate for retail burglaries?

• How often is property recovered?

• What is the ratio of attempted burglaries to completed

burglaries?

• What are the usual entry points or methods?

• What proportion of burglaries have been repeat burglaries

within the past year? 

• What is the typical length of time between repeats? 

• How long do burglaries take? How long are burglars in the

building/on the property?

• How much is typically lost (dollar value of materials, repair

costs, lost business, insurance premium increases)?

• What proportion of burglaries (and attempts) are reported

to police?
Understanding Your Local Problem 13

Offenders

• Are there many different offenders involved, or is a small

group of prolific offenders responsible?

• How many of the prolific offenders have records for

committing retail burglaries? How many have recently

been released from prison? 

• How much planning do offenders do? 

• Do they work in gangs? How many offenders are in the

gangs? 

• Do they belong to any particular ethnic, occupational or

other group?

• What proportion commit burglaries primarily to support a

drug or alcohol habit? 

• What proportion are juveniles?

• Do they appear to know the premises burgled? If so, how

do they get the information?

• Where are they coming from, and how do they get to the

burglary locations? On foot? In vehicles?

• Are they drawn to the area by burglary opportunities, or

for some other reason? 

• Do they specialize in commercial establishments, or more

precisely, retail establishments?

• How do they dispose of stolen goods (exchange them for

drugs, sell them at pawnshops or flea markets, sell them to

professional fences, etc.)? 

Targets

• Which kinds of stores are most at risk of burglary? Which

stores are not burgled?

• Which goods are burglars stealing? Are they targeting

cash?

• Which stores are being burgled repeatedly? What do they

have in common?

• How long have the stores been in business?

• How big are the stores? Are they part of a larger chain? If

so, how does the burglary experience vary among stores in

the chain? How does it compare with that of similar stores

in other chains?
14 Burglary of Retail Establishments

• What time do the stores close? Are there businesses

nearby that are open at night and on weekends? 

• Is the property isolated? Is lack of natural surveillance a

contributory factor?

• What site features facilitate burglary? Corner location?

Rear access? 

• Is victim carelessness a contributory factor?

• Which structures on the property are most at risk?

• How do burglars typically gain entry?

• How often do they disable alarm systems?

• What security measures have the stores taken to prevent

burglary? What special measures have they taken to protect

the most valuable merchandise/equipment?

• Do store employees follow correct cash-handling

procedures?

• Is there evidence of collusion between staff and burglars?

• Do security guards patrol/check stores after hours? Are

they carefully checking the stores' vulnerable areas?

Locations/Times

• When do burglaries usually occur (time of day, day of

week, month, season)?

• What is the nature of the surrounding neighborhood?

• Is the problem part of a wider problem of commercial

burglary affecting the whole area or jurisdiction?

• Where do events concentrate? Are they clustered near

major roads?
Understanding Your Local Problem 15

Measuring Your Effectiveness

Measurement allows you to determine to what degree your

efforts have succeeded, and suggests how you might

modify your responses if they are not producing the

intended results. You should take measures of your

problem before you implement responses, to determine how

serious the problem is, and after you implement them, to

determine whether they have been effective. All measures

should be taken in both the target area and the

surrounding area. (For more detailed guidance on

measuring effectiveness, see the companion guide to this

series, Assessing Responses to Problems: An Introductory Guide

for Police Problem-Solvers.) 

The following "outcome" measures can be useful in

assessing whether your responses have impacted the retail

burglary problem:

• reductions in reported retail burglaries and related calls for

service;

• fewer repeat victims and offenders;

• reductions in burglary-related financial losses and insurance

claims;

• reductions in business closures resulting from burglary; and

• greater perception of safety among store owners and

managers, among staff of other businesses and among

residents (if it is a mixed-use area).

In addition, the following "process" measures might

provide some indication of the degree to which selected

responses are being properly implemented:

• increased arrests, prosecutions and convictions of retail

burglars; and

• higher proportion of stores following standard security

practices, installing security devices and/or using guard

services.

Responses to the Problem of Burglary of Retail Establishments 17

Responses to the Problem of Burglary of

Retail Establishments

Your analysis of your local problem should give you a

better understanding of the factors contributing to it.

Once you have analyzed your local problem and

established a baseline for measuring effectiveness, you

should consider possible responses to address the

problem.

The responses discussed below provide a foundation of

ideas for addressing your problem. These responses are

drawn from a variety of research studies and police

reports. Several of them may apply to your particular

problem. It is critical that you tailor responses to local

circumstances, and that you can justify each response

based on reliable analysis.

In most cases, an effective strategy will involve

implementing several different responses. Law

enforcement responses alone are seldom effective in

reducing or solving the problem: you should give careful

consideration to who else in your community shares

responsibility for the problem and can help police better

respond to it. Building a partnership with these various

stakeholders can be essential to success. For example, if

you decide to target career burglars, you may need the help

of parole and probation officers or local prosecutors in

securing appropriate prison sentences. If you believe that

street lighting must be improved, you will need help from

the city and the local utility company. Above all, you will

need to persuade individual retailers to take the security

measures you will surely find are needed. Local business

associations might help you in securing retailers'

commitment.
18 Burglary of Retail Establishments

Be aware that chain stores may need to get the head

office's approval for any new security measures. Chains are

likely to have their own security departments, and security

staff will need to be convinced that changes in company

practice are needed to meet local conditions. On the other

hand, the security departments might help you formulate

your response, or put you in touch with local loss

prevention specialists.

Several other important considerations should guide your

choice of responses:

• You should pay particular attention to repeat burglaries,

since focusing on these can provide important dividends

for detection as well as prevention.

• You should not overlook the fact that the burglary is only

the first stage of the crime. The burglars will subsequently

sell or exchange the stolen goods, leading to additional

response possibilities.

• You should be alert to the possibility of displacement

resulting from the implementation of some responses. In

particular, you might expect some displacement to other

stores when stores that have been burgled increase their

security. If your responses are successful, you might also

expect some displacement to nearby areas that fall outside

the scope of your measures. However, research has shown

that offenders typically do not travel far, and that

geographic displacement is rather limited. It is also the

case that if stores with the most-attractive goods are given

increased protection, burglars will not necessarily rob

other stores with less-attractive goods. Finally, research has

found that protecting an entire area from burglary can

result in a "diffusion of benefits" to surrounding areas, so

that their burglary rates decline as well.20
Responses to the Problem of Burglary of Retail Establishments 19

• You should remember that, once you have completed your

problem-oriented project and moved on to other duties,

some responses you have introduced might not be

sustained. There is the added danger that a reduction in

burglaries will induce complacency and the belief that the

problem has been “licked.” There are several ways to deal

with these threats,† but an important one is to make

relatively permanent changes in the physical environment,

changes whose effectiveness does not depend on human

backup. For example, a business watch program and

strengthened doors/windows might both result in initial

reductions in burglary, but the latter's effect is likely to last

longer.

The responses discussed below are organized under three

main headings according to the groups with the main role

to play in implementing them: the police, retailers and

city/local government. It will be clear that research

evidence about the effectiveness of most responses is

patchy and sometimes inconsistent. If direct evidence of a

particular response's effectiveness is lacking, the response

assessment is guided by accepted crime prevention

principles.

Police Responses

1. Targeting repeat offenders. Police crackdowns can

produce reductions in crime, but these reductions may not

last long. Research has shown that after the police leave, it

is often "business as usual" for the local offenders.††

However, a recently published study found that a

crackdown on prolific local burglars, followed by a

“consolidation” phase in which the properties most at risk

were target-hardened, produced reduced residential burglary

rates in one community in England. The crackdown was

† For a discussion, see Curtin et al.

(2001).

†† For a recent review and

discussion, see Novak et al. (1999).
20 Burglary of Retail Establishments

not the usual kind, involving heavy police presence in a

particular neighborhood. Instead, it involved concentrated

police attention on–including intensified investigation

of–burglary suspects in one local area. Police identified,

targeted and arrested 14 suspects thought to be among the

most prolific local burglars, resulting in a 60 percent

reduction in burglaries. There was no evidence of any

displacement of burglary to other crimes or to nearby

areas; indeed, car thefts dropped in the crackdown area,

and burglaries dropped by 50 percent in nearby areas,

suggesting that the offenders arrested were responsible for

many of those crimes, as well.21 A combined crackdown

and consolidation along these lines could be equally

effective in reducing retail burglaries.†

2. Targeting repeatedly burgled stores. There is a large

body of evidence that focusing police and crime prevention

resources on repeatedly burgled homes can produce

substantial declines in burglary. Similar benefits could be

obtained by concentrating preventive resources on repeatedly

burgled stores.22 The research also suggests that repeat

burglaries are frequently the work of highly prolific offenders,

who often return soon after the original burglary. Short-term

use of measures focused on recently burgled stores might

result in arrests of these offenders. As well as the deployment

of directed patrols, such measures include the use of hightech devices such as portable, covert closed-circuit television

(CCTV) (which records pictures and sound only during

periods of activity); portable silent alarms (which alert the

police when activated); proximity alarms (which loudly sound

when premises are approached from a particular direction);

and "forensic traps" (such as chemically treated mats to pick

up intruders' footprints).††

† For a comprehensive assessment

of repeat offender programs, see

Spelman (1990).

†† Experience with these high-tech

devices is limited to date, but it

appears that they can pose

numerous practical problems. For

example, store owners/employees

often forget to activate the devices

when they leave at night, or forget

they are activated when they return

(Taylor 1999). As with conventional

intruder alarms, portable burglar

alarms also pose the problem of

false alarms (see the False Burglar

Alarms guide in this series).
Responses to the Problem of Burglary of Retail Establishments 21

3. Disrupting markets for stolen goods. Far too little is

known about how offenders dispose of stolen goods, and

too little is done to disrupt markets for the goods. It is

true that in many jurisdictions, pawnshops are required to

report the goods they receive to the police. While this

requirement's effectiveness has not been properly

evaluated, the best programs seem to be those in which

pawnshop records are automated, downloaded daily to the

police, and automatically searched against the police

records database for hits on stolen property. In any case,

burglars can dispose of stolen goods in many other ways,

including peddling them on the street, selling them to

friends or acquaintances, selling them through newspaper

ads or in bars and clubs, exchanging them for drugs, and

even selling them door-to-door. Burglars also sell goods to

small shops, and police in many areas have undertaken

"stings" in which they set up bogus fencing operations in

used-goods stores. The popularity of these stings appears

to have declined. They are expensive and time-consuming,

and research suggests that they can lead to an influx of

crime into the area around them.23 Alternative strategies to

disrupt sales of stolen goods to stores include (1)

conducting surveillance of suspect stores in your area to

gain evidence of thieves' entering and making sales, so as

to prosecute both the thieves and the fences; (2)

encouraging stores that buy used goods to display signs

stating they are part of a crime prevention program to

reduce sales of stolen goods; and (3) implementing local

ordinances requiring stores to establish proof of

ownership for used goods they buy.24

4. Establishing business/shop watch programs.

Despite their popularity, there is little evidence that

neighborhood watch programs are effective deterrents to

burglary. Similarly, there is little evidence that
22 Burglary of Retail Establishments

business/shop watch programs produce tangible results

beyond some possible public relations benefits.25 These

programs are also difficult to establish.26 Greater success

might result from establishing “cocoon” business/shop

watch programs in which police encourage stores close to

a recently burgled store to exercise heightened surveillance

for a month or two.

Retailer Actions

5. Upgrading external security. This target-hardening

option covers a variety of measures, including:

• strengthening locks and reinforcing doors and windows;

• installing strengthened glass, shutters or grilles in windows;

• installing video cameras to monitor possible entry points;

• installing security lighting at entry points; and

• installing concrete pillars or decorative planters to prevent

ram raiding.

Installing pillars, posts or planters in front of store doors helps prevent burglars

from driving vehicles through the doors.

Kip Kellogg
Responses to the Problem of Burglary of Retail Establishments 23

As mentioned, the research evidence regarding these

measures' value is unclear and inconsistent. Burglars say

they find these measures of little hindrance, and from a

police point of view, they may provide little benefit if they

merely displace burglary to other stores. Planning

authorities may resist some of these measures, particularly

shutters and security lighting, because they can make an

area less attractive.27

That said, there is some limited evidence from recent

studies that target hardening can be effective in preventing

burglary of particular premises and, if perceived to be

widespread, can also protect an entire area.28 Which

measures to use with which stores depends on a variety of

cost, convenience and aesthetic considerations; the advice

of a professional security consultant might be required.

Burglar alarms, private security patrols and

safes for especially valuable merchandise,

along with signs indicating these security

features are present, can all help reduce

burglary of retail establishments.

Kip Kellogg
24 Burglary of Retail Establishments

6. Installing burglar alarms. Most stores have burglar

alarms, and research suggests these can effectively protect

the premises from burglary.29 One study has found that

areas with a higher number of premises with burglar

alarms have lower rates of burglary.30 However, many

burglar alarms have unacceptably high rates of false

alarms, and more-sophisticated thieves can disable them.

Different systems vary considerably in their costs for

owners and for the police. For more information on these

topics, see the False Burglar Alarms guide in this series.

7. Safeguarding cash and valuable stock. This approach

falls under the situational prevention category of "target

removal." It includes:

• removing high-value goods from window displays;

• concealing goods;

• minimizing stock with "just in time" deliveries;

• using safes or secure cages for the most valuable items in

stockrooms;

• marking valuable goods such as computers with traceable,

hard-to-remove identification numbers;

• banking cash each day; and

• leaving empty cash registers open at night (to prevent their

being broken into).

While these techniques are good security practice, nothing is

known from research about their effectiveness in preventing

retail burglaries. However, cash reduction is a well-proven

method of preventing commercial robberies, and removal of

coin-fed fuel meters in British homes has been shown to

prevent residential burglaries.31

8. Locking escape routes. It is good security practice to

make it as difficult to get out of a store after hours as it is
Responses to the Problem of Burglary of Retail Establishments 25

to get in. (Fire exits must not be locked during normal

business hours or when the store is otherwise occupied).

When leaving at night, store managers should cut off the

power supply to loading-bay doors, and make sure other

doors and windows cannot be opened from the inside.

9. Screening and training shop staff. It is good security

practice (where law permits) to screen prospective

employees for criminal records. It is also good practice to

train staff in security measures, to clarify their

responsibilities (particularly for key security), and to

encourage their involvement–for example, by keeping

watch for suspicious behavior and unfamiliar vehicles.

10. Employing security guards after hours. Burglars

say that security guards pose the greatest threat to their

activities.32 Guards are widely employed in large malls and

retail parks, which helps to account for the relatively low

burglary rates of stores in these locations. An alternative

adopted by some large stores is to employ a night crew

that handles cleanup, restocking and display dressing. The

store is protected from burglars while this necessary work

gets done.

Private security patrols around large shopping malls help reduce

burglaries to retail establishments located in and around the malls.

Kip Kellogg
26 Burglary of Retail Establishments

11. Using crime prevention through environmental

design (CPTED). CPTED entails changing landscaping

and design to (1) discourage access to all but intended

users, (2) allow intruders to be spotted, and (3) establish

the boundaries between private and public property. While

research provides little guide as to CPTED's effectiveness

in reducing retail burglaries, the general principles of this

approach are widely accepted.33 If stores in your area are

contemplating either major remodeling or construction of

new premises, they should consider incorporating CPTED

strategies to reduce their future burglary risks. A CPTED

survey can be done for an entire area, not just for

individual businesses. If a block of businesses or a

business district cooperates in paying for a CPTED

specialist to undertake a survey and recommend

improvements, the cost will be minimal. Information

about CPTED can be obtained from the National Crime

Prevention Council (www.ncpc.org/cpted.htm) and the

International CPTED Association (www.cpted.net).

City Planning Measures

12. Improving street surveillance through lighting and

CCTV. Commercial burglars prefer targets that receive

little surveillance,34 and they could be expected to avoid

well-lit streets† and those with CCTV surveillance.

Consistent with this, a study in Britain found large

reductions in shop burglaries following the introduction of

CCTV surveillance in three downtown areas,35 and a study

in Portland, Ore., found that improving the lighting on a

commercial strip produced a significant drop in retail

burglaries.36 As with all security measures, lighting has to

be carefully designed to provide maximum benefits

without unnecessary cost.††

† State or county crime prevention

associations may provide grants to

fund lighting improvements.

†† For a discussion, see Poyner and

Fawcett (1995), and Painter and Tilley

(1999).
Responses to the Problem of Burglary of Retail Establishments 27

13. Promoting "living over the shop." In an effort to

restore downtown areas' vitality and provide after-hours

surveillance of retail properties, the British government is

sponsoring a program to encourage people to live in

vacant space above shops. The program, which has been

adopted by many towns and cities, has the additional

benefit of increasing the supply of low-cost housing.37 A

recent evaluation, based on interviews with a variety of

interested parties, found that most people supported the

program and believed it helped to reduce crime in

downtown areas.

14. Promoting business improvement districts (BIDs).

Many U.S. cities have designated BIDs formed by

coalitions of local businesspeople. The objective is to

promote investment in declining business areas. Similar

initiatives in Britain fall under the title of "town center

management." An important objective of most BIDs† is to

reduce crime and the fear of crime. To this end, initiatives

may include improvements in street lighting, installation of

public CCTV systems, regular cleaning of graffiti and

repair of vandalism, dedicated patrols by police and

security guards, and formation of a force of "city guards"

to provide a street presence and assist visitors or tourists.

Evaluations of BIDs are currently being undertaken in the

United States.38

† Though not, apparently, of most

TCM schemes (Beck and Willis

1995).

Appendix 29

Appendix: Summary of Responses to

Burglary in Retail Establishments

The table below summarizes the responses to retail

burglaries, the mechanism by which they are intended to

work, the conditions under which they ought to work best,

and some factors you should consider before

implementing a particular response. It is critical that you

tailor responses to local circumstances, and that you can

justify each response based on reliable analysis. In most

cases, an effective strategy will involve implementing

several different responses. Law enforcement responses

alone are seldom effective in reducing or solving the

problem.

1.

2.

19

20

Targeting repeat

offenders

Targeting

repeatedly

burgled stores

Incapacitates

those offenders

responsible for a

large portion of

burglaries

Concentrates

prevention

where it is most

needed;

facilitates the

arrest of prolific

offenders 

...police can

reliably identify

habitual

criminals; there is

a high proportion

of repeat

burglaries; courts

are willing to

award custodial

sentences; and

crackdowns are

consolidated

through

environmental

design changes

...a small

proportion of

stores experience

a large

proportion of

burglaries, and

measures can be

put in place

quickly

Requires the

cooperation of

prosecutors,

courts, probation

and parole

departments, and

city planning

departments

Requires

cooperation

among police

divisions (local

officers, crime

prevention

officers,

detectives),

business owners

and city officials 

Response

No.

Page No. Response How It

Works

Works

Best If...

Consideration

s

Police Responses
30 Burglary of Retail Establishments

3.

4.

5.

6.

21

21

22

24

Disrupting

markets for

stolen goods

Establishing

business/shop

watch programs

Upgrading

external security

Installing burglar

alarms

Reduces the

incentive for

theft by making

it difficult for

offenders to sell

stolen goods

Increases

offenders' risk of

police

intervention

and/or

subsequent

identification 

Stops or slows

down offenders

Increases

offenders' risk of

getting caught 

...stolen-goods

markets are not

widespread 

...concern about

retail burglaries

is widely shared

among stores

...existing

security is low,

and natural

surveillance is

poor

...a high

proportion of

stores are fitted

with alarms, and

alarms are

connected to

CCTV systems

that allow private

security

companies to

verify that a

burglary is taking

place before

calling the police 

Can be difficult to

obtain information

about how and

where offenders

sell or exchange

stolen goods; stings

are expensive and

of doubtful

effectiveness;

courts often take a

lenient view on

receiving stolen

property charges 

Can be difficult to

enlist store owners'

participation; a

more effective

alternative is to

establish temporary

"cocoon" watch

programs around

recently burgled

premises 

Target-hardening

solutions need to

be carefully tailored

to individual stores,

often requiring the

advice of

professional

security consultants

Burglars can

disable alarms;

there are high

rates of false

alarms, but

improved systems

are coming on the

market 

Response

No.

Page No. Response How It

Works

Works

Best If...

Considerations

Retailer Actions
Appendix 31

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

24

24

25

25

26

Safeguarding cash

and valuable

stock

Locking escape

routes

Screening and

training shop

staff

Employing

security guards

after hours

Using crime

prevention

through

environmental

design (CPTED) 

Reduces the

rewards of

burglary

Slows offenders

down and

increases their

risk of getting

caught; limits the

amount of stock

offenders can

remove 

Reduces the risk

of "inside jobs";

increases staff's

responsibility for

store security 

Increases

offenders' risk of

getting caught 

Makes burglary

more difficult;

increases

offenders' risk of

getting caught 

...burglars'

principal target is

cash or stock

readily convertible

to cash

...stores are

located in areas

with good natural

surveillance, and

stolen goods are

bulky/heavy

...stores are

located in highcrime areas, and

staff turnover is

high 

...stores are

closely clustered

together, and

guards are

constantly or

frequently present 

...retailers are

planning major

remodeling or the

construction of

new buildings 

Little research is

available on this

strategy's

effectiveness

A commonsense

approach, but one

on which little

relevant evaluative

research has been

done; depends on

well-trained and

disciplined staff

Laws must permit

screening of

potential employees;

employees must

have incentives to

share in the security

function

Burglars report

being most deterred

by security guards; a

low-cost alternative

for larger stores is

to employ a night

crew to handle

cleanup, restocking

and display dressing 

Incorporating

CPTED principles

need not be costly

and can bring longterm benefits;

CPTED surveys

can be undertaken

for an entire

business district, as

well as for

individual premises 

Response

No.

Page No. Response How It

Works

Works

Best If...

Consideration

s
32 Burglary of Retail Establishments

12.

13.

14.

26

27

27

Improving street

surveillance

through lighting

and CCTV

Promoting

"living over the

shop"

Promoting

business

improvement

districts (BIDs)

Increases

offenders' risk of

intervention by

police and/or

security guards;

increases

offenders' risk of

subsequent

identification 

Increases natural

surveillance of

stores at night

and on weekends

Increases natural

surveillance in

the area 

...stores are

located in

downtown areas

or business

districts

...stores are

located in

downtown areas

or business

districts 

...BIDs have

dedicated patrols

by security staff

U.S. civil liberty

groups often

oppose the

installation of

public CCTV

systems; lights and

CCTV equipment

are sometimes

vandalized in highcrime areas

This initiative is

usually part of a

wider revitalization

program;

accommodations

sometimes do not

provide good

surveillance of the

stores below; this

approach appeals

most to singles and

young people who

are often away from

home and therefore

provide less

surveillance 

BIDs depend on

widespread support

from the business

community; BIDs'

crime prevention

value has not yet

been demonstrated 

Response

No.

Page No. Response How It

Works

Works

Best If...

Considerations

City Planning Measures
Endnotes 33

Endnotes

1 Gill (1994); Shapland (1995); Felson and Clarke (1997).

2 Mirlees-Black and Ross (1995).

3 Cromwell, Olson and Avary (1991); Butler (1994); Jacques (1994); Wright and Decker

(1994); Wiersma (1996).

4 Mirlees-Black and Ross (1995); Butler (1994).

5 Skogan (1990); Tilley (1993); Mirlees-Black and Ross (1995); Farrell, Chenery and

Pease (1998).

6 Mirlees-Black and Ross (1995).

7 Taylor (1999).

8 Mirlees-Black and Ross (1995).

9 Mirlees-Black and Ross (1995).

10 Redshaw and Mawby (1996); Burrows (1997); Brown (2001).

11 Reiss (1969); Skogan (1990).

12 Butler (1994); Walker (1994); Redshaw and Mawby (1996).

13 Walker (1994); Mirlees-Black and Ross (1995); Perrone (2000).

14 Mirlees-Black and Ross (1995); Shapland (1995).

15 Food Marketing Institute (1997).

16 Hakim and Shachmurove (1996); Perrone (2000).

17 Mirlees-Black and Ross (1995); Shapland (1995).

18 Tilley (1993); Tilley and Hopkins (1998).

19 Cromwell, Olson and Avary (1991); Butler (1994); Jacques (1994); Wright and Decker

(1994); Wiersma (1996).

20 Tilley and Hopkins (1998).

21 Farrell, Chenery and Pease (1998).

22 Tilley (1993); Tilley and Hopkins (1998); Bowers and Hirschfield (1998); Taylor

(1999).

23 Langworthy and LeBeau (1992).

24 Clarke (1999); Sutton, Schneider and Hetherington (2001).

25 Beck and Willis (1995).

26 Tilley and Hopkins (1998).

27 Jacques (1994); Beck and Willis (1995).

28 Tilley (1993); Tilley and Hopkins (1998).

29 Hakim and Blackstone (1997).
34 Burglary of Retail Establishments

30 Hakim and Blackstone (1997).

31 Clarke (1997).

32 Butler (1994).

33 Crowe (1991); Poyner and Fawcett (1995).

34 Butler (1994); Wiersma (1996).

35 Brown (1997).

36 Griswold (1984).

37 Beck and Willis (1995).

38 Greene and Stokes (1998).
References 35

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36 Burglary of Retail Establishments

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About the Author 41

About the Author

Ronald V. Clarke

Ronald V. Clarke is a professor at the School of Criminal

Justice, Rutgers University. He previously headed the

British government's criminological research department,

where he had a significant role in developing situational

crime prevention and the British Crime Survey. Clarke is

the founding editor of Crime Prevention Studies, and his

publications include Designing Out Crime (HMSO 1980), The

Reasoning Criminal (Springer-Verlag 1986), Business and Crime

Prevention (Criminal Justice Press 1997), and Situational

Crime Prevention: Successful Case Studies (Harrow and Heston

1997). Together with Herman Goldstein, he has recently

been working on problem-oriented policing projects for

the Charlotte-Mecklenburg (N.C.) Police Department.

Since 1998, he has chaired the selection committee for the

annual Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence in

Problem-Oriented Policing. Clarke holds a docorate in

psychology from the University of London.

Recommended Readings 43

Recommended Readings

• A Police Guide to Surveying Citizens and Their

Environments, Bureau of Justice Assistance, 1993. This

guide offers a practical introduction for police practitioners

to two types of surveys that police find useful: surveying

public opinion and surveying the physical environment. It

provides guidance on whether and how to conduct costeffective surveys.

• Assessing Responses to Problems: An

Introductory Guide for Police Problem-Solvers, by

John E. Eck (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of

Community Oriented Policing Services, 2001). This guide is

a companion to the Problem-Oriented Guides for Police series. It

provides basic guidance to measuring and assessing

problem-oriented policing efforts.

• Conducting Community Surveys, by Deborah Weisel

(Bureau of Justice Statistics and Office of Community

Oriented Policing Services, 1999). This guide, along with

accompanying computer software, provides practical, basic

pointers for police in conducting community surveys. The

document is also available at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs.

• Crime Prevention Studies, edited by Ronald V. Clarke

(Criminal Justice Press, 1993, et seq.). This is a series of

volumes of applied and theoretical research on reducing

opportunities for crime. Many chapters are evaluations of

initiatives to reduce specific crime and disorder problems.
44 Burglary of Retail Establishments

• Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing:The 1999

Herman Goldstein Award Winners. This document

produced by the National Institute of Justice in

collaboration with the Office of Community Oriented

Policing Services and the Police Executive Research Forum

provides detailed reports of the best submissions to the

annual award program that recognizes exemplary problemoriented responses to various community problems. A

similar publication is available for the award winners from

subsequent years. The documents are also available at

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij.

• Not Rocket Science? Problem-Solving and Crime

Reduction, by Tim Read and Nick Tilley (Home Office

Crime Reduction Research Series, 2000). Identifies and

describes the factors that make problem-solving effective or

ineffective as it is being practiced in police forces in

England and Wales.

• Opportunity Makes the Thief: Practical Theory for

Crime Prevention, by Marcus Felson and Ronald V.

Clarke (Home Office Police Research Series, Paper No. 98,

1998). Explains how crime theories such as routine activity

theory, rational choice theory and crime pattern theory have

practical implications for the police in their efforts to

prevent crime.

• Problem-Oriented Policing, by Herman Goldstein

(McGraw-Hill, 1990, and Temple University Press, 1990).

Explains the principles and methods of problem-oriented

policing, provides examples of it in practice, and discusses

how a police agency can implement the concept.
Recommended Readings 45

• Problem-Oriented Policing: Reflections on the

First 20 Years, by Michael S. Scott (U.S. Department of

Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services,

2000). Describes how the most critical elements of

Herman Goldstein's problem-oriented policing model have

developed in practice over its 20-year history, and proposes

future directions for problem-oriented policing. The report

is also available at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

• Problem-Solving: Problem-Oriented Policing in

Newport News, by John E. Eck and William Spelman

(Police Executive Research Forum, 1987). Explains the

rationale behind problem-oriented policing and the

problem-solving process, and provides examples of

effective problem-solving in one agency.

• Problem-Solving Tips: A Guide to Reducing Crime

and Disorder Through Problem-Solving

Partnerships by Karin Schmerler, Matt Perkins, Scott

Phillips, Tammy Rinehart and Meg Townsend. (U.S.

Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented

Policing Services, 1998) (also available at

www.cops.usdoj.gov). Provides a brief introduction to

problem-solving, basic information on the SARA model

and detailed suggestions about the problem-solving process.

• Situational Crime Prevention: Successful Case

Studies, Second Edition, edited by Ronald V. Clarke

(Harrow and Heston, 1997). Explains the principles and

methods of situational crime prevention, and presents over

20 case studies of effective crime prevention initiatives.
46 Burglary of Retail Establishments

• Tackling Crime and Other Public-Safety Problems:

Case Studies in Problem-Solving, by Rana Sampson

and Michael S. Scott (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of

Community Oriented Policing Services, 2000) (also available

at www.cops.usdoj.gov). Presents case studies of effective

police problem-solving on 18 types of crime and disorder

problems.

• Using Analysis for Problem-Solving: A Guidebook

for Law Enforcement, by Timothy S. Bynum (U.S.

Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented

Policing Services, 2001). Provides an introduction for

police to analyzing problems within the context of

problem-oriented policing.

• Using Research: A Primer for Law Enforcement

Managers, Second Edition, by John E. Eck and Nancy G.

LaVigne (Police Executive Research Forum, 1994). Explains

many of the basics of research as it applies to police

management and problem-solving.
Other Guides in This Series 47

Other Guides in This Series

Problem-Oriented Guides for Police series:

1. Assaults in and Around Bars. Michael S. Scott. 2001.

2. Street Prostitution. Michael S. Scott. 2001.

3. Speeding in Residential Areas. Michael S. Scott. 2001.

4. Drug Dealing in Privately Owned Apartment Complexes.

Rana Sampson. 2001.

5. False Burglar Alarms. Rana Sampson. 2001.

6. Disorderly Youth in Public Places. Michael S. Scott. 2001.

7. Loud Car Stereos. Michael S. Scott. 2001.

8. Robbery at Automated Teller Machines. Michael S. Scott. 2001.

9. Graffiti. Deborah Lamm Weisel. 2002.

10. Thefts of and From Cars in Parking Facilities. Ronald V.

Clarke. 2002.

11. Shoplifting. Ronald V. Clarke. 2002.

12. Bullying in Schools. Rana Sampson. 2002.

13. Panhandling. Michael S. Scott. 2002.

14. Rave Parties. Michael S. Scott. 2002.

15. Burglary of Retail Establishments. Ronald V. Clarke. 2002.

16. Clandestine Drug Labs. Michael S. Scott. 2002.

17. Acquaintance Rape of College Students. Rana Sampson. 2002.

18. Burglary of Single-Family Houses. Deborah Lamm Weisel.

2002.

19. Misuse of 911. Rana Sampson. 2002.

Companion guide to the Problem-Oriented Guides for Police series:

• Assessing Responses to Problems: An Introductory Guide for

Police Problem-Solvers. John E. Eck. 2002.
48 Burglary of Retail Establishments

Other Related COPS Office Publications

• Using Analysis for Problem-Solving: A Guidebook for Law

Enforcement. Timothy S. Bynum.

• Problem-Oriented Policing: Reflections on the First 20 Years.

Michael S. Scott. 2001.

• Tackling Crime and Other Public-Safety Problems: Case

Studies in Problem-Solving. Rana Sampson and Michael S.

Scott. 2000.

• Community Policing, Community Justice, and Restorative

Justice: Exploring the Links for the Delivery of a Balanced

Approach to Public Safety. Caroline G. Nicholl. 1999.

• Toolbox for Implementing Restorative Justice and Advancing

Community Policing. Caroline G. Nicholl. 2000.

• Problem-Solving Tips: A Guide to Reducing Crime and

Disorder Through Problem-Solving Partnerships. Karin

Schmerler, Matt Perkins, Scott Phillips, Tammy Rinehart and

Meg Townsend. 1998.

For more information about the Problem-Oriented Guides for Police series

and other COPS Office publications, please call the Department of

Justice Response Center at 1-800-421-6770 or check our website at

www.cops.usdoj.gov.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

1100 Vermont Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20530

To obtain details on COPS programs, call the

U.S. Department of Justice Response Center at 1.800.421.6770

Visit the COPS internet web site at the address listed below.

e12011408 Created Date: March 13, 2002

www.cops.usdoj.gov