The effects of closed-circuit television on crime: meta-analysis of an English national quasi-experimental multi-site evaluation

This article reports results obtained in an English national quasi-experimental multi-site evaluation of 14 closed-circuit television (CCTV) projects in residential areas, town and city centers, a city hospital, and car parks (parking lots). Both police and victimization data were collected before and after the installation of CCTV in target, control and buffer areas, and police Divisions. The results showed that CCTV was effective in reducing crimes in train station car parks but not in city centers or residential areas, seemed to be effective in reducing vehicle crimes (but not other types of crimes), and was most effective when the degree of coverage by CCTV was high and when CCTV was combined with other interventions such as improved lighting. Implications for situational crime prevention theory are drawn. There was no evidence of displacement or diffusion of benefits. It is concluded that CCTV needs to be implemented more effectively, based on an analysis of the crime problem and its causes, and needs to be evaluated using a randomized experimental design.

Javier ArgomanizEmail:

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David P. Farrington   is Professor of Psychological Criminology at Cambridge University. His major research interests are in the development of offending and the effectiveness of interventions. He is co-chair of the Campbell Collaboration Crime and Justice Group and a former President of the American Society of Criminology, the British Society of Criminology, the European Association of Psychology and Law, and the Academy of Experimental Criminology. Martin Gill   is Director of Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International, a ‘spin-out’ company from the University of Leicester, where he was formerly a Professor of Criminology. He led the Home Office national evaluation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) and is currently researching offenders’ perspectives on fraud, shop theft and robbery. Sam J. Waples   is currently a research assistant at Birkbeck College, University of London. His main interest lies in the application of geographical information systems (GIS) and spatial analysis. He is responsible for mapping as well as spatial and statistical analysis of geographical datasets for a variety of projects. He was formerly a research assistant at the Department of Criminology, University of Leicester. Javier Argomaniz   is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham, where he is conducting research on European Union counter-terrorism policies. He was formerly a research assistant in the Department of Criminology, University of Leicester.