Document Type
Journal Article
Publisher
Australian Institute of Criminology
Faculty
Faculty of Business and Law
School
School of Law and Justice
RAS ID
17938
Abstract
Foreword : Research investigating the methods and motivations of burglars has typically focused on incarcerated offenders. The Australian Institute of Criminology’s Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program provided an opportunity for the authors to explore the methods and motivations of those actively involved in committing burglaries, whether or not they had actually been caught or detained for that offence. The findings support Routine Activity Theory, indicating that offenders consider a number of factors in determining whether a property will be targeted for a break and enter offence. As might be expected, opportunistic burglars choose easy to access properties, stay a minimum length of time and take goods that can be disposed of easily. It was concluded that simple prevention strategies could minimise the risk of becoming a victim of opportunistic burglary, which also has implications for law enforcement, the security industry and insurance agencies.
Comments
This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of: Gately, N. J., Fleming, J., McGinty, N., & Scott, A. M. (2014). The 'oldest tricks in the book' do not work! Reports of burglary by DUMA detainees in Western Australia. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 489(2014), 1-9. https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/ielapa.702565997896296