National Overview on Crime Prevention
Crime Prevention:
The Universal Challenge*
Gilbert Bonnemaison
Member, French National Assembly
Mayor, Epinay-Sur-Seine
Vice-Chairman, National Council of Cities
Chairman, European Forum of Local Authorities For Urban
Safety
Over the last few decades, cities have been experiencing very rapid change and development. This
urban growth has been commensurate with the economic transformation of our societies. To meet
this demand, many countries have initiated major suburban housing and construction programs.
However, housing capacity has often been the sole consideration and, as a result, public estates
have been created which fail to take into account both social issues and appropriate infrastructure
and facilities. These urban developments have ignored the social needs of those living in them and
overlooked other resources essential for harmonious social development.
In 1991, this oversight has created real and major problems and has exacerbated the rise in
crime and violence. The urban ghettos, which these housing estates in big cities have become, can
be seen as dumping grounds where a whole gamut of social problems -particularly high levels of
youth unemployment -are concentrated.
Exclusion from school, exclusion from the community, and exclusion from the political
arena can lead to a lack of respect and dignity which is deeply resented. Inhabitants of these zones
often feel very strongly that there is a general lack of control over their lives and an arbitrariness in
the events to which they are subjected. This feeling pervades both relationships between individuals
and the relationship between society and the individual. Even more importantly, sections of society
come to be treated differently and -depending on the social category to which they belong -for
individuals caught up in this situation, the concept of a full and equal citizenship seems very
remote.
National Overview on Crime Prevention
So how can the inhabitant, the citizen or the resident, respect the laws which express the underlying
values of the community in which they live? There is a major problem if these individuals do not
consider themselves to be full and equal members of their community: that is, if they feel rejected
and excluded or that society is not doing its utmost to find ways of preventing their alienation from
the mainstream community. These feelings, whether they are groundless or not, lead to strong
tensions within society -tensions which are further exacerbated when, through sheer irresponsibility
and stupidity, some elements begin to give vent to notions of racism and discrimination.
Social cohesion becomes increasingly difficult to achieve in communities and, as a result,
safety and security is increasingly a major problem. In confronting this problem, what should be
our attitude? How should we respond?
Ensuring safety and security, both for the individual and for property, is one of the major
challenges facing the developed world and an imperative for all governments. Individuals are
particularly sensitive to safety and security issues, although the way these issues are perceived
varies greatly according to environment, culture, education and social standing. In this context it is
worth noting that the fear of crime experienced by many people does not always correspond to the
local reality of crime problems. This factor is well-known. What we tend to be less sensitive about
are psychological issues that are probably just as decisive but are less quantifiable and more
difficult to understand.
Particularly important among these psychological issues are the nature and quality of an
individuals social relationships, the moral values which prevail in these relationships, the reality of
a persons ability to participate in democratic life, and his or her state of empowerment within
society. This is as true for the individual -the potential victim -as it is true for the delinquent or the
criminal. All these factors strongly influence the way people see themselves within society.
Drop-outs and criminals are also consumers of the media. They do not always reflect on, or
distance themselves from, the fiction or news which is presented. The creation of youth gangs in
our suburbs is a clear manifestation of this. Programs of action against crime must, therefore, not be
restricted simply to defining norms or formulating policies which attempt to control or prevent. The
fight against crime is also, and above all, a fight for citizenship and for civic rights. This issue
concerns the state as much as the individual, and government as much as the citizen.
Common, if not universal, values that can transcend the specific character of the fragmented
groups (particularly socioeconomic groups) that increasingly make up our communities today, need
to be identified and developed. Police forces, judicial systems and prisons must also be developed
and supported in ways that ensure strict respect for the rights of the individual and for fundamental
liberties. Only a conscious awareness of this dimension -which affects the very core of our
communities -will enable us to confront the most important issues in the fight against delinquency
and crime.
The rise in urban crime affects all nations. The richest, as well as the poorest, have to
confront it. For many years now, the most developed
National Overview on Crime Prevention
countries have made very substantial and costly investments in the fight against crime, particularly
in what might be termed repression through the criminal justice system. But resources that have
gone into this area have not always been matched with results. Policies which are solely dependent
on the criminal justice system lead to a stalemate. Therefore, France has initiated a different
approach and some positive results have already been achieved. In 1986, a definite decline in crime
rates was evident. However, more recently there have been increases as a result of the social
developments noted earlier. This must convince us that it is absolutely essential to strengthen the
preventative approach.
Firstly, the underlying causes of crime must be identified by means of appropriate social
policies: policies which offer everyone at least a chance to become integrated within the
community and policies which will allow social interaction and cohesion to flourish. Next,
prevention and repression through the criminal justice system must be linked very closely in a
balanced way.
More generally, the multiplicity of factors which have been identified as leading to crime
and its many manifestations demand answers that are also necessarily very diverse. Prevention
programs which are implemented and take effect locally must be at the centre of crime prevention
strategies. National policies, however suitable they may be, cannot solve the crime problem if they
are developed in isolation from local efforts.
Governmental institutions such as the police and the judicial system cannot provide
solutions on their own -particularly if they operate in isolation, without adequate coordination and
cooperation, and with their only focus being repression, law enforcement and punishment. These
agencies must also have ideas about, and must put into effect, strategies for the prevention of
criminal behaviour and its recurrence.
Before elaborating on the methods adopted in France, the role of imprisonment as a
preventive measure will be discussed. In this better balance between prevention and repression, the
purpose of the penal sanction must be redefined so that it can be of real value to society. To that
end, and as soon as a sentence is given, the offenders re-integration and action to indemnify the
victim also should be addressed. Due to a lack of imagination, imprisonment has tended to remain
the main response.
Imprisonment is not an efficient sanction in the fight against large-scale crime. This is
illustrated by the very high incidence of recidivism. In fact, after an offender has been imprisoned,
there tends to be an increase in the seriousness of his or her subsequent offences. In effect, prison
often represents an additional, albeit temporary, exclusion from the community. Imprison-ment
should therefore be reserved only for the most serious crimes.
Other sanctions must be applied and enforced: sanctions which ensure a systematic response
and sanctions whose aim should be well-understood by the person concerned. Re-integration into
the community and prevention of a recurrence of offending behaviour should be the primary
emphasis.
The prevention policy which France has been implementing for a number of years prior to 1991
hinges on three essential principles:
emphasis on the local dimension;
partnership; and
contracting
National Overview on Crime Prevention
Each program of intervention implemented as part of a prevention strategy must be integrated
within a defined territory. The selected level in France is the municipality or the neighbourhood and
this first principle is based on the particular role that locally-elected representatives must play in the
field of prevention. This choice was linked to a large scale program of decentralisation which
occurred in the early 1980s. Emphasis on the municipality also is related to the necessary
coordination that must take place between prevention policies -narrowly defined -and all the other
measures to be combined with them, such as improvement in housing, physical environment and
socio-cultural infrastructures. More recently, it has been found useful to add selected groupings of
several municipalities to this basic structure because the crime problem is similar across urban
areas and knows no geographical boundaries. The state, however, must have a key role of
facilitating research and development of these local approaches -it is not a transfer of
responsibilities.
The second important principle involves partnership at both the local and the national level.
Municipal councils for the prevention of crime bring together all the parties concerned: elected
representatives, government agencies and the community. Locally-elected representatives are the
driving force in these councils, but these representatives do not take on the task by themselves. It is
important to be aware of the role played by representatives of residents action groups, managers of
urban services -such as housing, public transport, social welfare, doctors, teachers (who play a
fundamental and underrated role in the field of prevention amongst young people) -and the private
sector. The third component in this partnership are the government agencies whose primary
responsibility is the fight against crime -namely the police and the judicial system. Frances crime
prevention policy is developed and implemented by all these participants. This coordination
engenders a better knowledge of the nature of problems and an improvement of each participants
role and action.
The third important principle involves a process of contracting with the state. From the very
beginning, all partners in crime prevention are brought together under the auspices of the municipal
council and any preventative measure must originate from a local crime analysis. This analysis,
which involves all partners, has as its first objective a precise and well-documented analysis of the
conditions and the nature and the evolution of local crime. Its second objective is an assessment of
the current situation and malfunctions accompanied by an assessment of incoherences or
weaknesses for dealing with crime problems in the current system. This results in the
implementation of a crime prevention audit or strategy plan. Initially crime prevention audits were
carried out annually but France has found it useful to reduce their frequency. Budgetary allocation
from government is now every three years. This avoids the lack of continuity which sometimes can
be noticeable in local prevention policies.
Crime prevention audits or strategy plans can be grouped into six major contracting categories,
each aimed at meeting different specific objectives. The reason for the diversity in the elements of
crime prevention contracting areas is the multiplicity of causes and types of urban crime. The six
categories are as follows:
National Overview on Crime Prevention
Practical aspect of prevention: that is, all work concerning the methodology to be used,
the method of implementation or the training of participants in prevention.
Preventative measures of a social nature: that is, anything connected with the education,
training, social and professional integration of young people, or assisting with access to
culture and leisure for the most disadvantaged in an attempt to overcome feelings of
rejection and alienation.
Prevention by proximity: that is, a closer relationship between police and residents,
particularly young people. The idea of foot patrols both as a form of deterrence and as a
means of bringing police closer to the community is useful in this regard.
Articulation of a clear policy to prevent the recurrence of an offence or recidivism by
offenders: this approach combines both aid to victims and, when necessary, the
implementation of alternative non-custodial sanctions as well as imprisonment.
Contracts or funding agreements which contribute to the fight against drug abuse: with a
reduction in drug peddling, suppression of trafficking and recycling of the money resulting
from trafficking, the fight against a demand for drugs at a local level ensures the coherence
of this policy. This is translated into providing information to the public, caring for the drug
addict and establishing links and necessary cooperation with other health programs. These
measures are in no way an alternative to the fight against drugs, minor local trafficking and
the receiving and concealing associated with it -they are a necessary extension of it.
Communication: that is, on the one hand, providing general information to the public and
more specific information aimed at community groups, and on the other hand, a transfer of
knowledge between councils by means of informal discussions, forums and meetings.
Before concluding, it is necessary to stress the particular importance of international
cooperation in the area of prevention. When implementing national strategies, information is often
lacking on overseas initiatives and on ways of comparing experiences. It seems advisable, if not
essential, that comparative research be undertaken on crime, the effectiveness of prevention
policies, training programs and issues of citizenship in todays society, which -in view of the
internationalisation of the media -no longer can be seen within the narrow scope of a nation-state.
This perspective will be of importance to the future of society in the decades to come. Exchanges
between states must be combined with increasingly numerous inter-city cooperative ventures which
will leave us better equipped to meet the demands of our communities. If left unchecked, increases
in crime rates inevitably will lead to a national loss of confidence in our institutions and our
leaders.
National Overview on Crime Prevention
No policy will ever achieve a total elimination of crime. Absolute safety and security is
incompatible with human nature. While reflection and action in this area must be characterised by
modesty and level-headedness, the concerns of citizens must be responded to. It is by looking into
the fundamental basis of democracy -freedom and solidarity -that we shall be better equipped to
confront violence and crime. This fight against crime is an absolute necessity for democracy and it
is with democracy that it shall be won.
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