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Waste and crime |
Crime and grime
The link between waste and crime
 
Can littering and illegal dumping lead to more serious
crime?
At first glance, it seems ridiculous to suggest that
there is any significant connection between the act
of tossing a crumpled wrapper on the pavement and serious
crimes such as murder and rape. Certainly, the factors
that encourage criminal activities to develop in an
area are varied, and to claim that littering causes
crime would be an over-simplification of a highly complex
problem. To claim that illegal waste disposal is one
of the factors that may contribute to further criminal
behaviour, however, is a theory supported by many social
psychologists, criminologists and law enforcement agencies.
The "broken window" theory
The "broken window" theory refers to the well-documented
phenomenon that, if one window in a building is broken
and left unrepaired, the rest soon suffer the same fate.
The first broken window signals the fact that no-one
cares about the building, and so breaking more windows
won't matter and the window-breakers won't suffer any
consequences. This kind of vandalism occurs in "nice"
neighborhoods as well as in rundown ones.
Crime and grime
The "broken window" is a simple illustration
of the link between crime and physical disorder, or
"crime and grime". Petty crimes, such as vandalism,
graffiti and littering make an environment appear uncontrolled,
and that anyone can invade it to carry out unlawful
acts without being punished. Law-abiding people start
to feel nervous in public spaces, and keep indoors more,
leaving the streets free for crime to take hold.
Thus, it is more likely that criminal activity will
flourish in such places, rather than those where there
is physical evidence that law and order prevails - i.e.
they look clean and well cared for.
Illegal waste disposal and law enforcement
The WasteWise Campaign is putting in place a new by-law
concerning littering and illegal dumping, which will
apply throughout the City of Cape Town. The penalties
for littering and illegal dumping will be much stiffer,
to act as an effective deterrent to offenders.
Learn More: WasteWise
Campaign: Legal and Enforcement Component
Further reading
Taylor, R. 1999.
Crime, Grime, Fear and Decline: a longitudinal look.
Website of the United States Department of Justice.
National Institute of Justice. www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij.
Wilson, J. and Kelling, G. 1982.
Broken Windows.
In The Atlantic Monthly, March 1982, Volume 249, No.
3.
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