Introduction
Crime is a retrogressive phenomenon that has brought about much concern in the world. Criminal elements are found in almost every developed and developing metropolitan setting all over the world. Criminal elements are formed due to circumstances or the urge to take part in criminal activities by some people. Many governments and authorities have derived ways they would employ to curb the rising wave of insecurity in cities. Authorities have invested a considerable amount of effort in arresting criminal situations but have not achieved much success. There are concerns by some human rights groups over extra judicial killings perpetrated by government agencies. This paper intends to analyze issues surrounding crime and how they can be addressed. Preventing crime is essential as it helps reduce insecurity and spur economic growth.
Several activities have been linked to the rise of crime in many places including unemployment and drug abuse. Nations have held talks to come up with a collective policy that can help prevent crime. The United Nations convened several conferences to enable the most affected nations make essential contributions towards crime prevention. The nations created the crime prevention and criminal justice development that would help reduce crime rate in major Cities. The issues addressed were creating viable solutions and methods for crime prevention (Arrington, 2006). Statistics reveal that crime preventions programs have helped some level of order in some places. The methods used to prevent crimes detected the intention to commit crimes before they happen. Governments have given institutions the task to formulate policies that can be used in crime prevention. The policies revolve around some of the reasons that cause the rise of criminal activities. This is achievable through the study of criminal elements in the streets and analyzing their behavior.
Some of the reasons why people engage in criminal activities are obvious to the relevant authorities. The high rate of globalization is one case that leads to the rise of crime in many places. Guns can only be dangerous once they are left in the hands of people who possess potential harm to the society. This can depend on the physical characteristics of the people who are given the opportunity to own firearms (Garland et al., 2000). This is attributed to the fact that it is true that much of the significance of the firearms depends on an individual’s health. This means that gun ownership is referred to in a realistic manner.
Several aspects of the roles played by gun control are also examined as either punishment for misuse or just an excuse for gun control. Medical practitioners have also contributed to the topic of gun control and have their own views about the issue. The medical views are a scientific approach that tries to resolve complicated social issues about gun control. The assumptions related to work the family, and lifestyles are made on gender bias. An Australian study outcome indicated that some male assumptions were baseless when it comes to decisions regarding redevelopment. The assumption was that high rise living is not suitable for adults who have children. There is a need for the feminist researchers to pay attention to the demographic trends. These trends are based on the household and labor markets. This provides a comprehensive link between reproduction production and consumption.
Most burglars are aware that most people own guns in their homes. They prefer attacking homes with no occupants where they are not likely to face trouble. Americans feel that gun ownership symbolize that they are equal among other country men, and it shows their self reliance. This issue has contributed to the major traits that Americans have stood distinct from other people from other states. Many Americans emphasize on the need for self reliance in many instances of their lives. This is attributed to their urge to be independent of the federal government and own their individual properties. The American justice system supports the citizen’s role to defend themselves from criminal activities. The law also consistently supports the citizen’s role in other essential areas of society. The justice system does not separate the role of the judge and the prosecutor in the continental legal system. The jury system is given a small role in the justice system especially in Britain and other countries. The right to analyze facts of a judicial case is retained by the ordinary citizens of America. The American juries determine all civic and criminal cases whereby the jury decides whether accused is guilty of the crime.
Many American enjoy private mode of transportation because they can easily afford it. This increases the chances of purchasing and owing rifles by reducing surveillance and strategic checks. The government does not have accurate statistics of how many Americans who own firearms. Most gun control acts permit the use of force for defense while other policies consider it immoral. Americans have greater control over their security than other nations such as European countries. As a result, they do not expect the government to offer them security or protection against spontaneous crime.
The anti gun advocates claim that the prohibitions are comfortable and are not against individualism. The advocates state that if crimes increase because of the existence of guns, they should be taken by the government. Former Attorney stated that guns created lions out lambs, and in order to remain lambs, guns should be taken away. The gun probation groups believe that rifles turn normal law abiding citizens into criminals. The advocates go a head to state that most gun crimes are caused by law abiding citizens.
Some anti gun advocates in countries such as Canada support the withdrawal of guns from the hands of citizens completely. Some people see the push for gun control as an excuse to live as other nations. Europeans and other nations have the government to explicitly provide security from them, and they do not need guns. Some of the anti gun advocates propose for a European like status of living. This gives more power to the state than the people. This is viewed as a conflict between different views of what America is and what it should be like.
Some people do not see the point of formulating more gun control laws when the crimes are on the rise. This is as stated below. “With some 20,000 firearms regulations now on the books, why does the clamor continue for even more laws? The answer is obvious: none of the laws so far enacted has significantly reduced the rate of criminal violence (Buffalo 96)." This is only evident that the gun control acts have not been essentially effective in the fight against gun crimes. Many people are against gun control, and those who are advocating for gun prohibitions are associated with fear.
Guns are necessary for human survival. Although the invention of guns was with good intentions, humanity got to the point that necessitated their control. Guns are among the leading causes of death among the youth and the whole society with increased school shootings. Due to the diversity of society and guns being used as weapons, they can be harmful to society. Guns are the reason school violence has increased
The control of guns and crime in society is significant in different ways. Crime rates would reduce significantly within a short time. There would be a reduction in the congestion of suburbs. Some of the negative effects of gentrification are that affordable housing is likely to reduce. This causes homelessness as previous home owner may be forced to sell their homes. It causes conflicts between worrying communities as that are displaced to unknown areas. There is a risk of business being displaced leading to losses that may be hard to recover.
The public health community thinks that introducing more controls would reduce the rising gun crimes. Some medical researchers have presented a considerable amount of data to support their concerns. Most of the medical research findings indicate that an environment with guns is like to cause the disease of violence. Guns from the old times were first introduced as to facilitate and increase security across the society (Evans, 2011). All across the world they became popular, some for good some for the wrong reasons. Guns got to the point that the society had to control them and subdue the evil that could have become of them. The right to bear arms was included in the American bill of rights on December 15th 1759. This as stipulated became necessary as to facilitate security self defense and to rid society of oppression.
The community and racial identity of individuals are likely to be disrupted when there crime prevention occurs. There could be a misinterpretation of the entire process as a racist event. This would occur when a large number of those affected are from one community. A good number of Canadians of Portuguese descents were affected in the recent gentrification that was carried in Toronto. The result is a sour relationship between the Canadians gentrifies and their Portuguese victims.
The Toronto’s official plan does not mention crime prevention any where. It states that it would provide an accessible environment for the entire community and its diverse population. This has further been supported by the media who state that women stand to gain the efforts created by globalization. There is no serious attempt to involve women in issues pertaining to City revitalization. The policies conform to a compromised version of the notion that women can benefit from City life.
The urban environment provides people with a degree of autonomy and independence. This allows take chances with criminal decisions that are beneficial for their well being. This is the freedom that women are likely to experience only in towns and suburbs. Some traditional roles that women are used to are retrogressive (Bowen 2007). Women dislike the traditions and are likely to move to towns to break away from such traditions. They are likely to live an autonomous life that is free from interference.
The theme of independence is the main focus on the life criminals in the Cities. There is an encouragement that women need to take a strong position concerning the vision of urbanity. They can achieve this by interrogating the thin limits between crime prevention and emancipation. This is a case that has been used water down a genuine concern about the crime prevention issues. The authority’s vision for urban life has become a dominating issue in crime prevention.
Several methods have been used to contain the rising wave of insecurity and crime in by government agencies. The SARA model is one instance that has been essentially utilized for crime prevention. The model refers to a problem solving method that uses a sequential analysis for crime prevention. SARA stands for Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Assessment. The acronyms are the modules or elements that define a unique crime prevention model. Scanning involves identifying persistent problem that are of public concern. It also involves establishing the consequences of the problem as identified by the problem solving unit. This step is followed by prioritizing essential issues before developing goals that are to be achieved in solving the problems. The final step in the scanning element is sorting the problems for an in depth analysis or examination. Analysis involves identifying specific events that surround the identified problem. A data analysis is carried out to ensure that there is sufficient information for the problem resolution. The following step involves researching about case studies of what is known about selected problems. An analysis of how current issues are addressed is done and in consideration to its strengths and weaknesses. Available resources are allocated for the assistance in the problem analysis stage. The final step involves formulating a working hypothesis and solutions of the causes of the problem. The response element involves brainstorming on a number of solutions to illustrate which of the solutions are most viable. Once a number of solutions are formulated a selection process for the alternative is initiated (Mackey and Levan 2013). This involves stating specific objectives that are used to direct the solution process. The final step involves implementing the designed process for problem resolution.
The Assessment step is essential for determine if the implementation process was carried out amicably. This is an evaluation process for the entire problem methodology for quality assurance. This is checked against the pre and post qualitative data set for the problem process. A check is done to ensure that all the goals and objectives of the process are accomplished. New strategies are formulated once the evaluation process is completed to complement the initial plan (Schneider, 2010). The assessment should be an ongoing process to ensure that everything is done according to procedure.
In conclusion, there should be considerable effort by government and relevant authorities directed towards solving outstanding issues. There is a need for the government to create a policy for the funding of the crime prevention methodology. This is likely to go along way in creating harmony between law enforcement agencies and law makers. The methodology should be fully implemented according to plan to ensure that essential issues are addressed. These issues would assist in arresting criminal situations before they happen. The methodology would help identifies essential issues that are associated to crime and recommend the solution for solving the problem. The implementation of the strategy is a big step towards identifying problems associated to crime and solving them.
References
Arrington, R. (2006). Crime prevention: The law enforcement officer's practical guide. Boston, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Evans, K. (2011). Crime prevention: A critical introduction. Los Angeles: Sage Pub.
Garland, D., Wakefield, A., & Von, H. D. (2000). The ethics of situational crime prevention. Oxford: Hart.
Mackey, D. A., & Levan, K. (2013). Crime prevention. Burlington, Mass: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Miyazawa, K. (1995). Crime prevention in the urban community. Deventer u.a: Kluwer.
Schneider, S. (2010). Crime prevention: Theory and practice. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
