Closed-Circuit TV Surveillance Evaluation

摘要

This paper reports on the statistical analysis conducted on crime data provided by the Toronto Police Services in order to assess the impact on crime after implementing the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) pilot initiative. Over the period May 2007 to October 2008, the Toronto Police Services installed CCTV cameras in a number of selected areas for periods of time between six months and one year. This report documents the results of the application of standard statistical techniques to determine the effectiveness of surveillance cameras in reducing crime, and compares them with findings from previous research studies. The analysis is based on data derived from the Toronto Police Services call-for-service ACCESS database, a comprehensive, geo-coded database that includes all records of demands for policing services involving events of a violent nature from 1995. This report addresses questions related to crime reduction in the targeted areas and diffusion of benefits beyond the targeted areas, and makes some general considerations about displacement and dispersion.