Making Communities Safer: Lessons Learned Combating Auto Theft in Winnipeg

In Winnipeg, auto theft was once such a serious problem that leaders recognized conventional approaches to policing and justice were insufficient. They established a task force to tackle the growing problem using a new approach called evidence-based crime prevention that has produced tangible results. Similar approaches can be taken to combat property crime in other Canadian communities. This briefing outlines current Canadian crime trends; the impacts of crime on victims, the criminal justice system, and communities; misconceptions about reducing crime; and alternative approaches that can make communities safer.

Evidence-based crime prevention holds great promise for making communities safer, because it focuses on the causes of crime. Successfully reducing crime requires that planners analyze crime and disorder problems, determine likely causes of those problems, and implement programs that address those causes. Unless interventions are substantial and sustained, there is almost no chance they will be effective.