A big downside to the opportunity approach is that it can create displacement or adaptation. If we add speed bumps to First and Third Streets, we may increase speeding on Second Street. In this approach, the result may be escalation, where offenders use more violent and stronger means. One study found that following the introduction of glass windows between tellers and customers in London post offices, robbers began using more firearms.32 The introduction of car security alarms reduced ordinary car theft—people breaking into parked cars and speeding away. But it may have also led to an
...more
