Canadians' Use of Crime Prevention Measures - ARCHIVED

This report, using data from the General Social Survey on victimization, examines the various crime prevention measures employed by Canadians and the factors associated with their use.

The report finds that many Canadians employ crime prevention techniques such as locking car doors, planning their route with safety in mind and checking the back seat for intruders, on a regular basis. Furthermore, many Canadians used protective strategies such as altering their routine, avoiding certain places, installing burglar alarms and changing their locks to guard against crime, at sometime in their lives. More extreme measures, such as changing their residence or buying a gun were much less likely.

This report also demonstrates that a number of personal, household, and perceived neighbourhood characteristics are associated with the use of crime prevention measures. Specifically, usage of crime prevention techniques was more common among women, those previously victimized, well-educated individuals and urban-dwellers. Also, those who felt crime rates in their neighbourhood had increased and were higher than rates elsewhere in Canada were most likely to employ crime prevention measures.