Measure type: Controlling disinhibitors

Controlling disinhibitors is the measure of reducing risk by removing or regulating disinhibiting substances or circumstances.

Description

Disinhibitors can be defined as substances or circumstances that decrease the inhibitions of an offender to commit crimes. Studies have shown that drugs, but above all alcohol are conductive to some forms of crime, particularly violent crimes.

It should be noted that not only behaviour-altering substances can influence natural inhibitions, but for instance untidy environments or environments in disrepair can stimulate vandalism and other crimes.

Cluttered, untidy and unstructured spots attract crime

Also, environmental conditions, like overly high temperatures in crowds or gatherings, can affect the public's mood and decrease inhibitions to aggressive behaviour.

Examples

• School restroom thermostats kept at 62°F
• Repainting of playground equipment in bright colours
• Beautification programs (e.g., landscaping, painting, maintenance)

Effectiveness

Security issues where this measure can be effective and influenced by the urban planner, are:

Financial gain	Boredom or compulsive behaviour	Impulse	Conflict in beliefs
Burglary{{#info:Burglary is the crime of illicitly entering a building with the intent to commit an offence, particularly (but not limited to) theft.}}	Physical assault{{#info:Assault, is a crime which involves causing a victim to fear or to experience any type of violence, except for sexual violence}}	Destruction by riots{{#info:Destruction by riots is the act of vandalism of property by organised groups for a shared rational or rationalised reason.}}	Mass killing{{#info:Mass killing is the crime of purposely causing harm or death to a group of (unknown) people in order to make a statement or to influence the public opinion. This threat is exerted out of wilful action by fanatics: terrorists or criminal activists.}}
Ram-raiding{{#info:Ram raid is a particular technique for burglars to gain access to primarily commercial premises, by means of driving -usually stolen- vehicles into locked or closed entrances, exits or windows.}}	Sexual assault{{#info:Sexual assault is assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent}}		Destruction of property by fanatics{{#info:Destruction by fanatics is the crime of purposely causing damage in order to make a statement or to influence the public opinion.}}
Pickpocketing{{#info:Pickpocketing is a form of theft that involves the stealing of valuables from a victim without their noticing the theft at the time. }}	Vandalism{{#info:Vandalism is the act of wilful or malicious destruction, injury, disfigurement, or defacement of property without the consent of the owner or person having custody or control.}}
Robbery{{#info:Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. It is used her exclusively for acts committed to individual persons.}}	Graffiti{{#info:Grafitti is the defacement of property by means of writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed on a surface in a public place without the consent of the owner or person having custody or control. }}
Raid{{#info:Raid is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value from a commercial venue by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear.}}	Antisocial Behaviour{{#info:Antisocial behaviour is an accumulation category of relatively small crimes that highly influence the security perception of citizens. }}
Vehicle theft{{#info:Vehicle theft is the crime of theft, or attempt of theft of or from a motor vehicle (automobile, truck, bus, motorcycle, etc.).}}

Considerations

General considerations

In controlling disinhibitors one should be aware that at least part of the people will actively seek circumstances that will diminish their inhibitions. Any measure taken to control disinhibitors should be planned to include alternative sources of disinhibitors: early closing hours for the bars will not suffice if people can bring their own alcohol to alternative locations and 'party on'.

Safety/security considerations

Disinhibitors will not only affect the behaviour of people regarding criminal behaviour, but rather their behaviour in general. This means that controlling disinhibitors will generally not only affect security, but also safety: when people are more in control of their actions, accidents as a result of reckless driving or driving under influence will decrease as well as injuries as a result of rowdy behaviour or loss of balance due to intoxication.

Economic considerations

Controlling disinhibitors mitigates the chance of a security threat, but at the same time demands an investment in time and effort by private agents, companies/developers and the public authorities, exacting economic costs. Together these benefits and costs are referred to as economic impact of security measures. The costs of controlling disinhibitors contains the relatively straightforward direct expenditures on capital equipment and operational costs (both temporary and permanent), and in addition generate various types of secondary effects. Whether the costs are making sense from an economic point of view, depends on many factors, and can be answered by two distinct sets of questions:

1. Are the envisioned measures cost effective from a socio-economic point of view, or are there better alternatives?
2. Which specific agents (individuals, companies, sectors, authorities) are affected by the envisioned measures, and to which extend? How do the envisioned measures adjust the behaviour of these agents, and of course the behaviour of criminals/terrorists?

Economic tools can help the decision makers to answer these questions and to prevent wasteful expenditures on security (of course in collaboration with insights from criminology, sociology, etc.). In terms of benefit-cost ratio, controlling disinhibitors can be considered as a type of security measure which in a relatively subtle way increases security, in contrast to measures such as security guards, big concrete walls and barb wire that may be pervasive, but can also arouse feelings of fear and anxiety. Hence, target removal is an example of the designing out approach, or as an aspect of sustainable design, which seeks a balanced consideration of social, economic, cultural and environmental aspects in urban design. In general, sustainable design measures demand larger investments than traditional security measures, but at the same time they are able to avoid future costs due to the long-term prevention of crime. See, for example the results of the Pentagon renovation project:

The U.S. Department of Defense reported that a spray-on wall coating selected to improve blast-resistance also helped to improve the air tightness of the building envelope. Furthermore, "the tighter envelope not only saves heating and cooling energy, but also provides added protection against outside releases of airborne chemical or biological agents. The Department also reported "that new blast-resistant windows chosen to replace the original ones at the Pentagon are also 50% more energy efficient". "Another feature is the choice of photo-luminescent signage to mark evacuation routes; these require no standby power and are also easier to see through smoke caused by a fire or explosion than conventional exit signs". "A final example from the Pentagon project is the use of zoned climate control systems that not only reduce heating and cooling energy use and improve indoor air quality, but also make it easier to control smoke and manage the spread of chemical or biological toxins in response to an emergency" (Source: U.S. Department of Energy, EERE(2003), P 3-5 and 3-7).