(Newswire.net — August 5, 2016) — Forget what you’ve seen on Real Housewives: not all gated communities are made as gilded cage to protect the super rich. In fact a large number of them are home to residents living in the opposite financial extreme, who are left with few other options but to move into enclosed communities, located in low income areas of cities.
The disparity between neighborhoods, their residents and the crime rate of the cities in which they are located means that there are also huge differences in their experiences of crime. While many of them succeed in creating a safe environment, some themes have been observed across gated communities worldwide suggesting that their relationship with crime is far from straightforward.
Gated communities linked to increasing crime
One of the main attractions of living within a gated community is the high level of privacy provided by high walls and restricted roads. However, the same features that shield properties from the unwanted gaze of strangers also severely impede Neighbourhood Watch schemes, making them more attractive to criminals.
While crimes such as burglary tend to decrease in the first year or so following the implementation of the security gates, they will invariably creep back up to the same level as the surrounding area. In some cases—particularly in countries with high crime rates, such as South Africa—the risk of burglary is higher within gated communities.
Another way protective walls and gates can backfire and threaten resident’s home security, is by creating deserted stretches of land immediately outside the community. These public spaces become dangerous crime hotspots, fueled by a social division maintained by the lack of security deterrents.
This is not to say that gates and perimeter walls are no longer an effective ways of protecting a property. On a smaller scale, installed around a single home for example, automated gates can be a reliable component of home security.
Locking crime out, or locking criminals in?
Cameras, guards and tall walls may be able to offer a level of protection against intruders from the outside community, but their outward facing approach is not effective against all types of crime.
Research has shown that people living in gated communities are vulnerable to ‘intimate partner violence’, which encompasses offenses such as bullying and domestic assault. Victims often suffer as a result of reduced interaction with the wider community, who may otherwise spot signs of abuse and intervene.
One security measure that individuals inside gated communities can install to protect themselves from domestic crimes is CCTV. As home security providers Banham point out, security cameras act as a both a crime deterrent and a method of recording criminal activity for evidence. In cases of domestic violence, CCTV could make a great difference to personal safety.
Adolescents can also suffer from lack of interaction. Feeling trapped or oppressed by their surroundings will sometimes push teenagers towards involvement in minor criminal activities, such as vandalism or drug use. While these do not pose immediate threats to the nearby residential households, it could quickly escalate, and introduce more serious crimes to the area.