Routine Activity Theory (RAT)
There are many theories around that attempt to explain how and why crimes occur, but this one is a well-
known theory which provides a straightforward explanation of why crimes occur. It can be used as a
practical tool by crime reduction/prevention practitioners to analyse crime problems.
RT argues that when a crime occurs, three things happen at the same time and in the same space!
a suitable target is available
there is the lack of a suitable guardian to prevent the crime from happening
a likely and motivated offender is present.
A Suitable Target
The first condition for crime is that a suitable target must be available. The word target has been chosen
carefully, rather than other words such as victim.
There are three ma"or categories of target. target can either be!
#. a person
$. an ob"ect
%. a place.
&o matter how suitable a target is, an offense won't occur unless a capable guardian is absent and a likely
offender is present.
Absence of a Capable Guardian
The first condition for crime is that there must be a suitable target present. The second condition is that a
capable guardian whose presence would discourage a crime from taking place must be absent.
capable guardian is anything, either a person or thing, that discourages crime from taking place. These can
be formal or informal.
(ome examples of capable guardians!
police patrols
security guards
&eighborhood )atch groups
door staff
locks
fences
barriers
lighting
alarm systems
vigilant staff and co-workers
friends
neighbors
*lose *ircuit Television +**T,- systems
(ome of the guardians are formal and deliberate, like security guards. some are informal and inadvertent,
such as neighbors.
It is also possible for a guardian to be present, but ineffective. /or example a **T, camera is not a capable
guardian if it is set up or sited wrongly. (taff might be present in a shop, but may not have sufficient training
or awareness to be an effective deterrent.
Likely Offenders
)hen a suitable target is unprotected by a capable guardian there is a chance that a crime will take place.
The final element in this picture is that a likely offender has to be present.
RT looks at crime from an offender's point of view. crime will only be committed if a likely offender
thinks that a target is suitable and a capable guardian is absent. It is their assessment of a situation that
determines whether a crime will take place.
0ikely offenders have many different reasons for committing offenses. It is important that you understand
what some of these are. The ability to analy1e a situation from an offender's point of view will increase your
effectiveness as a crime reduction practitioner.
The list of possible reasons why people commit offenses is potentially endless2 3ere is list some of the main
ones broken down under various categories. The list isn't exhaustive.
Gain!eed
poverty
to feed a drug habit
greed
Society"#perience"nviron$ent
living in a culture where crime is acceptable
because of peer pressure
coercion
lack of education
poor employment prospects
family background
mental illness
poor housing
envy
as a rebellion against authority.
%eliefs
a belief that crime in general or particular crimes aren't wrong
as a protest on a matter of principle
pre"udice against certain minority/ethnic groups
4any of the reasons why people commit crime are complex, and one or more are often linked. (o, for
example, although drug dependency may be the primary reason why someone commits an offense, there
may be underlying reasons. 5overty or lack of employment might have caused the drug addiction in the first
place and lead indirectly in to crime.
S&''AR(
The presence of a likely offender is the last condition for crime and completes the basic crime triangle.
