Wilson’s Broken Window Theory can solve our crime problem

Oct 22, 2013 Letters

Dear Editor,
George Kelling and James Wilson’s Broken Window Theory which appeared in the March 1982 edition of The Atlantic Monthly could well be the answer to our escalating criminal problems. Wikipedia cites the following examples to show the bases for the theory:
Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it’s unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside.
Or consider a pavement. Some litter accumulates. Soon, more litter accumulates. Eventually, people start leaving bags of refuse from take-out restaurants there or even break into cars.
It is reported that Philip Zimbardo, a Stanford psychologist, arranged an experiment testing the broken-window theory in 1969. The essence of his experiment was that he left a car parked with its bonnet open in the Bronx area, and then observed that within ten minutes people started striping the car of valuables. After all valuables were removed, other started vandalizing the vehicle.
Another car was left in Palo Alto, California (a more refined neighborhood). He waited for about two weeks and after noting that the car remained untouched, took a sledge and smashed in one side. What followed was complete vandalism of the vehicle. Interestingly, he noted that the majority of the adult “vandals” in both cases were primarily well dressed, clean-cut and respectable whites.
New York’s former mayor Rudy Giuliani is on record as stating that his administration saved New York, in reducing the crime rate by more than 50% during the nineties, through the implementation of this theory.
I’ll be the first to admit that our society is different from New York in many ways, but I do believe that this theory if adopted in Guyana can make a huge difference in our crime situation. I am also not saying that SWAT and other grand ideas that are being implemented are not needed, but I am suggesting that this approach would serve as a proactive measure in the all but lost crime war being fought by our security service.
I am implying here that the impetus to perform in a certain kind of behaviour is coming from a feature of our environment. This idea comes from Author Malcolm Gladwell in his book called “The Tipping Point”. He examined the New York City crime fight of the nineties and underlined the fact that crime is contagious. He noted that it can start with a broken window and soon spread through an entire community.
It’s the same principle Jesus teaches in Luke 16:10 when he reasoned; “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” The problem corrected at its base form will alleviate the grander of its evils.
This Broken Window Theory is asking us to eliminate the touting, the public drinking, the noise nuisance, the “hot plate” driving, the illegal rubbish dumping, the public swearing, illegal vending, the loitering and any such malpractice that compromises the sense of public safety and public order. Eliminate the environment of lawlessness and you would immunize us from the criminal epidemic we are now experiencing.
This proposal would call for drastic changes in the culture of policing in our country. We need more foot patrols with a ticketing system fully enforced and some of the powers of arrest removed from our officers. For example: if a police officer observes someone touting at the bus park, he simply writes him a ticket for $1000 and sends him on his way. Why such a low amount? It’s the amount that would be paid in any instance. We should not blind ourselves to the broken pane of corrupt police officers.
I am merely attempting to align the discussion in the direction I believe shows most promise in arresting Guyana’s runaway crime train. We have been focusing for too long on the branches of the wild bushes and largely ignoring the forest roots that criminals sprouted from, much to our own peril. This is the kind of reform I am anticipating from our commissioner of police in his promise to take back the streets.
Keniemo Alphonso

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Wilson’s Broken Window Theory can solve our crime problem

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