People are more prone to protect and care for their own properties as they have personally invested in this. In neighbourhoods, residents feel a sense of responsibility within the community, and those who care about the district tend to be much safer.
This form of informal social control is able to control unruly and undesirable behaviour. Stable communities also generally promote better relations with neighbours which result in a lot of valuable information being shared between the inhabitants.
He further explores that this is necessary, as the presence of the police – despite all efforts to the contrary – is just not enough to keep a city or neighbourhood crime-free.
Ed’s note: This letter has been edited
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