Outdoor Lighting and Crime - Amper

the crime is much less feared by most people. Neither case implies causation by light, just as
the shift in proportions over the years does not imply causation by light. Some factors other
than light and lighting, by themselves, must be having a substantial effect on the day-night
ratios.
As will be demonstrated in following parts of this document, there appears to be no known
reliable evidence that lighting, by itself, has a net hindering effect on burglary at night.
Lighting appears to provide net assistance in the commission of graffiti and possibly other
vandalism, crimes that have much in common with the surveillance, approach, break and
escape phases of burglary. External light would appear to be generally advantageous to
criminals, especially for the indoors part of burglary at night. Of course, the trends in Figure
5 may just reflect a growing belief or experience among criminals that burglary in broad
daylight is more likely to succeed, regardless of the reason and whether the belief is true or
not.
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