Effects of Hot Spots Policing on Crime

This Campbell systematic review synthesizes the existing published and non‐published empirical evidence on the effects of focused police crime prevention interventions at high‐activity crime places and will provide a systematic assessment of the preventive value of focused police crime prevention efforts at crime hot spots. The review also examined whether focused police actions at specific locations result in crime displacement. Studies that used randomized controlled experimental or quasi‐experimental designs were selected. Nine eligible studies were included in this review. The results of this systematic review support the assertion that focusing police efforts at high activity crime places can be effective in preventing crime. Whatever the impact, we need to know more about the effects of hot spots policing approaches on the communities that the police serve.