Regulation of Built-In Home Security (Netherlands)
Solution types
Access Barriers
Problems addressed
Robberies
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Life periods served
People of all ages
Where the program was applied
Residence / home
Country of application
Netherlands
Description

This is a government program to regulate new security standards in residential construction. The aim is to reduce the risk of property crime in residential sectors, such as burglary and car theft, through the use of self-protection measures in all newly-built homes.
The main actions in this type of intervention focus on the use of burglary-certified locks and anti-theft windows in vulnerable areas of the house. In addition, a building permit is only issued once the security requirements have been met.

Impact evaluations

An impact assessment showed that, after the new regulations were implemented, there was a 26% reduction in the risk of burglary when compared to homes built in the years prior to their promulgation. However, there was no significant effect on attempted burglaries [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Vollaard, B. & van Ours, J. C. (2011). Does Regulation of Built‐in Security Reduce Crime? Evidence from a Natural Experiment. The Economic Journal, 121(552), 485–504. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2011.02429.x

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