Opportunity makes the thief
The idiom “Opportunity Makes the Thief,” as quoted from Sir Francis Bacon centuries ago, encompasses the concept that anyone would be capable of committing a theft if there were no controls in place and no punishment for the crime.</span> Although this is a familiar phrase within the English language, what is not acknowledged is that there is more truth to this than realized at first.
The criminological research department of the British Government
Wrote a paper addressing “Opportunity Makes the Thief,” and this was further explored in 2002 by the Jill Dando Institute of Crime (Laycock & Tilley).
Do you think that that opportunity makes the thief?
Consider the following to accurately answer this question. If the world existed with no situational controls, such as the inspection of bus tickets, airport baggage checks, locks, alarms, access control, library book checkouts, or courts and jails, do you think there would be more crime? If you believe that more crime would occur, then you hold the surprisingly unorthodox opinion that opportunity makes the thief.
While many in security and crime studies disagree, it actually makes sense upon reflection. This is also what we base our method of crime prevention tactics upon. It must be noted, though, that although opportunity does affect crime immensely, there are still other factors that come into play, which need to be considered and cannot be ignored.
For a crime to occur in time and space, there need to be 3 aspects in place. We refer to this as the crime triangle.
DESIRE
The first side of the triangle is the desire of the criminal. He or she must have the willpower to want to commit the crime. Unfortunately, this we cannot change at all. For example, the criminal may be from a broken home, desperate and jobless, have no morals or ethics, or may just be selfish. Whatever the reason is, this remains inherent to the criminal, and we have no power or effect in this regard.
ABILITY
Although we have more control here, we still cannot completely eliminate this side of the triangle. All we can do in this case is hinder the ability of the criminal. This could either be physical, like making a wall higher or strengthening the bar for burglars, or it could be mental. For example, make it harder for criminals by placing beams in unexpected spots or hiding valuables where they would not think to look.
OPPORTUNITY
This is the key to proactive crime prevention and the cornerstone of our methodology. By eliminating the opportunity for criminals to commit the crime, we prevent it. Considering the statement that opportunity makes the thief, the significance of the Independent Security Risk Assessment is evident. We will demonstrate these opportunities and explain ways to eradicate them, making your property more resistant to crime. Many oppose our stance and base their assessments on a concept from Health & Safety, where they use the probability of a crime occurring to determine risk. WI have proved this incorrect. Skeptics can review the link below to see how an opportunity arose when the probability seemed unlikely. Here we see how a created opportunity makes the thief:
Written by Andre Mundell, independent security risk advisor and consultant at Alwinco.
The Gauteng Region (including Hyde Park, Bryanston, Midrand, Sandton, and Waverly) is the focus of our security risk assessment projects. Additionally, we cover Pellissier, Westville, and Cape Town and the surroundings.