To understand what makes a neighborhood watch program successful, it is necessary to understand the types of crime and criminals expected. The majority of criminals in the Seville area have tended to be juveniles, usually staying near their own neighborhood. This year has seen an increase in the amounts of vandalism done in the area, a result of unsupervised juveniles.

Crime Recipe
For a crime to occur, 2 things are needed. The 1st ingredient to every crime is that there must be a perpetrator, or person who has the desire to commit the crime. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of criminals and more convicted criminals are being released into our neighborhoods every day. The FBI estimates that there are 35.3 million crimes committed each year

The 2nd and final ingredient is that there must be an opportunity to commit the crime.

Perpetrator + Opportunity = Crime

The equation above shows that a person with the desire to commit a crime, who has the opportunity to do so, will commit the crime. There is little that can be done to eliminate the desire, or the perpetrator. Ohio ranks 6th in the nation for the number of inmates being held in prison. Jail and police seem to be of little concern to them and it is well known that the chances of being caught after a burglary or theft are slim. Across the nation only 14% of home burglaries ever result in an arrest. However, if we can eliminate the opportunity, the equation cannot be completed!

Eliminating Crime Opportunities
The opportunity to commit the crime can be eliminated by placing a police officer at every home, by building fences around our neighborhoods, or by letting the criminal know that his every action is being watched by neighbors only too eager to see him arrested!