Using behavioural insights to raise awareness on domestic burglary prevention

The goal of this report is to provide policymakers with an overview of behavioural insights and interventions that aim to increase citizens’ awareness of domestic burglary prevention and encourage them to take prevention measures. In the report, we construct an evaluation framework and provide recommendations for four policy measures: neighbourhood watch groups; security surveys; police advice and police labels. We evaluate these measures using behavioural models, the Taxonomy of Choice Architecture Techniques and the EMMIE framework.

We conclude that behavioural insights and evidence-informed behavioural interventions can enrich and enhance the traditional toolbox to raise citizens’ awareness of domestic burglary prevention and to encourage citizens to take sound burglary prevention measures. These behavioural instruments should not be implemented in isolation but as part of a larger package including various types of instruments. We recommend the simultaneous use of behavioural and traditional prevention measures, targeting both the intuitive and the reflective, the conscious and the unconscious, and the rational and emotional underpinnings of people’s decision making processes.

Research commissioned by the EUCPN Secretariat, May 2022