Crime and Crime Prevention at Krasnodar Krai Tourist Resorts: A Study of Crime, Fear of Crime and Crime Prevention

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to present a study of crime, crime prevention, and a legal analysis of regional and municipal crime prevention legislation in the Krasnodar Krai in Russia. A survey was conducted on a sample of 2,023 inhabitants, 650 uniformed police assistants, and 258 police officers in the Northern Caucasus between 2009 and 2014. In addition, the number and types of criminal offences, frequency of reported crime, and deviance was analysed, and regional and local legislation, policing and effectiveness of preventive activities were examined. Responses of civil uniformed police assistants and police officers show a strong positive relationship between the level of training, knowledge about legislation and police powers in the field of crime prevention. Most appropriate police practices in the field of crime prevention were in line with the lawful use of different civil associations, police public relations, attracting police assistants from different ethnic groups (especially Cossacks) and informal social control. As the territory of Krasnodar Krai consists of many ethnic groups, local cultural and religious peculiarities influencing the crime rate were studied. The authors also examined the data on residents' opinions of the police and police assistants' preventative activities. The survey studied the level of trust in the police, fear of crime and public opinion on different prevention practices for the first time in the Krasnodar Krai Tourist Resorts.