The purpose of this master thesis is to create an environmental insight of distraction burglary. Distraction burglary have previously been a crime trend in Danish society, but now the Central and West Jutland Police have experienced an increase of reports of the criminological phenomenon. In addition, there have been cuts and reprioritization of the Danish Police in form of for example, border control and therefore the police have not had the opportunity to provide a targeted effort in the field of distraction burglary. This suggest that the knowledge, the police possesses of distraction burglary as a criminological tendency, is partly inadequate. Furthermore, there is not much research focused on this type of crime within a Danish context. This current criminological issue is difficult to understand as there are no studies or work methods within a Danish context the police can gain evident experience from. Thus, Central and West Jutland Police have demanded the need of a scientific research that primarily focuses on distraction burglary. Furthermore, to establish a judiciously investigation that potentially would serve as an insight and understanding for the criminal phenomenon which we intend to do. There is a possibility that distraction burglary will constitute to be an important part of the prevention work in future police work, but this is unknown.
This master thesis acknowledges that a given residential environment and its associated structure are not passive actors when a criminal act exists. These may have an important impact on criminal behavior, in which an environment and structure create prerequisites for crime. While the dynamics of crime itself stem from the decision-making process that a potential offender undergoes based on the structural environment. The reason for this approach is based on respective international research on distraction burglary which is individual-oriented, and therefore this master thesis takes an innovative environmental and structure-oriented approach instead. Thus, this study serves as a prestudy within a Danish context.
The empirical part of this master thesis consists firstly from a quantitative data material, which has initially created a realization of distraction burglary within Central and West Jutland Police area. The quantitative data emphasizes quantifiable knowledge, which then contributes to qualitative field observations in neighborhoods that has experienced distraction burglary. Thus, the methodology for this master thesis relates to the criminological method of crime analysis which provides guidelines for how to process quantitative and qualitative material and how this emphasizes further study. The qualitative empirical is expressed through environmental criminological theories that create an understanding of reality when crime exists. Here crime is seen as result of routine activities and situational conditions on the present situation trough situational forces. This depends on the calculated offender trough these theories are perceived as a rational individual who assesses the benefits of the criminal act. The calculated offender undergoes a decision-making process based on the structural environment and the victim itself. Therefore, it is necessary to examine structural and situational factors that may exist when distraction burglary occurs.
Our results have shown that there may be a reason to investigate this crime trend from an environmental and structural perspective. Likewise, with other respective research it is well established when distraction burglary occur it involves vulnerable environments and structural factors, but this also refers to the victim itself. The victim of distraction burglary is an elderly female of vulnerable character who dwells in environments and structure that also is characterized as vulnerable. Therefore, distraction burglary can be perceived as an ageist and sexiest offence based on quantitative and qualitative empiric trough criminological theory. But also, a victim’s quality of life and additional lifestyle can be important variables when distraction burglary occurs.
In conclusion the structural environment does have a significant meaning when distraction burglary occurs, but this depends on the structural and situational factors a place gives a potential distraction burglar. The offender undergoes a decision-making process where they assess the given structural and situational factors. This indicates that each distraction burglary case is unique because of the structural environment and the factors that follows. This master thesis gives one understanding and insight about a current criminological problem within the Danish society.