Curbing Crime

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Efforts to curb crime by installing bright images, LED lights and 24-hour surveillance cameras in back alleys have been producing results. Let’s find out more.

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This neighborhood in Seoul used to be prone to burglaries and robberies because of low fences and many poorly lit areas. Now the narrow alleys of the neighborhood are decorated with colorful wall paintings and plants. At the entrance, there are 24-hour surveillance cameras and emergency alarms. Thanks to numerous LED lights installed between the fences, the alleys are no longer dark at night.

[Soundbite] Kim Kyung-soon(Resident) : "Our neighborhood has become cleaner with fewer cigarette butts on the ground. It's a nice place to meet with neighbors."

Residents of this neighborhood have transformed an abandoned garbage site into a resting area and a garden. A lot that used to be occupied by a deserted house has been turned into a community center. As a result of the Seoul City government's efforts to renovate 24 neighborhoods prone to crime, the rate of violent crimes including murder, burglary and sexual assault has declined by up to 22 percent over the past three years.

[Soundbite] Park Jun-hui(Ph.D., Korean Inst. of Criminology) : "When it's obvious that neighborhoods are well-managed,criminals feel discouraged from committing crime."

The Seoul City government plans to carry out the anti-crime design project in 26 more neighborhoods over the next two years.