• Russell G. Smith
• Australian Institute of Criminology

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Image: Cain Doherty / flickr

08 June 2011Three decades ago, two American criminologists, Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson, outlined the elements of a theory to explain trends in crime rates in terms of changes in the routine activities of everyday life. They argued that the structure of ordinary daily activities influences criminal opportunities, especially for so-called ‘direct-contact predatory violations’ (Cohen & Felson 1979: 589).

Structural changes in routine activity patterns were said to influence crime rates by affecting the convergence in space and time of the three minimal elements of direct-contact predatory violations:

• the presence of motivated offenders;
• the availability of suitable targets; and
• the absence of capable guardians against a violation (Cohen & Felson 1979: 589).

This paper examines how capable guardianship can be enhanced when responding to fraud in remote and regional communities. Guardians are not only police officers or security guards; rather, they can be anyone whose presence or proximity would discourage a crime from taking place. Guardianship is often inadvertent, yet still has a powerful impact on crime. Capable guardianship can be promoted through a range of activities and by a variety of actors.

Image: Cain Doherty / flickr