We left late from work on one Friday last week. The feeling
of a win was brewing in the car. An important assignment got completed; we were
applauded for our work, and the weekend was waiting for us. As the car turned
into a quite lane before my building, we saw the streetlights were off. The
upset tumble evolved from how bad the infrastructure is to the social benefits
of street lighting.
As we all agree, street lighting creates navigable &
safe. In most people's minds, offenders or potential victims, there is a simple
and direct relationship between lighting and crime. The better the lighting,
the lower the possibility of crime. Offenders benefit from the cover of
darkness and good street lighting exposes them. Improved lighting means that
offenders are more likely to be seen by someone who might intervene, call the
police, or recognize the offender. Even if this does not happen, some offenders
who fear that it might would be deterred from crime.
Improved lighting deters potential offenders by increasing the
risk that they will be seen or recognized when committing crimes, which
eventually leads them to back off from the area of crime. Police &
potential saviours become more visible, thus leading to a decision to desist
from crime. If improved lighting leads to the arrest and imprisonment of
offenders they can no longer commit crimes in the area and also deters others
from committing the crime due to the fear of being punished. New lighting can
encourage residents to spend more time on the roads or yards in the evenings
and thus increase informal surveillance.
As we reached the safety of our houses, the discussion
moved to how something as simple as street lights are a part of a safe social
society. While, we got the topic for our next blog, it also got us thinking on
how to egg the local authorities to make it mandate to have good street
lighting to effectively make our streets safer.
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