ABSTRACT
This chapter adds to work the authors have undertaken with Nick over the last decade on the international crime drop and the security hypothesis. It explores why crime rates have fallen steeply in high-income countries in recent decades. The chapter addresses violence, which is arguably the most important remaining area of research relating to the crime drop in relation to the security hypothesis. It explores evidence suggesting that violence fell later than property crime and offer a preliminary explanation. The chapter provides a brief summary of research and findings relating to the security hypothesis. It suggests that the patterns are consistent with two security-induced period effects, with the first reducing burglary and the second reducing vehicle theft. The chapter also suggests that the offending changes within birth cohorts are consistent with reduced property crime inducing a delayed fall in violence.
