The if, why and what of street lighting and street crime: A review

Improving street lighting is often advocated as a solution to street crime. This paper reviews the evidence to support this view, offers a rationale as to why improved lighting might affect the incidence of crime, and identifies what aspects of lighting are likely to be important. It is concluded that while there is support for lighting as a crime prevention measure, the effects of lighting on crime, the reasons for its effects and the important characteristics of lighting, are not well understood. A number of questions are identified that need to be answered if we are to use lighting more effectively in the fight against crime.