Communities with Gates: Less Crime or Not?

Article Written By: Pierre Levingston

Many people feel an added sense of protection in gated communities because they have patrol guards, security codes and gates to keep unwanted guests outside. Even though all of these things are true, is there actually that much of a difference with the crime rate of communities that have these precautions and those who don't? The answer is yes, but surprisingly only a small difference.

Most information on gated communities indicate that gated communities have a much lower crime rate the first year it is established, but then it rises the following year and is only a little lower than the average crime rate. he long term crime rate between gated communities and other neighborhoods is very close, comparatively, with gated communities crime rate still slightly lower. Most critics of gated communities feel that residents living inside these establishments have a false sense of security. As pointed out before, the main appeal to many homeowners is safety. Critics feel that gated communities are not as safe as they advertise.

For example, the security guards that patrol the area normally only getting paid a little over minimum wage and most likely don't have the proper skills that professional security has. While having security guards patrolling the community does free up a police officer to patrol other neighborhoods, critics feel these security officers aren't reliable as far as safety is concerned. Most security guards with little training wouldn't put themselves in harms way if a felony were to be committed.

There has also been an issue with emergency vehicles getting inside gated communities to provide emergency assistance. With so many communities being built with gates, more security codes are being used making it hard on emergency personnel to gain entrance in a timely fashion. It also is harder for ambulances and Fire engines to gain entrance because of the usual narrow gate entrances.

Unmanned gates are growing in numbers as well. Many gated communities don't have guards on duty at all times of the day and night, meaning alarm codes for homeowners are given out so they can get inside. It's a good assumption that these homeowners will give out access codes to friends, family members and acquaintances that need entrance, and there is no guarantee that the pizza delivery boy won't give the code out to anyone else.

Critics may feel that communities with gates aren't as safe as they profess to be, but they do continue to be more and more popular. With each coming year they build new gated communities, even though they show to be just as effective as neighborhood watch programs. And neighborhood watch programs have the added perk that they are free.

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This Article Has Been Published on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 and Read 182 Times

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