[Spivak]

I mean I don't steal because I don't have to, not because of some moral drive to care one iota about the profits of corporations. No one is asking poverty reduction to eliminate crime but it's on the theory that for most people above a certain life comfort you have more to lose than gain by petty theft and you don't need to bother.

I think "give people something to lose" is an underused and underrated crime deterrent.

[Kalium]

Most people already have something to lose. Giving them the fear of losing it has more to do with enforcement.

[makeitshine]

Not necessarily. There are places where crime is low and so is police presence, like Taipei or Tokyo. It's part of culture which is actually adhered to by most.

[lmm]

What are you talking about? There's a staffed police box in every neighbourhood in Tokyo, and even more police in the "dangerous" areas.

[makeitshine]

I have hardly ever seen police patrolling. Traffic cops at intersections, but beat cops or cops at malls, train stations, etc.. seem rare.

[lmm]

If you go through Roppongi you'll see them, largely standing around. And in most shopping streets you'll see them patrolling on bicycles or in cars. They don't tend to stand around at malls or train stations, agreed, is that normal where you come from? (It wasn't the norm when I lived in the UK).

[makeitshine]

In the US it's common to see police out in areas like that. I looked it up and it seems NYC and Tokyo have the same number of cops.