Social disorder and residence-based fear of crime: The differential mediating effects of police effectiveness

Purpose: The present study aims to investigate the mediating effects of the police effectiveness on the theoretical relationship between social disorder and fear of crime. We test hypotheses derived from Wilson and Kelling's (1982) Broken Windows Theory and Skogan's (2009) Accountability and Reassurance Models. Methods: Data were collected from a random-sample telephone survey of approximately 1100 residents drawn from an address-based sampling frame in Houston. We use structural equation models (SEM) to test hypotheses with combined survey-based and geo-coded data. Results: Mediating effect of police effectiveness was found in the relationship of perceived social disorder and fear of crime, except for the most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Conclusions: The results of the present study lend additional support for both Wilson and Kelling's (1982) Broken Windows Theory and Skogan's (2009) Accountability and Reassurance Models. Future research on the relationship between social disorder and fear of crime should consider both the mediating effect of formal social control mechanisms and the moderating effect of neighborhood socio-economic statuses.