Do Surveillance Cameras Affect Unruly Behavior? A Close Look at Grandstands

Abstract

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. This paper studies how surveillance cameras affect unruly spectator behaviour in the highest Swedish soccer league. Swedish stadiums introduced surveillance cameras at different points in time during the years 2000 and 2001. I exploit the exogenous variation that occurred due to differences across stadiums in the processing time to get permits to use cameras as well as delays in the supply of the equipment. Conditioning on stadium fixed effects, I find that the unruly behavior was approximately 65 percent lower in stadiums with cameras compared to stadiums without. The natural experiment provides a unique possibility to address problems regarding endogeneity, simultaneous policy interventions and displacement effects. Terms of use: Documents in EconStor mayJEL Code: K40, J01.

Violent and Antisocial Behaviour at Football Events: Review of interventions

“…The studies cover a breadth of strategies and interventions to counter antisocial and violent behaviour The few quasi-experimental designs varied in both design and quality; there were only four studies that were assessed as at least 3 on the adjusted Maryland Scientific Methods Scale and provide credible evidence of effectiveness (Di Domizio and Caruso, 2015;Giacomantonio et al 2015;Priks 2014;Schaap et al 2015).…”

“…A study by Priks (2014) evaluated the effect of surveillance cameras installed in Swedish football stadiums on unruly behaviour. The author took advantage of a decision in 2000 by the Swedish Football Association that all stadiums hosting matches in Allsvenskan (the highest Swedish league) needed to be equipped with cameras within two years.…”

Fighting Corruption in Education: What Works and Who Benefits?

“…The paper also contributes additional evidence of the effectiveness of monitoring to an emerging literature on the role of CCTV cameras in combating crime (Priks 2014(Priks , 2015King, Mulligan, and Raphael 2008;Farringdon 2009, 2003).…”

“…5 The effectiveness of CCTV cameras in reducing crime is a current topic, with million dollars being spent in this public safety infrastructure. Priks (2014Priks ( , 2015 document the causal effects of CCTV cameras on unruly behavior and some types of crime, using temporal variation in CCTV installation in Swedish stadiums and underground. King, Mulligan, and Raphael (2008) showed that property crime was reduced as a result of CCTV monitoring on the streets of San Francisco.…”

Order and control in the environment: Exploring the effects on undesired behaviour and the importance of locus of control

“…The reasoning behind this is that surveillance cameras may both prevent crime by signalling that one is being watched, as well as increasing the likelihood that one is caught in case of law‐breaking behaviour. Several studies (e.g., Poyner, ; Priks, ) do indeed suggest that the presence of cameras decreases undesired behaviour. We expect camera surveillance to be especially effective when a rational process of cost‐benefit estimation is involved, linking back to the rational choice perspective (Cornish & Clarke, ).…”