REEVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGNS TO REDUCE ROBBERY RISK IN FLORIDA CONVENIENCE STORES

Prevention of intentional injuries to convenience store workers has fo cused on prevention of robbery. Data from a cross-sectional study of t he effectiveness of environmental designs to deter robbery in Florida convenience stores were reanalyzed in order to determine the effect of confounding from local crime risk factors and other environmental des igns on robbery rate. Results of this reanalysis were applied to a rev iew of the literature. Of 14 store design factors and 5 local crime ri sk factors considered, concealed access/escape routes, cash register L ocated at the back or the side of the store, high county crime rate, a nd high county population size were significantly associated with incr eased robbery rate. Poor cash handling policy was significantly relate d to a decreased robbery rate. Results also indicated that local crime factors and some environmental designs confound the relationship betw een other environmental designs and robbery rate. Conclusions from thi s reanalysis indicated that studies of the effectiveness of environmen tal designs to deter robbery must adjust for confounding. Although env ironmental design tends to be an effective robbery deterrent strategy, results from studies have been inconsistent as to the effectiveness o f specific design factors. This inconsistency is partially explained b y lack of adjustment for confounding from local crime risk factors and multiple environmental design factors. Areas for further research are discussed.