Crime Prevention- A Matter of Biblical Proportion

Rick Arrington

Everything I needed to know about crime prevention I learned from Noah’s Ark.

1.         Plan for the unexpected. It wasn’t raining when Noah began to build. Many times, there is not yet a crime problem, but the opportunities are there. Poor planning, lack of a comprehensive land use plan, an undressed design features may cause a scramble to retrofit a fix when all the elements finally come together, and a crime occurs.

2.         Everyone can be of use. Noah was 600 years old when he was called upon to serve. Don’t overlook those in the community willing to help.

3.         When the safe way is available, take it. Many were in the valley being preached to but refused to hear of the impending problem. Get on the boat!

4.         Amateurs are often better equipped for the task at hand than professionals. Noah was no boat builder, but he had something that was needed, righteousness to follow.

5.         There is safety in numbers. The animals came two by two and we can find a great lesson in that whether in personal safety or in working on problems in the community, two points of view are always better.

6.         Even enemies will tolerate one another when they are in the same boat. If a community is plagued with burglaries or with assaults, people who would normally never speak become bound together for the common cause. Use this tendency to develop community cohesiveness for the future to prevent future crimes.

7.         When the trouble subsides, each will go their own way. Realizing this tendency, it is our duty to find ways to keep the community engaged with one another and with law enforcement in a non-adversarial way.

8.         When you are doing what is right, ignore the critics. Noah was undoubtedly laughed at and ridiculed, but he was right and because of it we are here today. Community engaged policing and crime prevention have always had their detractors who claim that the tactics don’t work, but as mentioned earlier, the change in methods prove that the combination of proactive policing and reactive policing are a success.