Conclusion: The future of rural crime prevention

This chapter serves to summarise the themes of Rural Crime Prevention: Theories, Tactics and Techniques. In seeking to expand understanding of crime prevention in rural spaces, this book's framework has been premised on the truism that 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' - and that we should seek to identify initiatives for prevention and control of rural crime and the improvement of service delivery to confront an increasingly important aspect of crime and crime control. Effective crime prevention can reduce lost output, harm and intangible costs, and oftentimes it is too expensive to wait until crimes are committed. A proactive response is necessary, and effective crime prevention initiatives can contribute to safe and secure communities and alleviate pressure on the formal elements of the criminal justice system. A key theme which emerges throughout various contributions in the collection - from scholars and practitioners alike - is the role of technology, applied in a variety of contexts and with both social and environmental applications, in controlling, reducing and - importantly - preventing rural crime.