Intervention for Preventing Motorcycle Theft in Boarding House Areas in Makassar City: A Crime Pattern Theory Approach

Abstract

Motorcycle theft remains one of the most common forms of property crime in urban residential environments, including boarding house areas characterized by high resident mobility and limited collective supervision. In many boarding house settings in Makassar City, both managers and tenants tend to pay limited attention to shared parking security, resulting in weak informal social control over parked motorcycles. This community service program was designed to provide a preventive intervention aimed at increasing awareness of motorcycle theft risks and promoting practical prevention strategies among boarding house managers and residents. The program was conducted in three boarding house settlements in Makassar City that exhibited several environmental vulnerabilities, including poor lighting, narrow alleys, direct escape access to main roads, indoor and outdoor motorcycle parking areas, and several identified crime-prone spots. The intervention employed leaflet-based education developed from field observations and interpreted through the perspective of Crime Pattern Theory. The implementation process included site observation, problem identification, the preparation of educational leaflets, and direct distribution of the material to the target groups. The main outcome of the program was the formulation of motorcycle theft prevention strategies grounded in the spatial characteristics and movement patterns found in boarding house environments. These strategies emphasized collective vigilance, surveillance of vulnerable points, safer parking arrangements, and increased attention to suspicious activity. The program demonstrates that leaflet-based intervention informed by Crime Pattern Theory can serve as a practical and context-sensitive approach to crime prevention in urban boarding house settings.