What are the three elements of the routine activity approach?

A crime becomes likely when three things meet at the same place and time: a motivated offender, a suitable target and the absence of a capable guardian.

* All three elements must meet; adding a guardian breaks the triangle *

The approach explains crime not by the offender's psyche but by opportunities in everyday life:

1. Motivated offender: someone willing to commit the crime. The theory assumes such people always exist.
2. Suitable target: something attractive and vulnerable, such as an unlocked flat, an inattentive passer-by or an easy-to-steal object. Attractiveness depends on value, accessibility and visibility.
3. Absence of a capable guardian: no protection is present. A guardian can be a person (police, neighbours, the owner) or a mechanical safeguard (alarm systems, locks).

Core message: people's daily routines create the meeting of the three in space and time. When everyone is at work, flats stand empty, so targets are unguarded. Remove any one element and the crime becomes unlikely, which is why police presence works: a patrol is a guardian.

Go deeper:

• Wikipedia: Routine activity theory — Cohen and Felson's three elements of crime.