Crime Prevention: Hyenas

Overview

The ‘Hyena’ campaign was launched in 1992 – with the long-term objective of making car crime socially unacceptable. The campaign likens car criminals to scavenging hyenas, and encourages the public to collectively deter offenders. Offering simple advice, such as “remove valuables and ensure doors are locked”, the film suggests that opportunities for the car criminals will be reduced. The campaign proved successful in lowering this type of crime and has been coupled with nation-wide Police initiative ‘Operation Hyena’ targeting car criminals. However, there is more to be done as the Home Office states that vehicle crime still accounts for one-fifth of all crime recorded by the police.