The Broken Windows Still Aren’t Fixed

There was a time, not long ago, when the most effective idea in crime prevention didn’t come from a university, a politician, or a think tank. It came from a window. A broken one.

The theory was simple but promoted as revolutionary, when small signs of disorder are left unaddressed, larger crimes follow. If a window is broken and not repaired, the environment sends a signal, this place is neglected, unguarded, and open for further decline. It wasn't about glass. It was about human nature. The notion that unchecked chaos attracts more chaos is not just common sense, it's observable truth on every street corner where graffiti hardens into gang markings and vandalism morphs into violence.

What’s astonishing is how quickly this theory, once a pillar of effective policing, was tossed aside in the name of failed progressive ideologies. Its opponents framed it as punitive, even racist, as if the enforcement of standards were somehow an assault on dignity. But ask any shopkeeper, any bus driver, any commuter trying to navigate a filthy transit station full of loiterers, threats, and open-air dysfunction, the decay is not dignified. It is dangerous.

When police and security officers focused on low-level offences, loitering, vandalism, fare evasion, trespass, they weren’t just cracking down on minor nuisances. They were disrupting the pipeline of crime at its earliest stage. The petty thief, the aggressive humbugger, the habitual drug user, all became visible to law enforcement before they graduated into serious offenders. The results? In jurisdictions where broken windows policing was implemented with consistency and resolve, crime, all crime, plummeted.

And then came the backlash.

Instead of asking why it worked, critics denounced how it looked. Instead of refining the approach, they rejected it wholesale. They elevated empathy over enforcement, and the results were as predictable as they were devastating. Major cities and small ones that once saw historic drops in violence now report increases in assaults, thefts, brazen public disorder and even murder. Why? Because the broken windows are back, and no one seems to care enough to fix them.

From my perspective as a security professional, the collapse of broken windows theory is not just theoretical. It is operational. Commercial precincts, transport hubs, and public venues across Australia now tolerate conditions that would have once triggered immediate intervention. Security officers are told to "observe" rather than confront. Patrols are instructed to "engage" rather than remove. The presence of rules without enforcement has become its own form of permission.

It must be said clearly, tolerance of minor crime does not signal compassion. It signals surrender. When a security guard allows repeated loitering or turns a blind eye to shoplifting, they are not promoting inclusion, they are inviting escalation. Criminals, like all rational actors, study the terrain. They push where there is no pushback. They settle where guardianship is absent. They thrive where weakness is policy. They thrive on cowardice.

The psychology of lawlessness follows incentives. Leave a window broken and a criminal knows no one’s watching. Let the first punch go unpunished, and the next one lands harder.

When offenders see that consequences are inconsistent or symbolic, they don’t become reformed citizens. They become emboldened predators. And the cost is always paid by the public, never the bureaucrat.

The irony is that the philosophy behind broken windows policing was never authoritarian. It was preventative. It aimed to reduce the need for force by deploying early and minimal interventions. But in rejecting it, we now require more force later, because what could have been addressed with a citation or a removal now demands a stretcher or a body bag.

The reintroduction of law and order begins not at the courtroom, they’ve proven an utter failure, those in the NT judiciary that have contributed to its current lawlessness deserve nothing but disdain, but it can be enforced on the curb. When graffiti is removed quickly, when trespassers are warned and relocated, when fare evaders are stopped and documented, a message is sent, someone is watching, someone cares, and this is not a free-for-all. Crime doesn't begin with murder, it begins with the small things society refuses to address.

The lesson from history is not that broken windows theory failed. It’s that it was abandoned. And with its absence, crime filled the vacuum like water through a crack in the hull. The fix isn’t complicated. It starts with restoring standards. It starts with consequences that are swift and visible. It starts with the courage to act when others hesitate.

Let the academics wring their hands about nuance. Let the politicians chase the next re-election slogan. Let the lawyers and criminal advocates write their Op-eds. On the front lines, those who prevent harm know the truth, clean the streets, enforce the boundaries, and fix the damn windows, before the rot spreads.

Because if you don't fix the broken windows, soon enough, you’ll be dodging bricks, and the NT has learnt, the hard way, the criminals are carrying knives. From the author.

The opinions and statements are those of Sam Wilks and do not necessarily represent whom Sam Consults or contracts to. Sam Wilks is a skilled and experienced Security and Risk Consultant with 3 decades of expertise in the fields of Real estate, Security, and the hospitality/gaming industry. Sam has trained over 1,000 entry level security personnel, taught defensive tactics, weapons training and handcuffs to policing personnel and the public. His knowledge and practical experience have made him a valuable asset to many organisations looking to enhance their security measures and provide a safe and secure environment for their clients and staff.