Crime Displacement Effects of CCTV and Smart-City Technology: An Evidence Review

Nambi Namusisi H.

School of Natural and Applied Sciences Kampala International University Uganda

                                                                     ABSTRACT
The expansion of closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems and smart-city surveillance technologies has transformed contemporary approaches to urban crime prevention and public safety. This evidence review examines the crime displacement effects associated with CCTV surveillance, predictive policing, integrated sensor systems, and other smart-city technologies. Drawing upon theoretical and empirical literature, the study evaluates whether surveillance interventions reduce crime overall or merely relocate criminal activity across space, time, targets, or methods. The review highlights the relevance of routine activity theory, situational crime prevention, and crime pattern theory in explaining offender adaptation and displacement dynamics. Empirical findings reveal mixed outcomes: while many studies demonstrate significant reductions in crime within monitored zones, evidence also suggests the occurrence of spatial and temporal displacement in adjacent or less protected areas. At the same time, several investigations identify diffusion of benefits, where crime reductions extend beyond surveillance boundaries. Smart-city technologies introduce additional complexities through algorithmic governance, predictive policing, automated license plate recognition, artificial intelligence, and networked surveillance systems, all of which reshape offender behaviour and urban security practices. The review further examines methodological challenges in displacement research, including counterfactual construction, geographical scaling, publication bias, and causal inference limitations. Privacy concerns, public legitimacy, civil liberties, and ethical governance emerge as critical contextual moderators influencing the effectiveness and acceptance of surveillance technologies. The study concludes that crime displacement is neither universal nor inevitable; rather, its extent depends on surveillance design, coverage intensity, integration with broader crime prevention strategies, and community legitimacy. Effective policy responses therefore require balanced frameworks that combine technological innovation with transparency, accountability, ethical safeguards, and context-sensitive urban governance.

Keywords: Crime displacement, CCTV surveillance, Smart-city technology, Predictive policing and Urban crime prevention.

CITE AS: Nambi Namusisi H. (2026). Crime Displacement Effects of CCTV and Smart-City Technology: An Evidence Review. INOSR APPLIED SCIENCES 14(2):6-12.
https://doi.org/10.59298/INOSRAS/2025/14.2.612