IELTS Writing Task 2 Topic: Effective security measures in large cities to reduce the crime
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Contents
There are more and more effective security measures in large cities to reduce the crime. For example, installation of anti-crime devices in cities. Does this endeavour bring more benefits than problems?
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Outline
Essay type
Opinion essay
Introduction
State your opinion clearly (whether you agree or disagree). Explain in brief what you are going to write in the body paragraphs.
Society has witnessed the proliferation of security measures to prevent victimisation. It is followed by a protracted debate over its benefits and drawbacks.
Body
- Paragraph 1: To some extent, the presence of a large number of anti-crime devices fuel the fear of crime and has a devastating effect on the quality of life of people.
- Paragraph 2: Crime reduction and prevention also rely on other approaches rather than just security methods. It is necessary to know that criminals tend to choose their targets based on time and whereabouts.
Conclusion
Restate your opinion with a clear and direct sentence
Sample Answer
Of late, society has witnessed the proliferation of security measures to prevent victimisation. It is followed by a protracted debate over its benefits and drawbacks. In my opinion, this is just a reflection of the overblown fear of crime and not the actual levels.
To some extent, the presence of a large number of anti-crime devices fuel the fear of crime and has a devastating effect on the quality of life of people. The fear of crime spreads across the community and affects nearly every resident. The most harmful aspect of this phenomenon is that people’s freedom is restricted and sometimes, their privacy is invaded. Some measures which are believed to put an end to crime, produce opposite results. For instance, installing street lights may create peace of mind for lots of people. Still, it also enables criminals to target their prey quickly, leading to a higher probability of attacks. The benefits of self-protective measures such as gun ownership and martial arts training are also doubtful since nobody can confirm its net effect of decreasing harm. Usually, most personal defensive equipment is either too difficult to use or less effective than expected.
Crime reduction and prevention also rely on other approaches rather than just security methods. It is necessary to know that criminals tend to choose their targets based on time and whereabouts. Therefore, citizens will be more vulnerable to victimisation if they bypass the places where crimes frequently occur. In the inner city, where violations are epidemic, eliminating the dilapidated building used by criminals for hiding or selecting a target seems to be more practical than requiring shops and residents nearby to install an expensive security system. The integral part of crime prevention is altering the environment, by which the root causes or at least the facilitators of crime can be erased.
However, some security measures do work. For instance, cybercrime has helped in reducing a lot of problem for internet users. Car alarms have alerted a lot of people against unauthorised use of their vehicle. CCTV cameras have captured a lot of problems and assisted the police in tracing the criminals.
But in my opinion, increasing security measures such as installation of anti-crime devices, brings in more trouble than peace.
Vocabulary
- Of late
- Proliferation
- Victimisation
- Protracted
- Overblown
- To some extent
- Devastating
- Phenomenon
- Invaded
- Probability
- Epidemic
- Dilapidated
- Facilitators
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Crime has been a menace to society for ages and unlawful activities are seeing a rise for the past few years. The judicial system has improved over the years as more stringent laws have been put in effect especially in urban areas. Moreover with the aid of advanced technology, keeping track of near about every segment of a locality has become convenient for the authorities. With that in mind, I believe there are both merits and demerits to such modern systems and in the following paragraphs, I will elaborate on the same.
Firstly, we have to acknowledge the sheer brilliance of the advancement in security equipment that humanity has achieved lately. The ability to monitor suspicious transactions, conversations or even actions without the risk of being noticed has led law enforcement to evade crime to a substantial degree. Secondly, these improvements have made it considerably straightforward to locate criminals and bring them to justice.
However, there are some grave complications with the use of such surveillance methods. The authority and control that these safety measures bring along with themselves is tremendous and can have dangerous consequences if not utilized judiciously. Therefore, in the wrong hands, such mechanisms have the potential to harm society to a great extent. There have also been instances of misuse of these technological facilities for illegal activities by hackers.
Finally, I would conclude by saying that progress in the area of public safety is a must and should be facilitated as much as possible. That being said, proper guidelines should be defined for the use of such safeguards to avoid problematic repercussions.
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Post your Comments
2 Comments
Azmira Zaman
Posted on Sep 1, 2021
Crime is increasing at an alarming rate in metropolises. As a result, a plethora of safety measures have been taken to alleviate the problem. However, some people hold the view that installing anti-crime devices can be problematic. This essay tends to discuss both perspectives and I will explain why I believe that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
To begin with, it is an indisputable fact that cameras are a major deterrent to crime. For instance, a recent survey showed that in New York City, the number of cases of burglaries has declined due to the prevalence of security devices. Nowadays, CCTV cameras are installed in almost every buildings as it captures the images of the offenders who can later be identified by the police. Thus leaving little or no courage for criminals to invade the house. Similarly, burglar alarms have largely contributed to decreasing the number of thefts and robberies in metropolitan cities. Whenever someone burglarizes, the sound system turns on alerting everyone in the house and the authority.
Every coin has two sides. The drawbacks of this initiative are just as many as the benefits. The first disadvantage that has often been argued by those against the installation of anti-crime gadgets is that it would lead to economic loss. To be more precise, inserting these tools in a society or building would entail a considerable sum of money. And also there is no certainty whether the robbery would take place in that very society or not. Secondly, thieves can effortlessly hack into the system and allow themselves in without sounding the alarm.
To conclude, although fitting anti-crime gadgets have some disadvantages, they provide people with a safe surrounding. Therefore, I strongly believe that the merits outbalance the demerits.
Reply
Janice Thompson
Posted on Sep 4, 2021
Overall band: 7.5
Lexical Resource: Use C2 vocabulary