Chapter Overview

        The importance of robbery resides in its economics, its frequency, the fear created, the potential for violence, and its resistance to investigative efforts. Robbery is defined as the illegal taking of something of value from the control, custody, or person of another by threatening, putting in fear, or using force. Robbery can occur in several contexts including visible street robberies, carjackings, home invasions, truck hijackings and automatic teller machine robberies. Further, taxi-cab drivers and convenience store personnel in particular are easy targets for robbery because they often involve persons working alone, twenty-four hour availability, minimal or no protection from robbers and a large part of business conducted on a cash basis. Similar to variation by place, robbery "styles" based on the amount of time planned by the perpetrator to commit the offense may differ. As discussed in this chapter, some robberies occur without essentially any planning while others involve considerable premeditation.

        Because of the face-to-face confrontation between perpetrator and victim, the potential for violence is always present and, when it does occur, may range from minor injury to loss of life. Due to its personal and often violent nature, robbery is one of the crimes most feared by the public, a fear that may be heightened by perceptions of police inability to deal effectively with these offenses. Witnesses are often shaken and see the perpetrator only briefly, sometimes limiting how much they can assist the investigative process. This coupled with the fact that most offenders operate alone can make the robbery investigation extremely difficult. In light of the latest identification technologies, however, generating and distributing a likeness of a suspect quickly can mitigate the investigative challenge. When security cameras are present and operating, they can also be of major assistance in providing leads.

        In addition to a heightened sense of fear and alarm, robbery victims often seek guidance and advice to help prevent repeat victimization. Along with arresting suspects and recovering the victim's property, investigators and their departments can serve in a crime prevention role. Providing victims tips on what to do before, during and after a robbery can provide the needed guidance and help lessen the chance of repeat victimization as well.