Want less crime? Fight poverty.

The most effective way to reduce crime is to reduce poverty. The reason wealthier neighborhoods tend to have lower crime rates isn’t because they have more police, better alarm systems, or stronger neighborhood associations. It’s because more people have stable housing, food, healthcare, education, and economic opportunity.
When basic needs are met, desperation declines. Poverty doesn’t explain every crime, but it remains one of the strongest drivers of crime in society.