Why crime goes down when street lights are turned off

In the past I have supported the idea of turning off street lights in the deep of the night. This is not just because it saves money, but also because it may give us back the experience of seeing the awesome nighttime sky.

And in May I reported a counterintuitive claim from West Mercia Police that crime goes down when street lights are turned off.

But now there is a convincing theory as to why this is the case (found via Conservative Home).

Because This is Bristol quotes a city councillor, Ron Hardie:

“The police have told us they have not seen any notable increase in crime. 

“In fact, in some areas, there has been a reduction of 20 per cent. 

“I understand from the police that burglars don’t like it when it’s dark. 

“They like to be able to see their escape route and they like to ‘case’ a premises before they strike. 

“They would attract too much attention if they were using torches.”

Mr Hardie is a Labour councillor. His sensible attitude contrasts with his party's attempts nationally (encouraged by the Observer) to drum up a scare about street lights being switched off in the middle of the night.