The Target Hardening Programme (THP) was developed by the Ministry of Justice to provide increased home security and at the same time provide burglary prevention information. The core of the THP centres on the provision of security equipment such as dead bolts on doors, window locks and burglar alarms to lower socio-economic households that have been burgled twice or more within a year.
Victim Support administers the THP and Chubb NZ installs the security equipment. The New Zealand Police have responsibility for referring repeat burglary victims to Victim Support. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for funding the programme.
In April 2001, a pilot of the THP began operating in seven Auckland Victim Support areas: West Auckland, Auckland Central, Manukau, Counties, North Shore, Hibiscus Coast, and North Rodney. Between April 2001 and July 2002, the THP upgraded the security of 167 Auckland households.
Two studies have been conducted to evaluate this pilot. In June 2002, the Institute of Public Policy (IPP) at Auckland University of Technology was contracted to examine the outcomes of the THP for a sample of THP participants and their families and to investigate the efficiency and effectiveness of the implementation of the THP.
The IPP evaluation team interviewed 41 adults and eight children from 37 households who had participated in the THP in Auckland. In addition, 26 key stakeholders were interviewed, including Victim Support managers, staff and volunteers; Victim Support National Office; subcontracted assessors; Chubb NZ; Housing New Zealand Corporation; New Zealand Police and the Ministry of Justice THP Steering Committee.
The Ministry of Justice also conducted a complementary study aiming to measure whether THP households were less likely to experience repeat burglary compared with all households in the area. Because of key limitations in the data for this exercise the objective was not achieved. However the Ministry of Justice study has revealed some important findings relating to the operation of the THP.