Much like terrorist attacks, criminal activities tend to follow predictable patterns. If understood correctly, the pattern can help victims and law enforcement thwart plots before they are successfully carried out.
The criminal planning cycle begins with target selection; all crimes begin with selecting the type of crime that will be committed and where it will be committed. The stage involves planning, during which time a criminal will monitor a target to determine if the target fits his criteria and if the benefit of committing a crime against the target is worth the risk associated with such an attack. The amount of time devoted to the criminal surveillance process will vary, depending on the type of crime and the type of criminal involved.
Next comes the deployment stage, in which a person begins to commit their crime. This could include pulling out a gun or physically abducting a target. The closer one gets to the point in time when the crime is to be committed, the more difficult it is to prevent it. It is far preferable to avoid the situation before an attack is launched.
The criminal planning cycle ends with escape and exploitation. Unfortunately, by the time the cycle reaches these stages, there is little a victim can do. Certainly, crime victims do escape due to the incompetence of the criminals or even sheer luck, but generally once the attack begins it is difficult to stop. For these reasons, it is important to detect criminals as early in the cycle as possible, namely the planning and surveillance stage.
