Crime is a problem no matter where a person goes these days. It can be in many different forms, but no matter what the crime is, it is always costly in terms of the damage that is caused to people and property. There is no such thing as a crime that affects only the criminal.
To help lessen the chances that a crime will be committed, the government has provided public goods that are dedicated to public safety. The police officers that patrol our streets are one example of a public good. Other crime prevention measures like government provided barriers and similar devices are also examples of public goods. Since these things are public goods, it can be difficult to provide enough of them to satisfy the "market" - in this case, the cities and towns that benefit from the police activity and other crime prevention measures. .
There are some characteristics that help define public goods. One characteristic is that public goods are indivisible, meaning that they cannot be divided into smaller units in order to be sold in private markets. For example, a police officer cannot be "sold" to a single family for their own private use. .
Another characteristic is that public goods are nonrivalrous. This means that use of a public good by one person does not prevent use of that same good by another person. Just because a gate prevents one person from entering a protected area does not mean that the gate will then be useless against other trespassers. .
Public goods are nonexcludable. Nonexcludable refers to the fact that their benefits cannot be kept from those people who do not contribute to covering the costs of the use of the public goods. People who do not pay taxes are equally protected from crimes as people who do pay their taxes. The people that do not pay their share are called free riders.
As I stated above, crimes can be committed in many forms. One major form of crime that the whole world is trying to rid itself of is the problem with drugs.
