Research on how police appearance influences feelings of safety and fear of crime is limited and inconclusive, with most prior studies relying on field experiments that struggle with internal validity. This study uses a vignette survey experiment with 1,000 participants in Saxony to test how police uniform type, patrol gender composition, lighting conditions, and environmental decay shape public perceptions of safety, offering insights for evidence-based policing strategies.

Findings from a study (Mühler et al. 2022) on a weapon prohibition zone established on November 5, 2018, in Leipzig, Germany, indicate a decrease in crime rates within the zone. This paper asks whether the reduction is partially caused by displacement into surrounding areas or an actual reduction in crime.