Abstract:Most current theory, which treats crime as an expression of psychological or social malaise, would hold that displacement of offending undermines the value of measures to reduce opportunities for crime. However, a drop of more than 60% in motorcycle thefts in the Federal Republic of Germany, brought about by the introduction in 1980 of fines for failing to wear a crash helmet, was not followed by increases in thefts of cars or bicycles. This may have been because bike or car thefts do not offer a similar combination of costs and benefits for the offender as opportunistic thefts of motorcycles. More generally, it appears that a ‘rational choice’ perspective on crime is likely to result in more fruitful analysis of displacem