Crime opportunity theory suggests that offenders make rational choices and thus choose targets that offer a high reward with little effort and risk.
Daily activities create the convergence in time and space of the three elements necessary for a crime to occur: motivated offenders, suitable targets, and the absence of capable guardians.
It suggests that much offending can appropriately be viewed not simply as the product of deep social, economic, and psychological causes but also as the result of deliberate choices by individuals.
Through research and experimentation, the theory has evolved from the contributions and improvements made by different scholars each emphasizing his/her own ideas.
A careful analysis by Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson (1979) showed that this increase was due to a combination of temptation and opportunity.
Temptation is increased by the rise in the purchase of light-weight electronic goods such as TVs and VCRs in people's homes that could readily be sold.
The criminologist Van Dijk noticed a typical pattern in the theft of bicycles that also emphasizes the role of opportunity.
Most important, all four seek to block crime in practical, natural, and simple ways, at low social and economic costs.