Frostpunk 2: How to Decrease Crime

Crime is a city problem in Frostpunk 2 that can increase Tension, reduce Population Growth, and create a variety of other ill effects. It is thus very important that players keep Crime under control, and there are several ways to approach that undertaking. This guide is here to elaborate upon that statement, and it will help players decrease Crime in Frostpunk 2.

Players should get in the habit of occasionally hovering over the handcuff icon under the Resource Drawer at the top of the screen. This action will cause an information pane to appear, and it reveals details about Crime in the City. If those details indicate that Crime is "Absent," then keeping it "Stable" is acceptable. However, if Crime is anything but "Absent," or it is "Growing," strategy game fans should use the following methods to get it to "Diminishing."

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By William Parks

Frostpunk 2: How to Reduce Crime

Goods

Players who are having issues with Crime should begin by making sure that they are meeting their City's demand for Goods. Indeed, Goods Scarcity leads to increased Crime, and a red bar beneath the pot icon at the top of the screen indicates that the effect is active. If a player is experiencing Goods Scarcity, it is recommended that they read this guide to increasing Goods Output in Frostpunk 2.

Buildings & Hubs

After getting the output of Goods to an acceptable level, players can set their sights on establishing Buildings that decrease Crime when built in the appropriate Districts. Here are details about how fans of city-builders can gain access to those Buildings:

Research Watchtowers: Surveillance Watchtower (Idea Tree: Society). Built in Housing Districts.
Research Watchtowers: Patrol Watchtower (Idea Tree: Society). Built in Housing Districts.
Research Watchtowers: Watchtower (Idea Tree: Society). Built in Housing Districts.
Research Prisons: Thought-Correction Prison (Idea Tree: Society). Built in Housing Districts.
Research Prisons: Punitive Prison (Idea Tree: Society). Built in Housing Districts.
Research Prisons: Isolation Prison (Idea Tree: Society). Built in Housing Districts.
Research Poverty Eradication: Labour Camp (Idea Tree: City). Built in Industrial Districts. This is a Radical Idea that requires progress with Merit.

Building any type of Watchtower in a Housing District will give that District the "Random Searches" ability. This ability can be activated in the District when Crime is at least Minor, and it further decreases Crime. That said, using "Random Searches" will increase Tension.

Players can also build Surveillance Hubs near Housing Districts to decrease their Crime. This becomes possible after researching Surveillance Hub: Surveillance Hub (Idea Tree: Hubs), and three tiles of a Housing District must fall within the Hub's area-of-effect to activate its Crime reduction.

Laws

There are Laws that directly decrease Crime, and they can be put before the Council and enacted after researching certain Ideas. Here is a list of those Laws and details about how survival game fans can make them within the Council Hall:

Youth: Dutiful Youth (Council: Society). Available after researching Youth: Dutiful Youth (Idea Tree: Society).
Guard Immunity: Guard Immunity (Council: Society). Available after researching Guard Immunity: Guard Immunity (Idea Tree: Society). This is a Radical Idea that requires progress with Tradition.
Crime Elimination: Sterilisation (Council: Society). Available after researching Crime Elimination: Sterilisation (Idea Tree: Society). This is a Radical Idea that requires progress with Reason.
Crime Elimination: Public Executions (Council: Society). Available after researching Crime Elimination: Public Executions (Idea Tree: Society). This is a Radical Idea that requires progress with Tradition.
Criminal Reparations: Human Experimentation (Council: Society). Available after researching Criminal Reparations: Human Experimentation (Idea Tree: Society). This is a Radical Idea that requires progress with Reason.
Criminal Reparations: Frostland Deportation (Council: Society). Available after researching Criminal Reparations: Frostland Deportation (Idea Tree: Society). This is a Radical Idea that requires progress with Tradition.

Passing the Crime Elimination: Public Execution gives Housing Districts with Prisons the "Execute Prisoners" ability. This ability further decreases Crime.

Guard Squads

Guard Squads play an important role in regulating Crime, and a City's current supply is listed next to the shield icon in the top-right corner of the screen. While players will earn Guard Squads simply by building Watchtowers, there are other ways to obtain them:

Pass the "Guard Enforcers" Law, which is located on the left side of the Rule section. Then click on a Housing District with a Watchtower and activate the "Mobilise Watchtower Squads" ability.
Pass the "Steward's Militia" Law, which is located on the left side of the Rule section. Then click on a faction at the bottom of the screen and select the "Enlist to Steward's Militia" option in the Special section if it is present.
Click on a Housing District with a Prison and activate its "Mobilise Prison Wardens" or "Conscript Inmates" ability.
Factions in Frostpunk 2 will occasionally engage in Rallies once a positive relationship has been established, and players can select from various bonuses during those events. One bonus is additional Guard Squads.

Players will also increase the efficacy of their Guard Squads upon passing the "Steward's Militia" Law. That efficacy can be pushed even further by activating the "Declare Martial Law" ability in the Central district after passing "Martial Law" on the left side of the Rule section.

Population Size

Population Size in Frostpunk 2 has a big impact on Crime, and players can try to reduce their Crime by sending some people from their main City to an established Colony. This is a mechanic that becomes available as fans explore the Frostland, and here is how to use it:

Click on the Colony's icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
Click the "Send People" icon in the information pane that appears.
Use the slider to send people from the City to the selected Colony.

Players should be careful when enacting population transfers, as sending too many people can cause major issues for both the sending City and the receiving Colony.

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