Speaking as a local:

No, and no.

It made me feel less safe walking the street.

Researchers believe this strategy was effective because members of the guard were deployed in busy areas and tourist corridors, “where opportunistic property crime tends to occur and where visible deterrence is most likely to be effective.”

Why was there no drop in violent crime? According to the study, the soldiers were not deployed to hot spot crime areas, and according to researchers, violence is often the result of “interpersonal dynamics, social network conflicts, and the structural conditions of high-poverty neighborhoods.”