Crime and anxiety : politics and the fear of crime

At a time of falling crime rates but rising fear of crime the notion of fear of crime has become as important as crime itself, and absolutely central to the way governments in the western world are now going about the task of crime control and crime prevention.

For the media, it is part of their staple diet and informs their approach to the reporting of crime.

Yet the concept of fear of crime has not hitherto been subjected to a rigorous analysis.

This provocative, wide ranging book aims to fill this gap, tracing the emergence of fear of crime as a meaningful concept in both social enquiry and governmental and political discourse - looking in particular at the UK, Australia and New Zealand and North America.

In doing so, it draws upon a wide range of literature and research, including interviews with prominent researchers and policy makers involved in this field.