Inventing Fear of Crime: Criminology and the Politics of Anxiety Book

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 been subjected to a rigorous analysis. This provocative, wide-ranging book fills this gap, tracing the emergence of the fear of crime as a meaningful concept in both social enquiry and governmental and political discourse, looking in particular at the UK, Australia, 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.