Virtual library
Reading List for New Practitioners
If you are new to crime reduction/community safety, the list below should help you to target your initial reading around the subject. The titles have been selected for their importance or wide coverage – there are so many areas and specialist topics where there are more in depth reports that we will add subject reading lists at a later stage. |
Many of these titles will also have lists of further references if you wish to delve deeper into the subject. For this first list, we have tried to make sure that you have easy access to the publications listed, rather than having to order them from publishers, but future lists will include academic and commercially published material. |
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If you have any suggestions for titles that you found very useful when you were trying to get to grips with crime reduction/community safety, please email us so we can add them to the list. |
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Oxford Handbook of Criminology (3rd edition)
Oxford: Pease, K. (2002) ‘Crime Reduction’ in Maguire, M. Morgan, R. and Reiner R (eds) Oxford Handbook of Criminology (3rd edition) Oxford: Clarendon, 2002
This chapter gives a broad overview of a number of types of
intervention in crime reduction with some classifications
developed for these, the mechanism through which crime prevention
works, primary, secondary and tertiary reduction, hot spots,
repeat victimisation and the infrastructure of crime reduction.
There is a discussion on making people want to reduce crime, some
of the misgivings of researchers on the direction of policy in
this field, and a look at the future of crime reduction. Although
compressed into one chapter, there are references throughout as
well as suggestions for further reading.
Price: £32.99 (Paperback)
Click here for more information and purchasing on the Oxford Handbook of Criminology (3rd edition)
Passport to Crime Reduction
Easingwold: Home Office Crime Reduction Centre, 2003
The Passport to Crime Reduction is designed to introduce practitioners and users to the basic principles, processes and tools of crime reduction. It provides a balanced programme of underpinning knowledge, theory, and practical skills. It will equip the user with basic crime reduction training that can be adapted to suit the individual situation. The guide will assist in identifying key elements of good practice for partnership working, and also examine the application of problem solving processes to crime reduction tools.
Download Passport to Crime Reduction
Crime and Disorder Act Introductory Guide
London: Home Office, 1998
This guide was published at the same time as the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (CDA) to provide clear and simple information about the provisions of the Act. It is intended as a useful introduction and goes through each of the clauses of the Act to explain what they mean. The guide cannot be taken as an authoritative legal interpretation of the Act's provisions, and has some time limited references to contacts and further guidance, but is helpful in providing a basic grounding. Some of the original measures have been strengthened or re-emphasised since publication of the CDA and this guidance, but a knowledge of the original measures is invaluable before you being to look into a specific problem. Print copies are no longer available but the guide can be downloaded using the link below.
Download Crime and Disorder Act Introductory Guide
Keeping Section 17 on the Agenda: good process and practice for local authorities implementing section 17 of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act
Crime Concern Briefing Paper in association with the London Borough of Havering, 2003
Section 17 of the CDA introduced a provision
requiring authorities to consider crime and disorder
reduction in the exercise of all their duties. This
12-page briefing provides a follow-up process and
practice paper to Mainstreaming
Community Safety: a practical guide to implementing
section 17 of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act
(608 KB) published in 2000. Both were published under
the Partnership Support Programme and the latest paper
highlights recent examples of promising approaches,
mainly focusing on the London Borough of Havering.
Passport to Evaluation: an introduction to evaluating crime reduction initiatives and projects.
Easingwold: Home Office Crime Reduction Centre, 2002
Monitoring and evaluation are essential parts of the planning and management process. As well as evidence of the level of achievement, evaluation can be used to determine whether a project should go ahead, can pinpoint resources and can provide valuable information to make improvements during a project. The Passport is a self-learning document which can be worked through in its entirety by those new to evaluation. Those who already have some experience can skip some sections, using the Passport as a useful reminder. A glossary sets out the definitions of key terms used in the evaluation process.
Download Passport to Evaluation: an introduction to evaluating crime reduction initiatives and projects. Limited print copies are available from Training Resource Solutions, Home Office Crime Reduction Centre, The Hawkhills, Easingwold, York YO61 3EG.
Value for money? Cost analysis in crime reduction.
London: Nacro, 2001. Community Safety Practice Briefing
This 16-page briefing is an introduction to cost analysis for community safety practitioners. It discusses the different ways in which cost analysis can be used in crime reduction and some of the policy implications attached to these approaches. It gives some examples from the field and some ideas for using cost analysis in crime audits and the development of crime and disorder reduction strategies.
Download Value for money? Cost analysis in crime reduction.
Opportunity Makes the Thief: practical theory for crime prevention.
Marcus Felson Ronald V Clarke. London: Home Office, 1998. Police Research Series Paper 98
This 35 page report attempts to explain the criminological theories most relevant to everyday practice. It tries to avoid theoretical jargon whilst explaining the recent "opportunity" theories: these allow an understanding of what causes crime without the complicating factors of psychological or social processes. The report puts forward ten principles of opportunity and crime and illustrates how the theories assist thinking about crime prevention.
The report is one of the shorter publications touching on theories surrounding crime reduction and, as such, is more accessible in the early days of a new job. More titles on criminological theory can be found in the Advanced Reading List, with brief descriptions of some theories found in the Online Learning section of the Crime Reduction Website's Learning Zone.
Download
Opportunity Makes the Thief: practical theory for crime
prevention
(42 Kb). Orders for printed copies may be requested
from Home Office Research, Development & Statistics
Directorate, 50 Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9AT
Involving Communities in Urban and Rural Regeneration: a guide for practitioners 2nd edition.
London: Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, 1997
This guide, although somewhat dated, is a basic primer in how to involve the community in regeneration programmes. It covers the principles of community involvement, involvement at each stage of the process, techniques for involving the community, involving ethnic minorities, faith communities and young people, and involvement in local authority-wide programmes. The guide also contains lists of further reading, but some of the references to the Single Regeneration Budget are no longer relevant – its value is in the basic principles of involving communities which can be transferred to crime and disorder reduction.
There is a leaflet which highlights some of the general principles of community involvement, and summarises the new advice contained in the 1997 guide on involving ethnic minorities, faith communities and young people in regeneration programmes. This leaflet is available from the link below:
The full report can be obtained priced £10 from the Publications Sales Centre, Unit 8, Goldthorpe Industrial Estate, Rotherham, S63 9BL. Telephone: 01709 891318, Fax: 01709 881673.
Crime Reduction Basics: tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in the community.
Easingwold: Home Office Crime Reduction Centre, 2003
This is a two hour and a half hour training session designed to introduce individuals and groups in the community to the basic principles of crime and disorder reduction and to encourage them to get involved in reducing crime, especially anti-social behaviour. Whilst the practitioner will need to know more than this and could be the person delivering the session, going through the package when new in post will give a view of what the community could be expected to learn to become more involved. It will also reinforce what you already know.
Download Crime Reduction Basics: tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in the community.
Turning the Tide: crime, community and prevention
Jon Bright. London: Demos, 1997
Although published early in 1997, this book is a useful discussion of the argument that the criminal justice system is not very good at preventing crime, clearing up crime, enhancing community safety, deterring offenders or rehabilitating those who are convicted. The case is made that criminal justice policy needs to shift towards prevention with a national strategy which aims to reduce the risk factors which lead to criminality whilst strengthening the 'protective' factors which divert would-be offenders from crime. Opportunity to commit crime must be reduced, but emphasis is placed on early childhood prevention, opportunities for young people and safer neighbourhoods. This is an easy to read paper which sets out the argument for a need to spend more on preventing crime.
Details of the paper which costs £12.95, are found on the Demos website, together with how to order a copy of Turning the Tide: crime, community and prevention
Calling Time on Crime: a thematic inspection on Crime and Disorder
conducted by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in collaboration with the Home Office, Audit Commission, LGA, Ofsted and the Social Services Inspectorate. London: Home Office Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, July 2000
This review of crime reduction activity took place after the implementation of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (CDA) and examined how police forces and partners were embracing previous reports on crime reduction as well as implementing the Act itself. Although somewhat dated now, it provides a useful reference point for those charged with implementing the CDA locally with examples and suggestions for action to improve crime reduction work. The review focused in detail on 12 police force areas and 3 community safety partnerships in each of these areas.
Download the executive summary of Calling Time on Crime: a thematic inspection on Crime and Disorder.
Home Security: an introduction to domestic surveying.
Easingwold: Home Office Crime Reduction Centre, 2000
Designed for the non-specialist, this guide goes through the whole process of conducting a crime prevention survey for domestic properties. It contains advice on the principles of crime prevention, the onion peeling principle, how to prepare and carry out the survey and giving appropriate advice to the householder. It is invaluable for those needing an introduction to physical security and can be used as a tool to help individuals and communities take action themselves. A computer based training CD-ROM (2001) is also available to complement the field guide. Both are available from the Crime Reduction Centre for a small charge (£1 plus P&P for the booklet alone, £3.50 for the complete package). The CBT is likely to be available over the Internet in the foreseeable future, but in the meantime, please contact the Centre via email trs@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk or by phone on 01347 825079.
Last update: 17/02/03