A Telling Tale: A Case of Vigilantism and Its Aftermath in an English Town

Abstract

This paper considers one 'vigilante' episode in an English town in 1993 and its subsequent appearances in the press and in local 'crime-talk'. In so doing it a) proposes as an alternative to most current constructions of 'fear of crime' an interpretive approach grounded in place; b) considers the intersections between the generic 'law and order' preoccupations of the national press and the salience in local knowledge of a particular sequence of events (and their consequences for their dramatis personae); c) raises conjecturally some preconditions favouring the adoption of the 'vigilante' option amongst available styles of security-seeking action. Theoretically, the paper demonstrates the relevance of locally-circulating stories of crime and low-level street disorder to the contemporary understanding of crime, place and community.