Repeat Victimisation and the Policing of Communities

Abstract

Three types of police service can be distinguished. • Reaction to relevant emergencies; • Identifying and processing crime perpetrators; • Proaction to prevent crime and disorder (referred to below as ‘unity policing’). The central problem for the organisation of policing is arguably the integration of the first two elements of work with the third. In this paper, the writers contend that focusing on identifying and providing relevant help to those previously victimised by crime offers a platform for such integration. The advantages conferred by this approach will be identified. The Huddersfield Biting Back project is described as an example of how such an approach can be implemented. The implications of risk-based targeting, of which repeat victimisation provides the easiest example to implement, are spelled out.