Burglary
Repeat Victimisation: Taking Stock
| This document is published for archival/historical purposes. It will not be updated. |
Home Office Crime Detection and Prevention Series, Paper 90 (1998) by Ken Pease
The report examines what is known so far about repeat victimisation and what needs to be done in order to capitalise on this knowledge. It attempts to fill the gaps that exist in terms of wider implications for crime control.
Advantages of focusing on repeat victimisation prevention as a crime control strategy:
Focusing on repeat victimisation concentrates efforts on high crime areas and on individuals who are at risk from future victimisation;
The roles of crime prevention and victim support become fused;
The police tasks of prevention and detection are linked together;
It provides a way to target prolific offenders.
When defining repeat victimisation, police should be aware of the following issues:
Only offences of the same type should be included when examining repeat victimisation;
The period for prior victimisation should be no more than one year;
Attempts should be included when assessing repeats;
Reductions in repeat victimisation should not be aggregated across crime classifications;
Location information should be entered on police information systems in the most disaggregated level possible;
Unrecorded prior victimisation information should remain as intelligence and not be considered as a reported crime.
Key actions that will help realise the advantages of addressing repeat victimisation as a crime control strategy:
Prevention and detection should be used together to lead to a reduction in crime;
Databases should be developed to store information on victims, offenders and locations;
Police information systems should be improved to encourage better recordings of repeat crimes.
Getting a copy
Getting a copy
“Repeat Victimisation: Taking Stock” is available as a full report ( PDF format).
Last update: Wednesday, August 27, 2008