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

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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.

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