Community safety and economic crime

Abstract

The contemporary focus of crime reduction and community safety policies on youth crime, anti-social behaviour and forms of conventionally defined property and violent crime excludes many hazards, in particular those associated with economic and corporate crime, which, despite their considerable impact, have a contested `criminal' status and have not generally been considered relevant to community safety. Drawing on work on the impact of economic crime, this article will map out the economic and physical harms associated with a selected range of economic and business offences. It will also argue that they pose a threat to citizens' quality of life and will explore their relevance to community safety. It will include activities that involve physical dangers and intrusions of privacy in the home and others that have an impact on consumers, the local neighbourhood and the quality of life. It will conclude with an analysis of the extent to which these crimes can and should be incorporated into a broader construction of community safety.