Originally published in 1988, this title opened up an entirely new field within criminology and the sociology of deviance. The authors focus on the nature of informal social control in both villages and urban centres to show the kinds of policing people do for themselves, within their communities, in an endeavour to curb crime and deviance.

Acknowledgements. 1. Introduction: The Soft Underbelly? 2. Areas and Neighbourhoods 3. What the Police Know About: Crime and Calls for Police Services 4. The Nature of Problems 5. The Beginnings of Control: Watching and Noticing 6. Intervention 7. Concern about Crime 8. What the Public Get and What They Want 9. Police Views of Policing 10. Policing by the Public? Appendix: Methods. References. Name Index. Subject Index.