Fighting the war against crime: television, police and audience

This article analyses the origins of the popular BBC TV crime programme, Crimewatch UK, and the initial constraints that have shaped its subsequent evolution. Crimewatch's selection criteria put it firmly in the camp of popular journalism and relate closely to the need to hold a large audience. The programme has broken new ground in British television's co-operation with the police: the production team is given an unusual measure of access to the details of cases under investigation. Furthermore, in drawing upon the vogue for audience participation Crimewatch UK has sought to bring about a new relationship between the police and the viewing public by its attempt to mobilize public responses. This shift has now been emulated by other programmes in the new genre such as Crimestoppers and Crime Monthly