Fear of crime, disorder, and quality of life

Fear of crime has been the focus of scientific enquiry for more than fifty years. In this time a number of studies have explored the impact of fear of crime and neighbourhood disorder on an individual’s quality of life. The present chapter describes what we know about the prevalence of fear of crime and disorder in neighbourhoods and public spaces. In particular, we focus on how fear of crime has been defined and operationalized in prior studies, what models are used to understand fear of crime, and the impacts of fear on both individuals and society more broadly. Moreover, we describe some of the recent developments in capturing fear of crime events as they occur in the here and now, and how this innovative work using mobile technologies may contribute new knowledge to understanding the prevalence of crime fear and disorder within the proximate environment. Finally, we discuss “what works” in response to reducing fear of crime in neighbourhoods and public spaces, and how such interventions may improve overall quality of life