Since 1950 the annual amount of crime recorded by the police has increased tenfold.
Crime is now one of the top worries expressed by citizens.
The theory was that the combination of deterrence and incapacitation would prevent crime. As crime continued to rise, another approach was espoused the protection of person and property against victimisation, using barriers, defence and avoidance. Unfortunately, none of these approaches did anything about the motivation to commit crime in the first place they just raised the stakes a little. This psychological and sociological awareness of the causes of crime means that other actors may be implicated in its prevention. The police and courts cannot do much about people s histories and circumstances but social workers, psychologists and health workers can.