Many people report being concerned or fearful of crime.
However, until recently little was known about what particular factors come into play to increase or decrease fear of crime, and what being afraid of crime means to different people. Further, it is not known why some people report high or low levels of fear of crime. Crime prevention strategies and programs do not necessarily or automatically prevent fear of crime, and programs designed to reduce fear of crime do not necessarily prevent crime per se . It is important to distinguish between measures that prevent crime and those which are designed to purely enhance feelings of community safety.