Fear in Fear-of-crime

In this article, fear-of-crime research is integrated with multidisciplinary knowledge on fear and phobias. At present, many of the practical applications stemming from criminological research have treated fear-of-crime as a crime phobia and have attempted to reduce or even eliminate it from the community. Using Rachman's three components of fear to discuss reported experiences of this phenomenon, it is shown that little is known about the fear in fear-of-crime. The difference between a normal fear and a phobia rests on a continuum of emotional intensity. The placement of the fear within fear-of-crime on that continuum cannot be established from current research. It is recommended that further work be done to determine how people respond emotionally to crime and why such a response is elicited. It is also suggested that the assumption that fear-of-crime be treated as a crime phobia and eliminated from the community be tested through greater knowledge of the fear in fear-of-crime.