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Alley gating schemes have been given impetus by government funding. A simple causal relationship is assumed by the presence of the gates and a reduction in crime and disorder. The post‐implementation research discussed in this article shows that implementation and installation decisions may have unintended consequences for the displacement of problems and the creation of new signal crimes in areas subject to alley gating.

This article discusses the interim findings from a research project carried out by the Wirral Joint Community Safety Team (WJCST) that has sought to measure residents' fear of crime prior to the implementation of an ‘alley gating’ target‐hardening project in a local authority ward in Wirral, Merseyside. The main determinant of fear for residents in this sample has been housing tenure, which may be a more reliable indicator for fear of crime than age or gender as cited in previous studies. This study found that those who reside in the private rented sector express more concern for safety issues and crime than those who are owner‐occupiers or rent from registered social landlords. The hypotheses are that within housing tenure, the two key variables are length of residence in the community and financial resources to fund security measures. These are probably the main causal factors for a higher margin of fear for private renters.

The installation of gates to prevent access to alleys has become a common initiative to prevent burglary offences. This article outlines the findings of consultation with residents concerning such an installation. Residents' concerns centred on low‐level nuisances and incivilities, rather than burglaries, and saw the gates as a means of reducing such problems. These expectations may have consequences for the perceived success of the project.

Government plans for combating terrorism have been unveiled in their new strategic statement. Besides a focus on international and national activity, there are major implications for local partnerships that are expected to play a considerable part in the programme. In particular, the impact of preventative measures and the economic impact of this implied by the strategy will have major consequences for partnerships operating at a local level.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the conceptual lens of corporate social responsibility (CSR), business and civil society can be used to explore “less popular causes” (in this case, a community‐based public sector empirical study of initiatives with offenders) and, in particular, respond to the question used by Walzer “In which society can lives be best led?”

This is a formative and summative evaluation study of a National Offender Management “community payback” offender scheme based in the UK using a mixed method, predominantly qualitative approach that integrates theory and practice.

The paper finds that citizenship actions of front‐line public sector employees, working in partnership with other agencies in the community, embody the essence of Walzer's notion of CSR and civil society by going beyond the call of duty to provide additional training and moral support for the community offenders.

The paper contributes towards an understanding of how CSR and civil society debates can inform wider aspects of public policy and business through its application to areas of society that are perceived to be “challenging” and “undeserving”.

The purpose of this paper is to critically review the core findings from recently published place‐based crime prevention research. The paper aims to critically evaluate the available evidence on the contribution of crime prevention through environmental design as a crime prevention strategy.

Large‐scale evaluations of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) are reviewed with a view to clarifying current knowledge on the evidence of crime prevention through environmental design.

The review concludes that there is a growing body of research that supports the assertion that crime prevention through environmental design is effective in reducing both crime and fear of crime in the community.

Although the paper may not review all the evaluations of CPTED, it nonetheless provides a detailed compilation and overview of the most significant research in the area, including an extensive and modern bibliography on the subject. Research implications will be the subject of a forthcoming paper.

CPTED is an increasingly fashionable approach and is being implemented on a global scale. Additionally, individual components such as territoriality, surveillance, maintenance, access control, activity support and target‐hardening are being widely deployed. However, the evidence currently available is inconclusive and much criticised, which effectively prevents widespread intervention and investment by central government. The paper details the difficulties associated with demonstrating the effectiveness of CPTED.

The paper concludes that although empirical proof has not been definitively demonstrated, there is a large and growing body of research, which supports the assertion that crime prevention through environmental design is a pragmatic and effective crime prevention tool. This review provides an extensive bibliography of contemporary crime prevention through environmental design and a follow‐up paper will discuss the future research priorities for it.

Substance misuse results in a wide range of problems for supported housing landlords, staff and tenants, including drug dealing and use, burglary, street drinking, begging and drug paraphernalia. A lot can be done to limit the impact of substance misuse, using crime prevention techniques. In particular, application of crime prevention through environmental design and management (CPTEDM) can help. This article provides a background to CPTEDM and some practical examples of how to address specific problems relating to substance misuse. It explains how to carry out a visual audit to identify problems relating to the impact of substance misuse on local communities, at the same time encouraging participation from tenants where appropriate.

The National Intelligence Model, described as a ‘model for policing’, defines a process for setting priorities and a framework in which problem solving can be applied. Its strength is a systematic approach that demands standard products and consistent methods of working, which ensure high levels of ownership and accountability. The problem solving approach can also work within this framework. It provides techniques to assist in analysis and develops the tasking and co‐ordinating mechanism through multi‐agency partnerships, which can deliver more sustainable solutions.

Although there is an abundance of literature dealing with the techniques of work with offenders and offender‐patients, less attention has been paid to alternative and additional means of invoking empathy and insight into behaviours that often produce anxiety, confusion and, on occasion, abhorrence. This article attempts to redress the balance.