Once bitten, twice bitten: repeat victimisation and its implications for crime prevention

This report pulls together a number of research results from a variety of sources, much of it carried out with Home Office support. The subject of the report is ‘repeat victimisation’ – the paper describes the extent to which victims or places are repeatedly subject to crime and speculates about the implications for prevention. In relation to some offences the repeated vulnerability of particular individuals is self evident – domestic violence is probably the most obvious example. But in relation to other crimes, such as domestic burglary, attacks on schools or car crime the extent to which repetition occurs is far from obvious but clearly shown in the report. Some of the research had been lying in the academic arena for a long time – but its practical significance for prevention and for policing had not been appreciated. The reduction of repeat victimisation in its several manifestations offers a challenge to the police and their partners in crime prevention. The report is intended to provoke discussion and preventive action across a wide field.