Victimisation, safety and policing in areas on the rural-urban continuum

The chapter defines the aim, scope and structure of the book. Rural areas are diverse, both in terms of geography and the safety challenges they encounter. In some areas, crime can be endemic, deeply ingrained in the local conditions. In others, crime is brought from external forces. A major challenge is that current knowledge about the nature of crime in rural areas is scattered, and data upon which existing relevant evidence relies have been collected across widely different time periods using different methodologies, which makes it a weak base for action to identify patterns of commonalities and/or differences and much less useful for practical interventions. While rural and urban areas represent contrasting environments, they exist on a continuum rather than being absolute opposites. The chapter also introduces some of the most common terms used in this edited volume and presents a chapter synopsis.