ABSTRACT
Violence and homicide have been the subject of some limited discussion in earlier chapters. There is, therefore, a degree of overlap between those chapters and this one, for it is not possible to divide the material in this book up into neat compartments. It needs to be read as a 'whole'. Although, in this chapter, I am dealing almost exclusively with serious crimes of violence against persons, it is as well to remember that certain other crimes (such as burglary, aggravated burglary, sexual offences, malicious damage and arson) have violent undertones and overtones; any separation becomes somewhat artificial and is used for convenience and for purposes of clarity.
