ABSTRACT
There are, potentially, a number of ways in which we can examine the attempts that have been made to explain street robbery. One way would be to consider the issue within different theoretical traditions. Another possibility would be to consider the history of attempts to explain and account for it, while another would involve grouping explanations by reference to the political persuasion of their advocates. Though each of these approaches is potentially plausible, for the purpose of this chapter I will opt for the latter. I do this because there are a number of similarities between explanations posed within right of centre and left of centre accounts that facilitate such analysis.
