ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the ways in which young people deal with the problem of crime through reference to one another, in the context of their shared experiences. It looks at the findings on both witnessing and reporting. Across all offences, the authors found that those who had been victims of either harassment or personal crime were far more likely to have witnessed crime than were non-victims. In comparison with the Edinburgh Crime Survey, it is apparent that young people report considerably less of what they see to the police than do adults. In cases of importuning, therefore, it seems reasonable to suggest that when the offender is known or recognised, victims are more reluctant to report the offence. The point is that it is not only direct experience of victimisation which may cause people to fear for their safety. In many ways, the higher levels of crime witnessed by young people are only to be expected.
