ABSTRACT
The extent to which each of these different measures actually contributed to Greenock’s improving position in Scotland’s housebreaking ‘league table’ is, of course, difficult to assess. What is intriguing, however, is that this description of crime prevention some 50 years ago clearly resonates with contemporary approaches to tackling crime and disorder. The importance of targeted police patrols and of co-operation between the police and local government to address environmental and social factors linked to crime; the emphasis on local businesses taking responsibility for reducing the opportunities for crime; the concern with youth offending; and the emphasis given to civic responsibility in tackling the underlying causes of crime, all feature prominently in the contemporary landscape of measures to tackle crime and disorder in Scotland.
