ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the investigation of property crime from the police detective's perspective. Drawing on case examples to illustrate key points, this chapter highlights the importance of developing an in-depth understanding of the motivations of property crime offenders and the value of behavioural science in helping a detective to catch and convict property crime offenders. This chapter starts by giving a brief history of policing to set the context. The chapter then explains the process by which detectives seek to investigate repeat acquisitive offending (including burglary, robbery, and car theft), identifying the step-by-step process that detectives follow from the initial reporting of the crime, through the organisation of investigative teams and the investigation itself to the decision to prosecute.
