ABSTRACT

The subject of crime features large in our media. As a specialism it is one of the oldest of them all and ranks alongside political reporting as having been there since the start. Crime has a special fascination for all and it is hardly surprising that people have always sought out stories of evil and of the derring-do of the crime fighter. Criminals and their behaviour touch on some of the most basic of human instincts and feelings and can leave us disturbed, disgusted, thrilled, amused and frightened, sometimes all at the same time. Crime is the subject of myth and we encounter it every day, in most cases vicariously as consumers of news or entertainment rather than as victims or perpetrators but crime is never far from our thoughts.