About

In 1986 a group of researchers based at Middlesex University conducted a path breaking survey of victimisation in Islington. This research was written up in a book entitled The Islington Crime survey and was written by Trevor Jones, Brian MacLean and Jock Young. The survey provided a much more detailed examination of the nature and distribution of victimisation than was available in the British Crime Survey (now called The Crime Survey of England and Wales).

The first Islington survey involved a sample of 2,000 residents in the borough. The survey was conducted in a period of steadily increasing crime rates and the level of victimisation in Islington was found to be relatively high although it was unevenly distributed across the borough and amongst different social groups. The survey also contained details of resident’s interaction and attitudes towards the police.

A great deal has changed over this period in the borough. Some parts of the borough have become increasingly affluent while pockets of deprivation and poverty remain. Islington has also seen a significant change in its commercial and social life with the proliferation of shops and leisure facilities. The new survey will examine the changing levels of victimisation in the borough in relation to these social and demographic changes.

The study is led by researchers from the University of Kent. It is also supported by Islington Council. The interviews will be carried out by Opinion Research Services who are an experienced survey company who have previously conducted surveys on policing in London (see contact page).