From the Publisher
"[The book} is fluidly and interestingly written, with plenty of colour alongside the more detailed analysis of data. I would urge those interested in the history of policing and crime, in the control of urban space, of everyday life in urban society and of state/social relations, to consult Churchill's study. It is an important book which makes a significant contribution to the history of the Victorian city, and it deserves to be widely read." — Heather Shore , The English Historical Review
"I would not hesitate to recommend this book to readers who wish to enjoy a well-written reappraisal of the respective roles of both police and public in attempting to control crime within the Victorian city. Churchill is to be congratulated on a book that will make readers think and possibly reassess their views of both police and public during the Victorian era." — David J. Cox, Journal of Law and Society"Churchill clearly possesses the instinct and craft of a historian: this is a meticulous and carefully researched study, guided throughout by a steadfast commitment to understanding the richness and complexity of the social world." — Thomas Guiney, Oxford Brookes University, Crime, Media, Culture"no study has investigated Victorian crime control as a shared activity between police and public in this level of detail. This book will quickly be seen as a major new interpretation of Victorian polic-ing, the first truly innovative study in this field for quite some time." — Victor Bailey, Journal of British Studies"This is a long book at nearly 300 pages, nevertheless it is fluidly and interestingly written, with plenty of colour alongside the more detailed analysis of data. I would urge those interested in the history of policing and crime, in the control of urban space, of everyday life in urban society and of state/social relations, to consult Churchill's study. It is an important book which makes a significant contribution to the history of the Victorian city, and it deserves to be widely read." — Heather Shore , English Historical Review"One of the values of the work is the fact that Churchill refuses to be pigeonholed into police history, the history of crime, or social history; instead, he examines both the role of the police and the roles of civilians in tackling criminal activity ... A great strength of the work is Churchill's lively style, including his combination of broad analysis with engaging examples ... This style provides clarity for the reader and also brings to life the process of criminal justice administration and the everyday interactions between the police, victims, and offenders on the streets of Victorian cities." — Eleanor Bland, History"For Criminologists and sociologists, as well as crime and social historians, these are fundamental considerations, and ones that make this book both a timely and welcome addition to research in this area." — David Orr, Cultural and Social History "a substantial and original achievement in criminal justice scholarship." —P. T. Smith, CHOICE"This is an original and readable book . . . it offers a valuable contribution to the question of how we can attempt to understand everyday responses to social problems in the nineteenth-century city." —Matt Neale, Urban History