In a chapter of the Cambridge Social History V. C. Gatrell describes the relationship between policing and crime. 'More policing,' he writes,'leads to more reported crime; more reported crime results in the unfortunate statistical corollary of lower clear-up rates; these in turn unleash a call for additional police resources; more resources lead to more reported crime.' A similar model applies to the writing of British social history. Since the Sixties more and more historians have been recruited to the field. Inevitably the number of historical problems has multiplied, giving rise to more and more debates and controversies - thus proving the need for more research.

LRB 25 July 1991 | PDF Download