Introduction

In recent years, the language of crisis has become almost inescapable.
We constantly hear terms such as financial/banking crisis, immigration crisis, fuel/cost of living crisis, NHS crisis, a, knife crime crisis, and even a crisis of trust. Each week, headlines and political statements sound new alarms, suggesting that social order is under constant threat.

But how do these crises take shape — and who decides when something becomes one?

This series, Unpacking the Crisis: Crime, Power, and the Politics of Fear, revisits some of the most influential ideas in the sociology of crime and power to explore these questions. It draws inspiration from Stuart Hall and colleagues’ seminal 1978 study Policing the Crisis, which examined how moral panics around “mugging” in 1970s Britain exposed deep tensions around race, class, and authority.

Policing The Crisis - Mugging, The State, and Law and Order (1978)

While Hall’s work reflected its historical moment, the patterns it uncovered — the construction of fear, the demand for control, and the search for legitimacy — remain strikingly familiar today.

Why Revisit This Now?

Today’s “crises” are mediated through an information ecosystem far more complex than in Hall’s time. Rolling news, social media/viral clips, algorithmic feeds, and political commentary amplify certain events with extraordinary speed, often turning isolated incidents into symbols of societal decline.

Yet beneath this surface noise, the same dynamics Hall and others identified still operate:

  • Media amplification that transforms ordinary issues into existential threats.

  • Political exploitation of fear to consolidate authority or justify new measures.

  • Public consent for intensified policing or surveillance, often in ways that disproportionately affect marginalised groups.

While technologies and contexts have changed, the politics of fear has not. It has evolved and accelerated

Purpose and Audience

This seven-part series is aimed at professionals and practitioners working at the intersection of community, governance, and education — including police professionals, policymakers, educators, local authority staff, and community leaders — who engage daily with the realities behind the rhetoric.

Each instalment reinterprets a key concept from Policing the Crisis and applies it to contemporary social contexts.

Rather than offering definitive answers, the series invites readers to explore three guiding questions:

  1. How do we define a “crisis”?
    What separates legitimate public concern from moral panic?

  2. Who benefits when fear takes hold?
    How do power structures — political, institutional, or media — shape our perception of threat?

  3. What are the consequences for governance and justice?
    How does a “crisis mentality” influence policy, policing, community relations and public trust?

Structure of the Series (Volume I)

Each installment unpacks a different layer of how crisis is constructed and managed:

  1. Remember “Mugging”? How a Word Changed a Nation
    Revisiting the 1970s “mugging” moral panic (the origins of the moral panic framework) and its lessons for today.

  2. The New Folk Devils — Who Do We Blame Today
    Examining how folk devils have evolved across time — from “gangs” to “migrants” — and why.

  3. Media, Meaning, and the Manufacture of Fear
    How narratives of danger and disorder are shaped and circulated by modern media

  4. From Panic to Policy
    How reactive governance turns anxiety into long-term control.

  5. The Governance of Anxiety
    How institutions sustain legitimacy through crisis narratives

  6. Communities Under Pressure
    Investigating the lived experience of being “policed through panic” — and its effects on trust.

  7. Beyond the Crisis
    Building trust Proportionate policy, and community resilience.

Looking Ahead

This series forms the foundation for a follow-up project, Unpacking the Crisis: Digital Panics and the New Politics of Fear, which will examine how online environments — from social media to encrypted messaging — now generate and govern public anxiety in real time.

Together, both series aim to help practitioners recognise, question, and respond proportionately to the narratives of crisis that shape everyday professional practice.

About The Author /Series Purpose

Written by Daniel Davis, researcher and commentator on social justice, and policing.

This series explores how perceptions of crime, moral panics, and media narratives shape public policy, policing practices, and community relations. It is intended for professionals, and practitioners seeking to understand the mechanics of fear, the dynamics of crisis, and the impact of these narratives on everyday life.

Why it matters For Professionals

For those working on the frontline in areas such as policy, education, or policing, understanding these dynamics isn’t a theoretical exercise — it’s a practical necessity. Recognising how “crises” are constructed helps us respond more proportionately, communicate more responsibly, and build trust rather than fear.

By unpacking historical and contemporary examples, the series aims to provide practitioners with the tools to look beyond the sensational headlines, understand the forces shaping our society, and contribute to a more informed dialogue in their professional practice.

Continue To Part 1 → Remember Mugging? How a Word Changed a Nation

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