This paper has two themes. The first concerns the status of phenomena counted by crime surveys: using threats as an example, it argues that surveys can count phenomena which are more inclusive than ‘crime’ either as operationally or nominally defined. Secondly, findings are presented from the British Crime Survey about threats and threatening behaviour. Though threats are often very upsetting experiences, there is not much evidence from the survey that victims perceive an unmet need for criminal justice services. The legal status of threats in England and Wales is discussed in an introductory section.
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