Paper short abstract:

From the ethnographic work done in the central old district of Porto, two modes of expression of fear of crime emerge - respect and trust. They are very distinct from those apprehended by crime surveys. Some implications for public policy are discussed.

Paper long abstract:

Baixo'street, where ethnographic work was done, is a seam between the historical district and downtown of Porto. The neighborhood faces certain circumstances that may shape how (in)security is locally lived - desertification, aging, poverty, prostitution, drug commerce, stigmatization. The place bears yet a double symbolic meaning. In the imaginary of the city it is a dangerous spot and their dwellers, especially the older, are portrayed as prisoners of fear. If those circumstances evoke a myriad of «social problems», the object under study - fear of crime - has been, since its debut in the criminological debate, a subject of a political tone and indeed very appellative from a mediatic perspective.

I begin with the efforts made in order to outline, first, the object and then the observation unit that, in anthropology, so frequently overlap. Other forms of saying (in)security seem to arise. One that might reflect the popularity with which the subject is usually treated by the media. Others may correspond to ways (in)security is said and lived locally. Respect and trust are dimensions that emerge in the everyday microsocial relations, pointing to modes of native fear expression and experience, captured in the fieldwork. These are distinct from those apprehended by classical instruments, like crime surveys, that tend to undervalue the experienced side of fear. Finally, this may entail implications for public policy, namely the relations between the locals and the law enforcement authorities and some initiatives targeted to reduce the fear of crime among the population.