NCJ Number
136789
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 7 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1991) Pages: 210-231
Date Published
1991
Length
22 pages
Annotation
During the 1980's, there was widespread belief that Great Britain was experiencing a novel and extensive problem of serial murder. This article uses a long-term historical approach to challenge this perception.
Abstract
The change was in perception rather than reality, but it still had significant consequences for reactions to violent crime by both law enforcement and the media. Linkages between individual murder cases were more likely to be suggested, and the police were more likely to postulate the existence of unknown serial killers. This article examines this trend with special reference to three major cases in the mid-1980's: the "Railway Murders" and two probable series of child killings originally investigated under the general title of "Operation Stranger." The origins of the new attitude toward multiple homicide was sought both in American influences and contacts as well as in the internal politics of the British police. Issues of national policing and centralized intelligence gathering are emphasized. 3 tables and 51 references (Author abstract modified)