This course provides a topic-specific understanding of responses to crime and deviance by a range of government and non-government agencies - for example: criminal justice, academia and business and industry. Our aim is to focus on crimes of contemporary national interest and the list of topics will vary each year depending on current political and criminal justice priorities. Students will be exposed to some of the factors that influence responses to crime such as official statistics and a discussion regarding the use, abuse and misuse of data. Finally, students are expected to engage critically with a range of contemporary techniques employed to respond to serious crime, including police practices and current techniques to control crime.