Victimisation and insecurity surveys are today one of the major ways to measure and study crime. Still, across European countries, they are carried out and put to use in a variety of ways. This is why it is important to compare practices across some major European countries so as to map the situation and identify the good – as well as the bad – practices within the European zone. Lieven Pauwels and Stefaan Pleysier have taken stock of research and practice in Belgium and the Netherlands, Mike Hough in Britain, Philippe Robert in France, Joachim Obergfell-Fuchs in Germany, Giovanni Sacchini and Rossella Selmini in Italy, and Amadeu Recasens i Brunet in Spain and Portugal. The synthesis for all of these countries has been drawn by Renée Zauberman who coordinated the volume. This European comparison will be useful for public policies decision makers at various governmental levels (European, national, regional, local), for crime prevention NGOs, for journalists, and for academics, researchers and students as well. The comparison was carried out in one of the work packages of a Coordination Action (CRIMPREV, see www.crimprev.eu) funded by the European Commission (under FP6) under the leadership of the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS, Groupe européen de recherches sur les normativités – GERN). This work package (coordinated by Philippe Robert and Renée Zauberman) will comprise three more European comparisons : on self reported crime surveys, on the comparison between overall population crime surveys and public criminal statistics, and finally on evaluative research on safety policies.