Government crime prevention policies in South Australia embody theoretical assumptions that have the potential to be translated into coherent policies. Such policies, however, also have the potential to generate political struggles. The potential for political maneuvering, at both inter- and intra-agency levels can only create instability for the government. In such cases, an active process of non-decision-making often enables disputed or inconsistent policies to move forward to implementation despite their shortcomings. This phenomenon replaces the open politics of explicit policy formation and refinement with an administrative dynamic that can allow bad policies to emerge. In South Australia, the result of this process has been an assortment of disparate and often vaguely articulated crime prevention programs. Therefore, policymakers should tackle the problem of implementation as an integral part of overall policy development, by reducing tensions they create in the construction of crime control policies. 22 references