The subtle interplay of national and community bodies in the attribution and redefinition of roles in crime prevention did not prevent a global change in the economy of crime prevention during the 1980's. This transformation was confirmed and hardened during the 1990's, demonstrating that a general preventive and social framework was abandoned in favor of a crime prevention model based on the notion of risk and target populations. The author concludes safety may be at the expense of democracy. 27 references