Summary
The present document is one of the methodology guides included in the Safety Diagnosis Tool Kit for Local Communities. It is designed to assist with the process of identifying crime and safety problems as they are perceived by the population or their representatives. Participants are selected on the basis of criteria that ensure the life setting under study is well represented. Focus groups differ from telephone surveys in that they can be used to gather essentially qualitative data from a fairly small number of people. Note, however, that focus group sessions generally involve more people than do interviews with key informants.