NCJ Number
177340
Date Published
1997
Length
231 pages
Annotation
This book critically examines key issues facing policing in modern Britain.
Abstract
One issue facing the police is how to address the apparently insatiable public demand for the police to reduce crime until the public feels safer, given the continued restraints on public spending. Another issue is how to deal with the fact that public perspectives of what the police should be doing to reduce crime may not be the most effective ways to address the crime problem. A third concern is that the pressure to further extend police powers and the reach of the law could have unwanted consequences. The author frames these issues and analyzes them on the basis of research and operational evidence collected by the police service itself, the Home Office, and independent researchers. The authors conclude that research shows police cannot unilaterally solve the crime problem and that efforts to continue to expand police authority will have negative effects on society without significantly reducing crime. The book calls for increased cooperation among police, the public, and other government agencies to address the complex factors that fuel crime, as well as the designation of a significant proportion of police resources to identifying and convicting habitual offenders. The books proposals are thus centered in policing by consent, partnership, and the shaping of the policing organization to fit thoroughly researched problems. Chapter notes and a subject index