NCJ Number
138265
Journal
Policing and Society Volume: 2 Issue: 3 Dated: (1992) Pages: 173-191
Date Published
1992
Length
19 pages
Annotation
Prompted by the rise in crime, particularly factors related to illicit drugs, the British Home Office has proposed establishing in England a State-centered police organization similar to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. The impact of 1992, when Europe becomes a single market and border controls are eliminated, was another contributing factor to the proposal.
Abstract
There are currently 43 police forces in England and Wales including 41 provincial forces, a force serving the city of London, and a force serving the London metropolitan area. The principal components of this organizational system, which shares authority between centralized and decentralized administrations, include the Home Secretary, each force's police authority, and the chief police executive of each force. The author believes that the introduction of an FBI-type organization would negatively alter the current organizational structure of the English police because of the degree to which the police are centralized and the evolutionary nature of the FBI's crime control responsibilities. He suggests that an alternative to the Home Secretary's proposal would be the creation of a regional system comprised of 15 separately administered forces. A National Police Council would be created to advise the Home Secretary, who would be ultimately responsible for the entire police system. 9 notes and 89 references