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Police, the State, and Fear of Crime

NCJ Number
95970
Journal
Criminlogie Volume: 17 Issue: 1 Dated: (1984) Pages: 43-58
Author(s)
R Levy; P Robert
Date Published
1984
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This paper contends that police activity in France is bound by that country's legal and social structures, showing that a large portion of crime in France escapes the police due to lack of resources and political support from state agencies, the press, and public opinion.
Abstract
The authors discuss the relative failure of the successive governments of France -whether or not they represent the left or the right political faction -- to orient the police toward an effective role in the prevention and control of crime. They conclude that considerable work needs to be done to ascertain more precisely the impact of police action on crime. A complete reconstruction of the object of analysis is considered a prerequisite to a sociology of the police. Approximately 30 references are supplied.