Originally published in 1998, this handbook describes the statutes and cases that defined the governance, control and authority of the provincial police forces in England and Wales at the time. For many years the complexity and range of these legal authorities had caused misunderstandings and doubt when differing aspects of police activities had been questioned. To clarify the law a major step was taken in the enactment of the Police Act 1996. The consolidating Act brought together most of the existing statutory provisions regarding the governance of police forces. However, since about 1980, a number of other factors relevant to the powers and control of the police had emerged, most notably: Increased civil litigation had led to a number of cases defining the civil liability of the police; Increased use of judicial review procedures with consequent case decisions defining police powers in particular circumstances; Greater centralisation in police policies together with the Home Secretary’s control of finance and other matters; Increased police use of sophisticated technology for record keeping and surveillance purposes; The involvement of the security service in an anti-criminal role. The book (which includes illustrative charts) covers many complex legal issues. It has been written in a plain non-legalistic style. It is understandable to non-lawyers. However, for the benefit of practitioners, all statutory and case references are provided so that original materials can be consulted by those needing further information.

Accountability of Policing provides a contemporary and wide-ranging examination of the accountability and governance of ‘police’ and ‘policing’. Debates about ‘who guards the guards’ are among the oldest and most protracted in the history of democracy, but over the last decade we have witnessed important changes in how policing and security agencies are governed, regulated and held to account. Against a backdrop of increasing complexity in the local, national and transnational landscapes of ‘policing’, political, legal, administrative and technological developments have served to alter regimes of accountability. The extent and pace of these changes raises a pressing need for ongoing academic research, analysis and debate. Bringing together contributions from a range of leading scholars, this book offers an authoritative and comprehensive analysis of the shifting themes of accountability within policing. The contributions explore questions of accountability across a range of dimensions, including those ‘individuals’ and ‘institutions’ responsible for its delivery, within and between the ‘public’ and ‘private’ sectors, and at ‘local’, ‘national’ and ‘transnational’ scales of jurisdiction. They also engage with the concept of ‘accountability’ in a broad sense, bringing to the surface the various meanings that have become associated with it and demonstrating how it is invoked and interpreted in different contexts. Accountability of Policing is essential reading for academics and students involved in the study of policing, criminal justice and criminology and will also be of great interest to practitioners and policymakers.

The police service in England and Wales is facing major challenges in its financing, political oversight and reorganisation of its structures. Current economic conditions have created a wholly new environment whereby cost saving is permitting hitherto unthinkable changes in the style and means of delivery of policing services. In the context of these proposed changes Lord Stevens, formerly Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service was asked to chair an Independent Commission looking into the future of policing. The Commission has a wide ranging remit and the papers in this book offer up-to-date analysis of contemporary problems from the novel perspective of developing a reform agenda to assist the Commission. Bringing together contributions from both key academic thinkers and police professionals, this book discusses new policing paradigms, lays out a case for an evidence-based practice approach and draws attention to developing areas such as terrorism, public order and hate crime. Policing is too important to be left to politicians, as the health of a democracy may be judged by the relationship between the police and the public. The aim of this book is to question and present analyses of problems offer new ideas and propose realistically achievable solutions without being so timid as to preserve the status quo. It will be of interest to both academics and students in the fields of criminology and policing studies, as well as professionals in the policing service, NGOs and local authority organisations.

First published in 1998, this book analytically examines the social and professional origins of one of the most powerful groups in society, the Chief Constables of the police forces of England and Wales. By examining the selection policies of police authorities during the past century and a half, it provides an explanation of the contrast that is found between the picture of yesterday's Chief Constable as an ex-military, tweed suit wearing, friend of the local aristocracy and the technocratic managerial image of Chief Constables today. Drawing upon analysis of the careers of fall Chief Constables known to have held office between 1835 and 1995, and supplemented by contemporary and recent literature, this book illustrates the subtle interaction that was found between politics and policing at both local and national levels. At the centre of these findings is the observation that whilst they were once part of their respective local power elites, Chief Constables are now an elite group in their own right with direct links with central government.

The central research question is: What changes have occurred in the organization and the governance structure of police systems of Belgium, Denmark, England & Wales, Germany and the Netherlands in recent decades and why have these changes occurred?

This new edition of the Handbook of Policing updates and expands the highly successful first edition, and now includes a completely new chapter on policing and forensics. It provides a comprehensive, but highly readable overview of policing in the UK, and is an essential reference point, combining the expertise of leading academic experts on policing and policing practitioners themselves.