This book is a systematic and comparative analysis of police systems in the Western world, looking at their structure and how they tackle contemporary social problems, such as economic austerity, multi-level governance, transnational change, relations with minorities and transformation of delinquency. Core content includes:
• Comparative histories of the formation of national police systems;
• A discussion of centralised and decentralised police systems;
• International differences in community policing;
• A review of different police strategies in fighting delinquency and reducing urban disorder;
• A comparative analysis of different ways of controlling police misconduct;
• An exploration of different models of plural policing.
While other books focus on policing in relation to measures effective in decreasing delinquency and augmenting security, this book considers the political, professional, administrative and political economic parameters which frame and shape the course of police reforms. It also explores how operational policing is shaped by the cultural and institutional contexts in which it is located. It is essential reading for students engaged in international police studies and comparative criminal justice.
Introduction
1 The formation of national policing systems
2 Policing systems between centralisation and decentralisation
3 Connecting the police and the public: experiments in community policing
4 Crime fighting, the production of order and police performance
5 Controlling the police force
6 The pluralisation of policing in comparative perspective
Concluding comments
Biography
Jacques de Maillard is Professor of Political Science at University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin (University Paris-Saclay) and at Sciences Po Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France.
Jacques de Maillard’s Comparative Policing distinguishes itself by attending to Gouldner’s maxim that "context is everything." De Maillard draws upon a wide range of relevant conditions to discern and interpret both broad and subtle patterns across several of the major elements of policing. An essential addition to the library of police scholars.
Stephen Mastrofski, University Professor Emeritus of Criminology, Law & Society, George Mason University
The police which originated as a genuinely national institution, has rarely been studied comparatively. With the increasing internationalisation of police work, police research is also beginning to formulate systematic comparative approaches - a perspective for which this highly recommendable book points the way. –
Thomas Bierschenk, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, German.
"International comparison is now a major topic in police science. This book, written by a renowned scholar in this field, presents the major debates and topics of concern in the international police studies. A must-read for students, academics and others who are interested in the international dimensions of policing."
Jan Terpstra, Professor of criminology, Radboud University, the Netherlands
This book is a tour de force in comparative policing sociology. Jacques de Maillard offers a distinctive counterbalance to what he calls "the dominance of publications from the Anglosphere". His policing scholarship is impressive, and this book will become key reading for anyone with a serious interest in policing.
Mike Hough, Emeritus Professor, Birkbeck, University of London.
Comparative work on police is rare writes Jacques de Maillard, but quintessential to grasp general reconfigurations (Garland) together with local/national contexts, institutions, trajectories and circulations. With depth and erudition the book shows the contradictory demands on policing, regulatory approaches, constant reforms, contested legitimation and models of pluralisation. A formidable analysis for students of comparative policing, state reconfiguration and public policies.
Patrick Le Galès, CNRS professor Sciences Po, Dean Sciences po Urban School
