Police and People in London is still the largest and most detailed study of a police force and its relations with the public that has yet been undertaken in Britain. The twenty-three years since its publication has seen a constantly-accelerating rate of change in the legal framework of policing, in the arrangements for democratic accountability of the police, in the technologies involved in crime and policing, in management structures and methods in the police service, in financial control systems imposed by central government and in methods of assessing police performance. Over the same period, crime control has moved from the bottom to the top of the political agenda, leading to increasing pressure on the police to be seen to be effective. Transformations of Policing returns to the central issues discussed in 1983 and considers whether the main conclusions need to be revised in the light of what has happened since. It also reviews areas of debate and research that have emerged more recently and highlights areas of turbulence that are creating fundamentally different patterns from before and raising genuinely new questions.
Biography
David J. Smith is Honorary Professor of Criminology at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. Alistair Henry is based in the School of Law at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and a member of the Centre for Law and Society.
’Twenty five years ago Police and People in London was a major landmark in British police research, the most extensive empirical study of a force to be conducted in this country. This collection of essays from distinguished scholars from around the world assesses the changes since then. It provides provocative and informative interpretations, evidence and argument, and will be of interest and value to anyone seeking to understand contemporary policing.’ Robert Reiner, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK 'This ambitious volume offers the definitive overview of transformations of policing in England for nearly a quarter of a century, with relevance to both the politics of crime and sociology, thus offering a renewed approach to policing in that country.' Revue de Science Criminelle et de Droit Pénal '...this book contributes high quality, intelligent essays on trajectories of policing. It provides much evidence and considered scholarship to help readers make up their own minds concerning the extent of continuity and change in policing since 1983 and whether the acknowledged changes represent "transformation."' Internet Law Book Reviews 'With all the shifting sands and changing tides, it can be hard to see where policing now stands compared to its position in 1983. This book makes understanding that new position a good deal easier.' British Journal of Criminology '...a collection of thoughtful and insightful papers about key issues in contemporary policing...there is much to be admired and to be grateful for...' The Howard Journal
