Policing - current issue

Policing of Public Order

Waddington, P. A. J. — 2007-01-01

Editorial

Neyroud, P. — 2007-01-01

Seattle and its Aftershock: Some Implications for Theory and Practice

Waddington, D. — 2007-01-01

This article focuses on policing and related theoretical developments in the wake of the infamous ‘Battle of Seattle’, when police and hundreds of protesters engaged in fierce confrontation resulting in the temporary suspension of the World Trade summit meeting of 1999. In particular, the article dwells on the implications of evolving police strategies and tactics for handling transnational protest, and ways of theorising these changes and their possible contribution to collective violence, for the Flashpoints Model of Public Disorder. It emphasises how post-Seattle developments reinforce the need for a new ‘level of analysis’ within the model's framework, highlighting the significance of key institutional factors. This revised model is briefly used to identify police crowd-management techniques conducive to the maintenance of public order.

From Batons to Negotiated Management: The Transformation of Policing Industrial Disputes in Australia

Baker, D. — 2007-01-01

Although historically there was no formal policy of repressing strikers, police in Australia usually responded swiftly and aggressively to employer demands to quell industrial unrest and thereby facilitated workplace access for staff and strikebreakers. Despite numerous violent confrontations between police and picketers, there was virtually no accountability of police actions. In recent decades, a much more sophisticated and professional relationship has evolved between police and unions. This article contends that contemporary procedures and negotiations, which have limited the amount of violence at picket-lines, have benefited both the union movement and the police. As illustrated by the case study of the large-scale 1998 national maritime dispute, contemporary policing tactics usually comprise a low-key, non-confrontational and peace-keeping approach. However, modern police authorities, who maintain the latent capacity to use coercion including riot technology, remain resolute and determined to control major industrial strife, but preferably by negotiation and persuasion.

Knowledge-Based Public Order Policing: Principles and Practice

Reicher, S., Stott, C., Drury, J., Adang, O., Cronin, P., Livingstone, A. — 2007-01-01

Much public order policing is still based on the assumption that crowds are inherently irrational and dangerous. We argue that this approach is both misinformed and counter-productive because it can lead to policing interventions that increase the influence of those advocating violence in the crowd. We challenge traditional assumptions about crowd psychology and demonstrate how widespread conflict derives from the interactions between police and crowds. From this, we develop general guidelines as to how policing can reduce crowd violence and lead crowd members themselves to self-police violent groupings in their midst. We then use examples from anti-globalisation protests and the Euro 2004 football championships to show how these guidelines can be applied in practice and how effective they can be. We conclude by arguing that such knowledge-based crowd policing can turn crowd events into opportunities to overcome seemingly intractable conflicts between the police and groups within our society.

Urban 'Riots' or Urban Violence in France?

Body-Gendrot, S. — 2007-01-01

This article discusses the forms of urban violence which inflamed over 300 sensitive neighbourhoods in France in November 2005, referred to by the media, politicians and researchers as ‘riots’.¹ This choice of word is not without consequences. The term riots, associated with cities, evokes the racial riots in American cities during the 1960s and those in Los Angeles in 1992, images of which have been seen all over the world. This article argues that the reference to riots is inappropriate in the French case, it is structured according to the questions that President Lyndon Johnson asked Judge Otto Kerner when he appointed him as the Head of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorder in 1967: What happened? How did it happen? Why did it happen? What can be done? It concludes with a discussion as to what is specifically French in these outbursts.

Policing Social Transition: Public Order Policing Change in Lithuania

King, M., Koci, A., Bukauskas, A. — 2007-01-01

Drawing from a series of interviews with senior police officers, Ministry officials and local government officers, this article examines policing change in post-Soviet Lithuania. Its particular focus is the policing of public order, and to this end it refers to the policing of a number of events both during the early transition phase and the present. Initially, the militia system of policing is outlined, before considering some of the obstacles facing the move towards democratic policing. The article then compares the early police reform proposals with the realities of the present. It concludes by arguing that whilst the police have made significant moves towards de-politicisation, they are still heavily centralised. Further, the de-militarisation process has recently taken the form of para-militarisation. Finally, it is suggested that the policing of protest generally operates on a formal ‘law and order’ ethos, rather than a more flexible and discretionary basis.

Intelligence and its Application to Contemporary Policing

Phillips, D., Caless, B., Bryant, R. — 2007-01-01

Routes into 'Islamic' Terrorism: Dead Ends and Spaghetti Junctions

Vertigans, S. — 2007-01-01

Explanations for the development of groups associated with terrorism generally and ‘Islamic’ terrorism in particular, tend to concentrate upon materialism and forms of brainwashing. Despite considerable evidence to the contrary, the uneducated poor and unemployed graduates are most commonly profiled as Muslim terrorists. To address the over-reliance on economic factors and weak personalities, a broader approach is adopted that examines political opportunities, socialising processes and historical and contemporary experiences. It is argued that if ‘Islamic’ terrorism is to be fully understood and ultimately defeated, then it has to be acknowledged as a multi-faceted phenomenon that is caused by varying combinations of economic, political, social, cultural and psychological factors.

Redefining the Gaps: Connecting Neighbourhood Safety to National Security

Sampson, F., McNeill, J. — 2007-01-01

Continuing the Discussion on Use of Force, Issue 3 * Policing & the Use of Force: Less-lethal Weapons

Rappert, B. — 2007-01-01

In recent years, considerable attention has been given to the role of ‘less-lethal’ options in alleviating the varied problems associated with the use of police force. Highly supportive claims have been made by manufacturers, police agencies, and others relating to the ability of such devices in reducing injuries to both officers and members of the public. Issue 3 of Policing focussed on the ‘Use of Force’ and included various positive statements about the place and purpose of less-lethal weapons. Although not wishing to completely dismiss such claims, this article seeks to scrutinize these claims. This article serves to recast common depictions of these weapons within the spectrum of force options, considering the past history of their deployment, and moving beyond treating them in a narrow, technical manner.

Continuing the Discussion on Accountability, Issue 3 * Embracing Accountability: The Way Forward - Part Two

Markham, G., Punch, M. — 2007-01-01

Who is to Guard the Guards Themselves? A Contribution to the Current Debate on the Accountability of Policing

Godfrey, J. — 2007-01-01

Militarization and Policing--Its Relevance to 21st Century Police

Kraska, P. B. — 2007-01-01

This work examines the blurring distinctions between the police and military institutions and between war and law enforcement. In this article, the author asserts that understanding this blur, and the associated organizing concepts militarization and militarism, are essential for accurately analyzing the changing nature of security, and the activity of policing, in the late-modern era of the 21st century.

Continuing the Discussion on Neighbourhood Policing, Issue 2 * Local Accountability and the Police Service: The Development of Neighbourhood Policing

Thornton, S., Mason, L. — 2007-01-01

Dixon, D. (2007). * INTERROGATING IMAGES

Gilmour, S. — 2007-01-01

Henry, A. and Smith, D. J. (Eds) (2007). * TRANSFORMATIONS OF POLICING

Mason, L. — 2007-01-01

Keith, R. C. and Lin, Z. (2006). * NEW CRIME IN CHINA: PUBLIC ORDER AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Mason, L. — 2007-01-01

Waddington, David. P. (2007). * POLICING PUBLIC DISORDER: THEORY AND PRACTICE

Mason, L. — 2007-01-01