HANDBOOK OF POLICING

Vol. 14 No. 4 (April 2004), pp.284-287

HANDBOOK OF POLICING, by Tim Newburn (ed.). Devon: Willan Publishing, 2003. 784pp. Hardback Ł65.00 $95.00. ISBN: 1-843920-020-4. Paper $45.00 Ł28.50. ISBN: 1-84392-019-0.

Reviewed by Dr. Joanne Klein, History Department, Boise State University. Email: jklein@boisestate.edu .

This collection of twenty-eight essays covers a sweeping range of police issues and is a welcome addition to scholarship on English policing. The volume is an impressive companion piece for the recently updated OXFORD HANDBOOK OF CRIMINOLOGY (Maguire, Morgan, Reiner 2002). Both fill a gap in recent scholarship; while many works exist on specific aspects of policing and criminology, a one-volume examination of the entire field was lacking. Both are designed to support teaching and research needs. The HANDBOOK OF POLICING is particularly well suited as a textbook for a course on contemporary English policing as well as a valuable reference for scholars. Like any collection with numerous authors, the quality can vary from one essay to the next. A few suffer from too much reliance on specialist language and too few real-life examples. But overall, the HANDBOOK OF POLICING is a thorough and high-quality academic investigation of contemporary policing. Anyone who needs a convenient and quality reference work on this field should get this book.

The predominantly British authors come from a variety of disciplines and include top scholars in their fields. Half are from criminology and criminal justice, and a third are from sociology, social science, and social policy. The rest include three current or former senior police officers, one strategic researcher for the Metropolitan Police Service, two scholars of law, and the leading historian of English police. Regardless of the lack of political scientists, this volume is entirely relevant for political science. It is impossible to explore contemporary policing without analyzing its context within British and international politics. Indicative of this, a quick survey of the reference pages shows that half of the authors referred to Robert Reiner’s POLITICS OF THE POLICE, regardless of their own discipline. Overall, the authors are remarkably even-handed and balanced, exploring complex problems surrounding the political ramifications of policing at many levels. No one over-simplifies the issues or sets up “straw men” to knock down.

The choice of “policing” rather than “police” for the title is designed to indicate that other groups besides the formal public agencies have become increasingly involved in maintaining law and order. Nevertheless, the book primarily is focused on English police services. While reading through the volume, what becomes clear is that policing rapidly evolved in complicated ways and that police services and governments have yet to catch up practically or philosophically. Traditional ideas of policing had officers patrolling districts to thwart crime and keep the peace, and detectives [*285] investigating the crimes that had not been prevented. Personnel, training and funding were allocated to meet those goals by local authorities. But this has changed dramatically. Policing now requires coping with illegal drugs, the smuggling of illegal immigrants, Irish terrorism, ethnic strife, cybercrimes, and more. Law enforcement has been consolidated from a patchwork of urban and rural forces into forty-three services to make them more efficient, but local authorities are fighting the national government to retain some semblance of control. Government authorities seem unable to perceive that models of policing are changing faster than they think, and they are often unwilling to pay for sufficient specialized training, equipment and personnel to keep pace. Problems with police racism, sexism and other prejudices both inside and outside the service have damaged police reputations and created public relations challenges. Individual officers themselves are often slow to adjust, unwilling to give up their vision of the police as men of action chasing down criminals for a new image of an ethnically and sexually integrated agency involved in intelligence gathering, community policing and restorative justice. A rich and tangled impression of the current state of English law enforcement emerges from these essays, and it is particularly valuable that many of them situate contemporary policing within its historical context both to explore how practices have evolved and how the many challenges of policing can be met.

“Part I: Policing in Comparative and Historical Perspective” sets the historical and international context for policing in England, issues often neglected by scholars of contemporary society. In “Models of Policing,” R.I. Mawby surveys a wide range of structures and practices from around the globe, including colonial societies, communist societies, and the Far East. In what is otherwise a fine, well-researched chapter, it is disappointing that Africa receives very little attention, and Latin America, none at all. Perhaps in later editions, this gap could be filled. Three additional chapters trace English history from the Middle Ages through the post-1945 period, and they make it clear that policing was never as straightforward as Robin Hood or “Dixon of Dock Green” might lead people to believe. Philip Rawling’s “Policing before the police,” explores how the primary state goal of maintaining order emerged, while local communities relied on their own patrols to control crime. Gradually, however, the state became more involved in policing crime, particularly with the appearance of popular newspapers and private police forces. Clive Emsley continues with the foundation of the modern police as a public rather than private institution. He highlights continued English insistence that their police are unique in Europe, regardless of evidence to the contrary, and the steady movement towards more central control and a uniform system. Tim Newburn considers more recent history-after 1945-including the challenges of the telephone, which has converted the police into an “on demand” service, the growing political strength of police professional organizations, and the continuing trend towards centralization.

“Part II: The Context of Policing” presents many facets of police organizations and police culture. Neil [*286] Walker’s essay on transnational policing is challenging reading for those not familiar with his topic, but it explores crucial developments in the European Union and the US. Adam Crawford examines the role of groups beyond official law enforcement, an often overlooked area, including civilian patrols, private commercial forces, and policing by many government officials outside of the police services. Particularly useful is the chapter on police organization by Rob C. Mawby and Alan Wright, which sets out the basic make-up of contemporary English practice in easily understood terms, quite a feat considering how complex policing has become. It is a useful reference for the entire volume. Janet Foster’s chapter on police cultures is well done, though she tends to focus on the negative side of police life. Perhaps, more attention could be given to facets of police culture that were adopted as survival mechanisms in a difficult job. Another strong chapter, by Andrew Sanders and Richard Young, focuses on issues related to police power and makes good use of examples to clarify sometimes difficult concepts. Robert Reiner’s chapter includes excellent analysis of changing police portrayals in the popular media, although it is rather dry given the subject matter.

“Part III: Doing Policing” considers a wide diversity of issues. Half of the chapters cover different modes of policing, while the other half assess various types of crime. With both clarity and humor, Simon Byrne and Ken Pease explore the challenges facing police leaders who are reluctant to cooperate with other organizations regarding crime reduction and community safety. Nick Tilley’s chapter on old and new models of policing continues this discussion of the lack of police eagerness to change their ways. Nina Cope and Mike Maguire offer solid pieces on crime analysis and criminal investigations, but the essays might be difficult to follow for readers not familiar with their terminology. P.A.J. Waddington’s chapter on public order and political contention, Maggy Lee’s and Nigel South’s on drugs, and Michael Levi’s on organized and financial crime are more approachable, while still representing thorough investigations of their topics. Mario Matassa and Tim Newburn’s examination of terrorism was particularly insightful, mainly exploring the British response to terrorism in Northern Ireland since the 1960s. It is sobering to realize that current U.S. policies neither reckon with nor comprehend the lessons of British successes and failures. Yvonne Jewkes’ exploration of cybercrime makes it clear how difficult this area is to define, let alone police, in any meaningful way. Overall, this section is impressive in presenting a huge amount of information, yet remaining eminently readable.

“Part IV: Themes and Debates in Policing” draws together many of the issues raised in the preceding twenty chapters. “Policing ethnic minority communities,” by Ben Bowling and Coretta Phillips, pulls no punches in exploring police failures to adjust to diverse communities, as well as difficulties in recruiting and integrating Black and Asian officers. Frances Heidensohn’s chapter on gender avoids clichés and presents an excellent comparative picture of problems women experience both as police officers and civilians. Perhaps for a later edition, she [*287] might also explore how changes in skills necessary for policing could benefit female officers. Peter Neyroud and Trevor Jones provide professional perspectives on police ethics, governance, and accountability that are thorough but perhaps a little too methodical. On the other hand, Matt Long’s exploration of changing models of police leadership does justice to this complex topic while being easy to follow. Particularly strong are the chapters on new technologies, by Janet Chan, and restorative justice, by Carolin Hoyle and Richard Young, offering useful examples of the range of police responses to these innovations. In the final chapter, Tim Newburn pulls together the main themes raised by the entire volume and projects them into the future.

On a practical level, the volume has many useful features. Each chapter ends with a solid short bibliographic essay on selected further reading and an extensive list of references. The glossary and list of abbreviations are helpful given the mass of specialized vocabulary and plethora of acronyms that have grown up around policing. The table of statutes includes page numbers on which they are discussed, which is handy. Only the index could be more comprehensive, especially since this 700-plus page volume is meant as a textbook and reference on policing.

REFERENCES:

Maguire, Mike, Rod Morgan, and Robert Reiner. 2002. THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF CRIMINOLOGY (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Reiner, Robert. 2000. THE POLITICS OF THE POLICE (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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