The Future of Policing

There are a number of very real dilemmas confronting those thinking about the future of policing in Britain and this succinct, pithy book offers a critical examination of the key issues. Among the vital questions considered are: how are the police to break out of the current cycle of risingcosts and, in some people's eyes, declining productivity?; should criminal procedure be amended, as the police wish, in order to increase the likelihood of convicting and sentencing persistent offenders?; would the consequences of this be to further alienate from the police the more disadvantagedsections of the community?Perhaps the key issues facing policing in modern Britain can be summarised in the following way: how is the apparently insatiable demand by the public for more policing and better protection to be satisfied, given the continued limits on public spending; that there is concern that what the publicdemands may not have a significant effect on crime levels; and that further extension of police powers and the reach of the law could themselves have unwanted consequences. All these questions are posed and answered on the basis of the wealth of research and operational evidence gathered by thepolice service itself, the Home Office, and independent researchers. The book is comprehensive in its examination of all the issues outlined above, but it is jargon-free and accessible, thus ensuring its appeal to the general, well-informed reader as well as to students of criminology, criminaljustice, social policy, and those enrolled in police studies courses, and policy-makers.