Democracy and policing

British policing has risen to the forefront of public debate during the last 20 years, and interest in the issues surrounding our policing system reached an unprecedented peak in the mid-1990s. One of the central themes of the current debate is the relationship between democracy and policing. Recent reforms to the structure and functioning of local police authorities have met with a chorus of disapproval from local authority associations, opposition politicians and, not least, the police staff associations. The strongest theme running through these criticisms concerned the perceived threat to the 'democratic accountability' of the police service. This ground-breaking study focuses on specific changes in the style, organisation and operation of policing over the last 10 years, and describes and assesses how the various actors involved have interacted to produce these changes. The book provides detailed evidence about the input by police authorities and other local bodies into the development of policing policy. It focuses on three key areas: the growth of crime prevention; new policing responses to crimes against women and children; and the increasing use of civilian staff within the police service.