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 rising costs 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 disadvantaged sections 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 public demands 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. This book is intended for this book will be an approporiate text for students of criminology, criminal justice, social policy and for those students on police studies courses. It will also appeal to the general reader who is interested in politics and current affairs.Table of ContentThe changing social context of British policing; recent developments in policing; the role of the police; questions Posed; dilemmas stated; options for change; next steps.