The Politics of the Police

This third edition has been revised and updated to take account of recent and profound changes in the law, policy and organisation of policing. The "Police and Magistrates Courts Act, 1994", the "Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, 1994", the "Police Act, 1996" and the "Public Order Bill" have all had a major impact on policing in the UK during this period. The social and political context has also changed dramatically, not least with the election of a labour government after 18 years of Conservative rule. All these factors have lead to a profound shift in the nature of policing. The author has retained the book's three-fold structure, covering the history of the police, the sociology of policing and the law and politics of the police. The complex and highly-charged debates surrounding policing, including the various controversies and developments which have lead to a change in the public's opinion of the police in recent years from the violence of the Miners' strike in 1984-5 to the overturning of the convictions of the Guildford Four are examined.