Comparative Policing

Reviews / Votes

Jacques de Maillard's Comparative Policing distinguishes itself by attending to Gouldner's maxim that "context is everything." De Maillard draws upon a wide range of relevant conditions to discern and interpret both broad and subtle patterns across several of the major elements of policing. An essential addition to the library of police scholars.

Stephen Mastrofski, University Professor Emeritus of Criminology, Law & Society, George Mason University

The police which originated as a genuinely national institution, has rarely been studied comparatively. With the increasing internationalisation of police work, police research is also beginning to formulate systematic comparative approaches - a perspective for which this highly recommendable book points the way. -

Thomas Bierschenk, Johannes Gutenberg-Universitaet Mainz, German.

"International comparison is now a major topic in police science. This book, written by a renowned scholar in this field, presents the major debates and topics of concern in the international police studies. A must-read for students, academics and others who are interested in the international dimensions of policing."

Jan Terpstra, Professor of criminology, Radboud University, the Netherlands

This book is a tour de force in comparative policing sociology. Jacques de Maillard offers a distinctive counterbalance to what he calls "the dominance of publications from the Anglosphere". His policing scholarship is impressive, and this book will become key reading for anyone with a serious interest in policing.

Mike Hough, Emeritus Professor, Birkbeck, University of London.

Comparative work on police is rare writes Jacques de Maillard, but quintessential to grasp general reconfigurations (Garland) together with local/national contexts, institutions, trajectories and circulations. With depth and erudition the book shows the contradictory demands on policing, regulatory approaches, constant reforms, contested legitimation and models of pluralisation. A formidable analysis for students of comparative policing, state reconfiguration and public policies.

Patrick Le Gales, CNRS professor Sciences Po, Dean Sciences po Urban School