Social Development and Police Reform: Some Reflections on the Concept and Purpose of Policing and the Implications for Reform in the UK and USA

WILLIAMS, Andy and PATERSON, Craig (2020). Social Development and Police Reform: Some Reflections on the Concept and Purpose of Policing and the Implications for Reform in the UK and USA. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice.

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Abstract

The increase in calls for police reform following the death of George Floyd has led to renewed debate about social inequality and the role of policing in society. Modern bureaucratic police systems emerged from locally administered structures and Anglo-American policing models continue to be aligned, to varying degrees, with the political, socio-cultural, legal, and ideological aspects of contemporary liberal democratic society with its emphasis on democratic localism and decentralised accountability. However, at a time when society is reimagining itself and technology, government, and nations are radically re-shaping themselves, a critical question is whether there is a sufficiently common philosophical and conceptual understanding of policing to support its development rather than just a common understanding of police functions. This is profoundly important when considering the current calls for reform of policing in the USA and other western democratic states. The article argues that there is an urgent need to reconsider how we conceptualize policing and its relationship with social development.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1602 Criminology
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1093/police/paaa087
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Elements
Depositing User:	Symplectic Elements
Date Deposited:	16 Dec 2020 16:54
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2022 01:18
URI:	https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/27822

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