Accountability of Policing (Routledge Frontiers of Criminal Justice)

Accountability of Policing provides a contemporary and wide-ranging examination of the accountability and governance of ‘police'and ‘policing'. Debates about ‘who guards the guards'are among the oldest and most protracted in the history of democracy, but over the last decade we have witnessed important changes in how policing and security agencies are governed, regulated and held to account. Against a backdrop of increasing complexity in the local, national and transnational landscapes of ‘policing', political, legal, administrative and technological developments have served to alter regimes of accountability. The extent and pace of these changes raises a pressing need for ongoing academic research, analysis and debate. Bringing together contributions from a range of leading scholars, this book offers an authoritative and comprehensive analysis of the shifting themes of accountability within policing. The contributions explore questions of accountability across a range of dimensions, including those ‘individuals'and ‘institutions'responsible for its delivery, within and between the ‘public'and ‘private'sectors, and at ‘local', ‘national'and ‘transnational'scales of jurisdiction. They also engage with the concept of ‘accountability'in a broad sense, bringing to the surface the various meanings that have become associated with it and demonstrating how it is invoked and interpreted in different contexts. Accountability of Policing is essential reading for academics and students involved in the study of policing, criminal justice and criminology and will also be of great interest to practitioners and policymakers. How does society hold its police to account? It's a vital part of upholding law and liberty but changing modes of policing delivery and new technologies call for fresh thinking about the way we guard our guards. This much-needed new book from leading criminology professor Michael Rowe, part of the 'Key Themes in Policing' series, explores issues of governance, discipline and transparency. The landmark new study: * Showcases how social change and rising inequalities make it more difficult to ensure meaningful accountability; * Addresses the impact of Evidence-Based Policing strategies on the direction and control of officers; * Sets out a game-changing agenda for ensuring democratic and answerable policing. For policing students and practitioners, it's an essential guide to modern-day accountability Accountability of Policing provides a contemporary and wide-ranging examination of the accountability and governance of 'police' and 'policing'. Debates about 'who guards the guards' are among the oldest and most protracted in the history of democracy, but over the last decade we have witnessed important changes in how policing and security agencies are governed, regulated and held to account. Against a backdrop of increasing complexity in the local, national and transnational landscapes of 'policing', political, legal, administrative and technological developments have served to alter regimes Evolving modes of delivery and new technologies are changing the way society holds police officers to account. This much-needed new book from criminology professor Michael Rowe, part of the ‘Key Themes in Policing’ series, explores issues of governance, discipline and transparency to set out a new agenda for modern-day accountability.