Policing

Drawing from both the classic and contemporary policing research, you will consider key policing concepts and police practice found in democratic societies. In the first part you will broadly survey police function and responsibilities, including the origins of policing, understand jurisdictional differences among agencies, and appreciate an overview of responses to contemporary crime and policing problems. You will engage with key sociological and social-psychological concepts that help to explain police officer behaviour in the second part, where you will focus on concepts of control, coercion and the use of force, how police organisational and operational cultures affect police-community interaction, and the delivery and effectiveness of police-led intervention.