Policing

The study of policing examines the role, organization, and practice of police and their relationship to society and the law.

Scope

It covers police functions and discretion, police-community relations, accountability, and policing strategies and reform.

Core questions

• What is the role of the police?
• How do officers exercise discretion?
• How can police be held accountable?
• What policing strategies are effective and legitimate?

Key concepts

• Police discretion
• Use of force
• Legitimacy
• Community policing
• Accountability
• Order maintenance

Key theories

The function of police

Bittner argued the core of policing is the capacity to use legitimate coercive force in situations that 'ought not to be happening'.

The politics of police

Reiner analysed policing as inherently political, shaped by power, legitimacy, and social order.

History

Police studies developed from Bittner's analysis of the police function and discretion to critical accounts of policing and legitimacy (Reiner), and now examines reform, race, and evidence-based policing.

Debates

Crime-fighting versus order maintenance

Whether the police primarily fight crime or maintain social order, with implications for strategy and legitimacy.

Key figures

• Egon Bittner
• Robert Reiner

Seminal works

• bittner-1970
• reiner-2010

Frequently asked questions

What is police discretion?

The latitude officers have in deciding how to act, central to understanding policing in practice.