Introduction

Originally published in 1988, Introducing Policework offered a new and concise overview of the controversial subject of policework at the time. The authors provide critical evaluations of the contributions made by psychologists, social psychologists, historians, sociologists, and political scientists, and an assessment of how these fit within an overall understanding of policework.

Key Issues

Among the issues considered are: the process of socialization that lead to a ‘cop culture’; the historical evolution of police working practices and their current impact upon the social divisions of age, gender, race and class; problems with the present system of accountability; the prospects for success of recent (post-Scarman) initiatives, such as community consultation.

Discussion and Evaluation

The achievement of this book is that it provides lively and consistent discussion of key issues in the consideration of policework: race and crime, the question of gender, victimization and the ‘new realism’, police monitoring, Neighbourhood Watch, and police training initiatives. Today it will provide an interesting look back at a critical evaluation of policework in the 1980s.