This article introduces the theme of this journal volume and presents issues regarding policing in a transnational and multicultural environment.
The end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century have been marked by increasing multiculturalism as borders begin to blur and greater numbers of people travel more extensively and to more countries. Rapid transformations in previously homogenous populations tend to result in social and political upset, presenting unique challenges to ever-changing police squads. Rapid change also leads to the questioning of definitions of laws and crimes and of the concepts of order and disorder. The authors focus on the particular challenges facing Israel and the United States, and compare them with Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, which are three countries in which change has been more evolutionary than revolutionary. Also probed is the very meaning of the term community in a multicultural society. Finally, the authors offer a brief synopsis of the articles contained in this journal volume.