NCJ Number
114962
Journal
Policing Volume: 4 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1988) Pages: 293-308
Date Published
1988
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Costs, local politics, and developments since the last thorough review of the organization and control of the police in Great Britain all point to the desirability of making the police a national force with regional administration.
Abstract
The 1962 report of the Royal Commission on the Police recommended only evolutionary changes in the organization and management of police services. The only dissenter, Dr. A.L. Goodhart, Professor Emeritus of Jurisprudence in the University of Oxford, argued for establishing a centrally controlled police force as essential for stopping the major increase in crime. Developments since then suggest the need to reconsider his arguments. For example, the ending of frontier controls throughout Europe by the end of 1992 will lead to a substantial increase in travel and will make it desirable to have a national police force that is accountable to Parliament. In addition, organizational changes have been continuously occurring in the British police since the Police Act of 1964; the number of police forces has dropped from more than 150 to just 52. Financial considerations, changing demands on the police as a result of increased population mobility and other demographic forces, and recent disputes between local governments and local police forces offer further support for making the police a national body. Such an arrangement would offer many advantages without changing the status or discretion of the local police constable. 14 reference notes.