NCJ Number
178948
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 41 Issue: 2 Dated: April 1999 Pages: 205-215
Date Published
April 1999
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Police research in Canada is discussed with respect to its rationale, current status, and probable future directions.
Abstract
Effective police governance and policing require an adequate level and diversity of research-based knowledge and, therefore, a research environment that actively produces research about, on, for, and by the police. Current police research in Canada includes academic research, studies commissioned or supported by the government, and research for special commissions or inquiries. However, police research is underdeveloped, underfunded, and increasingly marginal to policymaking. The lack of government interest and support has resulted in a significant decline in the amount and variety of police research in Canada and has accelerated the fragmentation and marginalization of what was once an active police research network. Unfortunately, this situation exists at a time when policing in Canada and elsewhere is in a critical stage of transition from modern to late or postmodern development. Many crucial policing issues should be informed by diverse research. A new configuration of research funding, working relationships, and communications infrastructure will be required if police research is to flourish as an intellectual, public policy, and professional activity in the new millennium. Notes and 22 references