NCJ Number
139720
Journal
Political Studies Volume: 38 Dated: (1990) Pages: 620-637
Date Published
1990
Length
18 pages
Annotation
The police role in policymaking in Great Britain is examined with emphasis on the police involvement in the development of policies on street assaults, rural public disorders, rape, battered women, and racially motivated assaults.
Abstract
Police officers influence the British policy process through their representative organizations. One of the main ways in which this is achieved is through police domination of the definition of certain issues at the central governmental level. This definition also occurs at the local level. The police have a particularly favorable location in the British power structure due to their coercive powers, their primary responsibility to the law, and their direct access to governmental decisionmaking processes. They also face the constraints of internal disagreements, limited resources, and the influence of other groups. Problems related to the democratic control of the police require further attention and should be addressed with recognition of the police's position and role as well as the relationships among political structure, issue definition, and the political agenda. For open debate to occur regarding British policing, both the police and the public must acknowledge that policing is a legitimate political issue. (Author abstract modified)