NCJ Number
101977
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 26 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1986) Pages: 114-128
Date Published
1986
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the significance of proactive police strategies in the environmental and health and safety regulation of business and industry in England and Wales.
Abstract
Attention is paid to the way in which regulatory agencies mobilize their resources and the nature of the routine visits they undertake. It is argued that regulatory officials undertake a multiplicity of roles and activities during such routine visits, ranging from the pragmatic to the symbolic. Because reactive visits are more likely to be clouded by a complaint or accident, the regulated parties are more likely to be defensive and less open. Conversely, the more relaxed nature of the proactive visit can provide much useful information about a particular premise and for policymaking. While proactive work may seem mundane and unexciting, it can prove vital in developing a working relationship between the enforcement official and the regulated party and in setting self-regulatory standards of acceptable and unacceptable behavior. 10 footnotes and 23 references. (Author abstract modified)