NCJ Number
88946
Date Published
1983
Length
13 pages
Annotation
A study (Funk et al.) maintains that police organizations in Western Europe are undergoing change to enable them to engage in prevention activities, many of which have the potential to increase police autonomy and expand intervention in the lives of citizens, but the report is not conclusive.
Abstract
Funk et al. examined changes in police organization in England, Wales, West Germany, and France. Change is viewed as moving toward proactive and preventive policing. The operational organization is perceived as becoming less attuned to concrete offenses and more oriented toward the police identifying risk to social order and undertaking actions to counter them. Information gathering technology is emphasized, and intelligence activities are an important focus. The study also mentions the formation of central staffs responsible for operations and the establishment of national and regional operational units for surveillance and enforcement against target criminals and groups. Police independence is viewed as increasing, raising the specter of expanded power to act covertly and violate citizens' rights. While this study contains some valuable insights, its conclusion that a 'new' police organization is being formed is unwarranted. Present developments in police organization in the countries examined fit into the evolution of the modern police apparatus, because prevention has been a police concern for some time. The police have always been oriented toward crime prevention, particularly in times of serious threats to the social order. Funk's study does raise the issue of control of police prevention activities, since such activities must be constrained to keep them from violating citizen privacy rights.