NCJ Number
181807
Date Published
1991
Length
243 pages
Annotation
Police violence and the complaints system have been important topics of debate in Great Britain and elsewhere for many years; this case study in Glasgow, Scotland, illustrates the phenomenon of police violence and the occupational reality in which it occurs.
Abstract
The case study included an analysis of various categories of police violence and ways in which police violence could be effectively controlled. The British complaints system was found to have little to offer to victims of police violence, and the system was even counterproductive as a mechanism of controlling police behavior. Main structural amendments that would enable the complaints system to provide a more adequate response are discussed, as well as police accountability and police professionalism. The authors believe that police officers themselves can and should play a major role in the control of police violence and that they should be given both the responsibility and the opportunity for rectifying problems. Implications of the case study findings for other jurisdictions are discussed. References, footnotes, and tables