This Town's a Different Town Today: Policing and Regulating the Night-Time Economy

• NCJ Number: 228903
• Journal: Criminology and Criminal Justice Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2009 Pages: 465-485
• Author(s): Phil Hadfield; Stuart Lister
• Date Published: November 2009
• Length: 21 pages
• Grant Number(s): R 03/2006
• Sponsoring Agency: Alcohol Education and Research Council (AERC)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: Special issue on Urban Safety, Anti-social Behavior, and the Night-time Economy, for additional articles see NCJ-228900-902 and NCJ-228904-905.

Annotation

This article explores contemporary state responses to the night-time economy (NTE) in England and Wales.

Abstract

A dramatic acceleration of statutory activity, with 12 new or revised powers, and several more in prospect was identified in this article from findings of a broad 2-year qualitative investigation of local and national developments in alcohol policy. Drawing from these findings, this article examines recent policing and regulatory response to the night-time economy (NTE) in England and Wales. It explores the degree to which the introduction of such powers has translated into a sustained expansion of control. This control is overtaken with tensions and ambiguities that reflect the ad hoc nature and rapid escalation of the regulatory architecture. The article begins by tracing the recent history of police campaigns and new legislation which involve major intensifications of state control, and then describes and analyzes various civil/criminal and public/private mechanisms for regulating public and quasi-public space. Table and references