Introduction to Policing

′Introduction to Policing is the "go to" text on the topic for readers keen to understand past, current and future trends in policing in England and Wales. Accessible to read yet academic in content, the text provides an excellent starting point for any reader no matter what level of previous knowledge they may possess.′
- John Lamb, Lecturer at Birmingham City University

Delving into the real issues of policing, and fully updated to cover recent changes in the field, the acclaimed Introduction to Policing, Third Edition is the introduction to your Police Studies course.

As well as providing students with an account of the history of the police, Michael Rowe addresses the most current topics and provides all the tools needed to successfully take a critical view of policing.

The third edition includes:

• Significant discussion of Police and Crime Commissioners, the impact of austerity, and ways in which technology will continue to shape policing in the 21st century
• Accompanying online resources, including web links, expanded case studies and links to free journal articles
• Helpful learning features including key terms, learning objectives, summaries, self-check questions, annotated further reading and a glossary

Professor Michael Rowe′s research interests have tended to focus on accountability and governance in policing, and the changing organisation and delivery of policing in relation to diversity, professionalisation, the application of Evidence Based Policing and the challenges of policing in a digital age. A recent project has explored the changing nature of visible policing in relation to the impact of police buildings, material culture and social media on public perceptions of legitimacy and authority, as well as on police officer and staff professional culture and identity. Other projects have examined innovative police responses to domestic violence, organisational and cultural change in the policing of adult sexual assault investigations and the ethical and governance challenges of using scientific research and AI technology in contemporary policing.  He is currently developing work exploring the policing of Anthropocentric climate change.

He has published widely on these and related matters in the British Journal of Criminology, Policing and Society, Public Management Review, the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Criminology and Criminal Justice and many other journals. His books include Policing the Police (Policy Press, 2020) and Accountability in Policing: Contemporary Debates (Routledge, 2015, edited with Stuart Lister) and Introduction to Policing (Sage, 2018, third edition). He is editor of the International Journal of Police Science and Management.