Policing

TY - CHAP

T1 - Policing

A1 - Fyfe,N. R.

AU - Fyfe,N. R.

PB - Elsevier

CY - Amsterdam

PY - 2009

Y1 - 2009

N2 - The origins of geographical interest in policing can be traced back to studies of the geography of crime and the recognition that police practices in terms of the recording of crime have a significant impact on what appears in ‘official’ crime statistics. Partly building on these early insights into the links between crime and the control of crime, later research focused on the spatiality of police work. Drawing on data gathered from participant observation with police officers patrolling the streets, researchers used concepts derived from time geography and the study of territoriality to make sense of the interplay between agency and structure in routine policing. More recently, the focus of geographical attention has shifted from ‘the police’ to the broader concept of ‘policing’ which embraces a multiplicity of agencies and activities that use surveillance and the threat of sanctions in order to ensure security. In particular, studies of postmodern and neoliberal urbanism have highlighted the importance of policing in attempts to secure the commercial success of entrepreneurial cities, while also drawing attention to the significant consequences of such strategies for the social geography of cities. In terms of possible future research directions, there is scope for geographers to move beyond the largely local and urban focus of policing research to date and consider issues relating to broader geographical scales, such as transnational policing, and the policing of different environments, like cyberspace.

AB - The origins of geographical interest in policing can be traced back to studies of the geography of crime and the recognition that police practices in terms of the recording of crime have a significant impact on what appears in ‘official’ crime statistics. Partly building on these early insights into the links between crime and the control of crime, later research focused on the spatiality of police work. Drawing on data gathered from participant observation with police officers patrolling the streets, researchers used concepts derived from time geography and the study of territoriality to make sense of the interplay between agency and structure in routine policing. More recently, the focus of geographical attention has shifted from ‘the police’ to the broader concept of ‘policing’ which embraces a multiplicity of agencies and activities that use surveillance and the threat of sanctions in order to ensure security. In particular, studies of postmodern and neoliberal urbanism have highlighted the importance of policing in attempts to secure the commercial success of entrepreneurial cities, while also drawing attention to the significant consequences of such strategies for the social geography of cities. In terms of possible future research directions, there is scope for geographers to move beyond the largely local and urban focus of policing research to date and consider issues relating to broader geographical scales, such as transnational policing, and the policing of different environments, like cyberspace.

KW - Antisocial behavior

KW - Closed-circuit television (CCTV)

KW - Crime

KW - Neoliberalism

KW - Police

KW - Policing

KW - Postmodernism

KW - Surveillance

KW - Territoriality

KW - Zero tolerance

M1 - Entry for encyclopedia/dictionary

SN - 978-0-08-044911

VL - 8

BT - International Encyclopedia of Human Geography

T2 - International Encyclopedia of Human Geography

A2 - Thrift,Nigel

ED - Thrift,Nigel

SP - 212

EP - 216

ER -