Unit 1: The Origins and Definition of Policing

Flashcards covering the foundational concepts, historical development, key figures, and contemporary definitions of policing.

Traditional Understanding of Policing

Government police enforcing criminal law and responding to crime.

Course Definition of Policing

The activities of any individual or organization legally empowered to maintain security or social order on behalf of a community or organization through legislation, regulations, policies, or contracts.

Political Trap

The belief that policing developed simply because society wanted protection from crime, ignoring factors like capitalism, economic change, and social conflict.

Historical Trap

The belief that policing began at one major event, such as the creation of the Metropolitan Police or 9/11, rather than developing gradually over centuries.

Polis

The Greek word for city or political community.

Polizeiwissenschaft

Police Science; the early study of how governments should organize society to improve order, prosperity, public welfare, and administration.

Polizei (Knemeyer's Definition)

A condition of good order within a community rather than a uniformed force.

Johann von Justi

An early Police Science thinker who believed government should actively organize society to create security and prosperity for everyone.

Adam Smith

A liberal thinker who connected policing to capitalism, arguing that protecting property is necessary to encourage investment and economic growth.

Patrick Colquhoun

A founder of modern policing who advocated for salaried police, crime prevention, and the protection of commercial property.

Thames River Police

A police force created specifically to protect commercial cargo from theft.

Pauper Police

Colquhoun's idea for a police system intended to monitor and regulate poor people.

Public Policing

Government-funded policing that is accountable to the public.

Private Policing

Privately funded policing that protects organizations or private property, such as mall security or corporate investigators.

Rigakos' Argument

The belief that the public/private distinction is less useful than focusing on the actual policing activities being performed.

Patrol

The policing activity of monitoring areas, maintaining visibility, and responding to incidents.

Investigative Policing

The policing activity involving collecting evidence and solving offences.

Sentry/Dataveillance

The policing activity of monitoring people through surveillance, cameras, and data collection.

Civic/Sumptuary Policing

The policing activity of enforcing acceptable public behaviour and social norms.

Polemic Policing

The policing activity of managing conflict and maintaining authority.

Privatization

A political/legal process where the government transfers services to private organizations.

Commodification

An economic process where security becomes a product bought and sold for profit.