Author: Mike Brogden and Preeti Nijhar
ISBN No: 1-84392-005-0
Review date: 05/12/2025
No of pages: 259
Publisher: Willan
Year of publication:
Brief:
About the authors: Mike Brogden is Honorary Professor in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at Lancaster University. He has conducted research on crimes of private space – elder, spouse and child abuse. Prof Brogden was formerly Professor of Criminal Justice and Director of the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Queen's University Belfast. Preeti Nijhar is a lecturer in criminology and criminal justice at the University of Wales. She has undertaken research into colonial history and is completing a doctoral thesis on the study of criminality and colonial laws.
This book begins by suggesting that to understand community oriented policing about the reader needs be clear what it is not.
The authors then go on to list the nature or styles of policing that do not comprise community policing. It is to be regretted that this contrary viewpoint seems unfortunately to have been adopted in a number of sections of the book, for example one chapter is simply entitled ‘South Africa – the failure of community policing’. Before continuing it is necessary to state quite openly that having been personally involved in some of the research discussed in this book it has been disappointing to read of its apparent futility. It certainly did not seem to be the case at the time, particularly when engaged with the police officers involved in that study and more importantly when supporting the local communities.
The book is mainly comprised of a history and overview of the community policing model, especially as it relates to the approach adopted in the UK and USA and an analysis of its implementation in transitional and failed societies. The authors are quite critical of what they see as the business of ‘exporting’ community policing approaches to countries, such as South Africa and interestingly its application within Northern Ireland. The authors however, do seem to accept that the police are never employed within a vacuum and that social and political forces play an enormous role in shaping their role within any society. In conclusion, and for reasons that have been stated, this has been a challenging book to review and while the author’s opinions may not be mine ultimately it is for the you the reader to decide and for us to enjoy that right may I just suggest we acknowledge the nature of the policing system that supports and protects it.
Martin Wright
