Author: Lengthening the Arm of the Law: Enhancing Police Resources in the 21st century
ISBN No: 9 780 521 732
Review date: 22/07/2026
No of pages: 318
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year of publication: 11/09/2012
Brief:
Arm of the law - getting longer or shorter? Three Canberra-based academics have looked at the business of policing - how public police forces might seek funds and help from others, such as the private sector - and suggest the future is ‘ambiguous’.
In Lengthening the Arm of the Law, the three remind us that user-paid policing that serves private interests may benefit the public, but carries risks: “Police simply do nothave the resources to do everything that the public thinks they should be doing.” Hence police make choices – on answering intruder alarms, for example. If a large company is willing to pay police to investigate an alleged fraud, for overseas travel, might police be more willing to choose that case than a fraud at a small firm that will not or cannot contribute? The authors round up much literature on the topic from the English-speaking world, but naturally focus on Australia. They do point acutely to the career paths of those in the ‘protection domain’, both ways, not only public to private, ex-coppers moving into corporate security (and not always happily?). Rather than merging of forces, we may see more ‘diverse’ gifts, of people on loan and equipment, and less tangible things such as Crimestoppers, providing anonymous leads on crimes. As the authors add, gifts bring the risk of partiality towards the giver, even corruption; and envy by those not giving, fearing that they get a worse service. The authors say: “Without government support, commercialisation of the public police is bound to proceed only slowly.” And with reason – how good is it for the reputation of the New York Police Department if people wear surplus jackets or t-shirts saying NYPD?
