Strategic Policing Review - Insights from Police History?

Call for expressions of interest

The Strategic Review of Policing in England and Wales – hosted by The Police Foundation – has recently issued a call for evidence. The Review has wide-ranging aims to consider the police mission, public expectations of the police, police capabilities and resources, the future of police service and accountability, cross-sector working and police funding. The current call for evidence covers four areas:

1. Understanding crime, threat and demand.
2. Understanding public and societal expectations.
3. Reconsidering the police mission and purpose.
4. Looking ahead.

The deadline for submission of evidence is 20 December 2019. Further information is available here.

Though oriented primarily to current issues and future developments, there is the opportunity to bring some longer-term historical perspectives to bear on these questions. Informal contact with those involved in the Review (via Twitter) indicates they are keen to put current events and debates in the context of historical examples/precursors. So, police historians – and others – this could be a good opportunity to feed some historical context into contemporary policing debates. Should we team up? Dave Churchill is trying to gauge interest – so get in touch with him (d.churchill@leeds.ac.uk) if you might have something to add. 

Bigg Market [inc. police box], Newcastle upon Tyne ca. 1970 by Laszlo Torday. Public Domain from Newcastle Libraries via Flickr.