Policing in Europe

Over het boek:
For the past few decades the so-called transnationalisation of the police in Europe has evolved rapidly. The resulting cooperation between national police organisations is often motivated by referring to the inevitable need of a war against the increasingly internationally operating organised crime and (especially since 2001) international terrorism. As a result, an amalgam of cooperation, information-exchange and informal relations was established between national police organisations. Europe also tried to stimulate developments of and within the police. As was often noticed before it may be difficult to get a realistic view on these important developments in the transnationalisation of the police in Europe. Moreover, it may be difficult to get detailed and reliable information about the impact of European, transnational developments on the member states' police services.

Taking these observations into account, and in view of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of Europe that will start during the second part of 2010, the editorial board of the Journal of Police Studies decided that the time was ripe to present a theme issue on 'Policing in Europe'. This volume is therefore based on two main questions. Firstly, what are the developments of the police and police cooperation in Europe at a supranational level? And secondly, what are the different reactions of police organisations in individual European countries to the process of European transnationalisation in terms of the design of and philosophy within their police organisation?