The underplayed importance of shocks in policing studies

• In Event: Police under shocks. Studying police systems in crisis comparatively.

Abstract

Macro exogeneous shocks or disruptions (political, economic) have not received the attention they require in the study of policing and police. What happens when the police, whose primary practical and symbolic role is to define order, are operating within a society gripped by disorder? First, contrary to endogenous shocks (caused by the misbehavior of an agent) which tends to have short term negative impact on trust in police, the effects of exogenous shocks (non-police) on trust seem to be more complex and conditional on the nature of the shock and on the attribution of blame to political authorities. Second, during exogenous shocks decisions are made which have lasting effects in reshaping the nature of policing and the tactics of the police. The comparative analysis of shocks may make an important contribution to the study of policing as they expand the scope of research beyond the usual Anglo-Saxon sphere and highlight the importance of concepts such as critical junctures or punctuated equilibrium.

Authors

• Sebastian Roche, Sciences-Po Grenoble / Université de Grenoble-Alpes

• Jenny Fleming, University of Southampton