State Police in a State of Change

Questions concerning how to govern police practice
have never been more pressing or more fluid. This
study locates contemporary developments in police
accountability techniques within a broader analysis
of the historical circumstances shaping the changing
techniques for governing police. The recent
pluralisation of police accountability processes and
structures is examined through the application of
governmentality studies. Drawing on a comparative
analysis of two Australian States the book provides a
detailed account of the development of governmental
techniques for ''making up'' the entrepreneurial
officer. While such a governmental project is not
implemented unproblematically the book concludes that
the attempt to shape the development of the
entrepreneurial officer through the managerialisation
of governing presents distinct possibilities for a
new ''politics of policing'' that fosters deliberative
and reflective police practice.

Autorentext
Dr Darren Palmer is a Senior lecturer in Criminology at Deakin University in Victoria, Australia. He has previously taught Law and Legal Studies at La Trobe University. He has researched and written on a variety of policing-related topics and continues to conduct research and provide expert media commentary in this field.

Klappentext
Questions concerning how to govern police practice have never been more pressing or more fluid. This study locates contemporary developments in police accountability techniques within a broader analysis of the historical circumstances shaping the changing techniques for governing police. The recent pluralisation of police accountability processes and structures is examined through the application of governmentality studies. Drawing on a comparative analysis of two Australian States the book provides a detailed account of the development of governmental techniques for 'making up' the entrepreneurial officer. While such a governmental project is not implemented unproblematically the book concludes that the attempt to shape the development of the entrepreneurial officer through the managerialisation of governing presents distinct possibilities for a new 'politics of policing' that fosters deliberative and reflective police practice.