Overview
- Takes a comparative and thematic approach throughout to examine distinct approaches to police stops across Europe
- Fills a gap in the stop and search literature by focussing on Europe
- A companion book to The Politicization of Police Stops (de Maillard et al.)
Part of the book series: Palgrave's Critical Policing Studies (PCPS)
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Table of contents (9 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
This book takes a critical and comparative approach to the analysis of the governance of police stops across Europe. It draws on an EU COST Action research network on Police Stops which engaged academics and practitioners from 29 countries to better understand the practice of police stops. It begins by examining how police stops are defined and the various legal rules and levels of accountability afforded. The chapters are arranged by theme to focus on a core aspect of the governance of police stops. These include: legal frameworks and police discretion; internal governance; external accountability and civilian oversight; possibilities for legal recourse; and the different roles of data and technology. Each compares the distinct approaches evident across Europe, often employing case studies. The book adopts a critical approach, acknowledging governance as contested and involving diverse (state, non-state and supranational) actors. It considers implications for policing in a rapidly changing environment globally.
Reviews
“Governing Police Stops Across Europe should be essential reading for all those involved in police governance, scrutiny, and practice. The book's thematic, cross-jurisdiction approach provides more meaningful insights than country-by-country analysis, and concludes that despite variations in governance and legal frameworks, most police stops across Europe are not currently "good enough". The issues identified as relevant to police stops can be applied to policing generally, where many of the decisions with the greatest impact on public confidence are taken by individual police officers "on the street", largely immune to external scrutiny.” (Gill Imery, former Her Majesty's Chief Inspector Of Constabulary Scotland)
“I would like to welcome this much needed edited book on the governance of police stops in Europe. As a society we continuously need to scrutinize how the police administer the power given to them and, as importantly, how such mandate is governed. In an impressive way, this edited collection sheds light on and compare the many ways of governance of police stops found throughout Europe stemming from legal regulations to non-state actors, and from the use of data and technologies to the influence of oversight bodies. This edited book is a must read for researchers within the field as well as for policy makers and members of NGO’s working in the field.” (Torsten Kolind, Professor, Center for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University)
“This book is a must-read for police researchers, educators and practitioners who want to understand the holistic governance of police stops. Stop and search is invasive to those subjected to it. How can police controls be appropriate, proportionate, accountable and transparent? This is the first contribution to explore police stops from an accountability and governance perspective, with a compelling comparative approach. Written by 19 leading police researchers from 11 countries, the book provides an original comparative insight into the legal frameworks. Not least, it contributes with knowledge on how to achieve 'good enough' police stops. The socio-legal analysis addresses governance at macro, meso and micro levels, and sheds light on why the inevitable discretion is at the centre of concerns about the governance of police stops. The book will hopefully have a major impact on police regulation, education and training, and inspire further research.” (Helene Oppen Ingebrigtsen Gundhus, University of Oslo, Norway)
“Police stops – ID checks, stop and frisk, stop and search – are often central to both the practice of policing and the contentious debates that roil around it. Use of this power has significant implications for both the police and those who are policed, raising vital questions of control and governance. In this important volume, Professor Aston and her colleagues consider these questionsin a cross-national comparative context. Drawing on collaborative work conducted right across Europe, they describe the complex patterning of governance structures within and across jurisdictions, highlighting among other things how local particularities interact with underlying institutional imperatives. This book should be required reading for all those interested not just in describing police activity within its legal and cultural contexts but also in thinking about how it can be constrained within appropriate normative boundaries.” (Ben Bradford, Professor, Global City Policing, UK)
“This book offers a valuable insight for academics and practitioners alike on how to improve the use of police stops in a way that remains focussed on keeping the public safe whilst protecting their human rights.” (Ian Thomson, retired Police Superintendent and former lead for Police Scotland’s National Stop Search Unit, UK)
“Governing PoliceStops across Europe offers a unique socio-legal perspective on a deeply contested practice. This comprehensive book takes a thematic approach, placing comparative analysis center stage in every chapter. Featuring collaborative contributions from Europe’s most eminent experts, it makes for essential reading for researchers, policy makers, police leaders and activists alike.” (Dorian Schaap, Assistant Professor, Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands)
"Stops are one of the most common police practices, and millions of them occur on a yearly basis in Europe. They are at the origin of major episodes of disturbance in police systems as different as the UK and France. And, they sometimes end up with the death of citizens. The importance of studying stops cannot be underscored enough. Still, we miss a clear understanding of why certain police forces use them more than others, and of what happens to whom during that encounter. Most countries don’t even bother to count police stops. We need progress in the comparative study of good practices regarding stop traceability, existing legal remedies to abuse of stop. Precisely, Governing Police Stops Across Europe provides an essential first step in that direction by evaluating the legal framework and the regulatory mechanisms (internal or external to police) in place in Europe. That is no minor achievement." (Sebastian Roche, Sciences-Po Grenoble / University of Grenoble-Alpes, France, and Bahcesehir University, Turkey)
“I would like to welcome this much needed edited book on the governance of police stops in Europe. As a society we continuously need to scrutinize how the police administer the power given to them and, as importantly, how such mandate is governed. In an impressive way, this edited collection sheds light on and compare the many ways of governance of police stops found throughout Europe stemming from legal regulations to non-state actors, and from the use of data and technologies to the influence of oversight bodies. This edited book is a must read for researchers within the field as well as for policy makers and members of NGO’s working in the field.” (Torsten Kolind, Professor, Center for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University)
“This book is a must-read for police researchers, educators and practitioners who want to understand the holistic governance of police stops. Stop and search is invasive to those subjected to it. How can police controls be appropriate, proportionate, accountable and transparent? This is the first contribution to explore police stops from an accountability and governance perspective, with a compelling comparative approach. Written by 19 leading police researchers from 11 countries, the book provides an original comparative insight into the legal frameworks. Not least, it contributes with knowledge on how to achieve 'good enough' police stops. The socio-legal analysis addresses governance at macro, meso and micro levels, and sheds light on why the inevitable discretion is at the centre of concerns about the governance of police stops. The book will hopefully have a major impact on police regulation, education and training, and inspire further research.” (Helene Oppen Ingebrigtsen Gundhus, University of Oslo, Norway)
“Police stops – ID checks, stop and frisk, stop and search – are often central to both the practice of policing and the contentious debates that roil around it. Use of this power has significant implications for both the police and those who are policed, raising vital questions of control and governance. In this important volume, Professor Aston and her colleagues consider these questionsin a cross-national comparative context. Drawing on collaborative work conducted right across Europe, they describe the complex patterning of governance structures within and across jurisdictions, highlighting among other things how local particularities interact with underlying institutional imperatives. This book should be required reading for all those interested not just in describing police activity within its legal and cultural contexts but also in thinking about how it can be constrained within appropriate normative boundaries.” (Ben Bradford, Professor, Global City Policing, UK)
“This book offers a valuable insight for academics and practitioners alike on how to improve the use of police stops in a way that remains focussed on keeping the public safe whilst protecting their human rights.” (Ian Thomson, retired Police Superintendent and former lead for Police Scotland’s National Stop Search Unit, UK)
“Governing PoliceStops across Europe offers a unique socio-legal perspective on a deeply contested practice. This comprehensive book takes a thematic approach, placing comparative analysis center stage in every chapter. Featuring collaborative contributions from Europe’s most eminent experts, it makes for essential reading for researchers, policy makers, police leaders and activists alike.” (Dorian Schaap, Assistant Professor, Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands)
"Stops are one of the most common police practices, and millions of them occur on a yearly basis in Europe. They are at the origin of major episodes of disturbance in police systems as different as the UK and France. And, they sometimes end up with the death of citizens. The importance of studying stops cannot be underscored enough. Still, we miss a clear understanding of why certain police forces use them more than others, and of what happens to whom during that encounter. Most countries don’t even bother to count police stops. We need progress in the comparative study of good practices regarding stop traceability, existing legal remedies to abuse of stop. Precisely, Governing Police Stops Across Europe provides an essential first step in that direction by evaluating the legal framework and the regulatory mechanisms (internal or external to police) in place in Europe. That is no minor achievement." (Sebastian Roche, Sciences-Po Grenoble / University of Grenoble-Alpes, France, and Bahcesehir University, Turkey)
Editors and Affiliations
About the editors
Elizabeth Aston is Professor of Criminology at Edinburgh Napier University, UK, and the Director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research.
Sofie De Kimpe is full time Professor of Criminology at the Department of Criminology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium and was Chair of the EU COST Action on Police Stops.
János Fazekas is Associate Professor at ELTE University, Budapest, Hungary. He was co-leader of the Governance Working Group of the EU COST Action on Police Stops.
Genevieve Lennon is Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Strathclyde, UK. She was co-leader of the Governance Working Group of the EU COST Action Police Stops.
Mike Rowe is Lecturer in Public Sector Management at the University of Liverpool, UK, and was Vice Chair of the EU COST Action on Police Stops.
Sofie De Kimpe is full time Professor of Criminology at the Department of Criminology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium and was Chair of the EU COST Action on Police Stops.
János Fazekas is Associate Professor at ELTE University, Budapest, Hungary. He was co-leader of the Governance Working Group of the EU COST Action on Police Stops.
Genevieve Lennon is Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Strathclyde, UK. She was co-leader of the Governance Working Group of the EU COST Action Police Stops.
Mike Rowe is Lecturer in Public Sector Management at the University of Liverpool, UK, and was Vice Chair of the EU COST Action on Police Stops.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Governing Police Stops Across Europe
Editors: Elizabeth Aston, Sofie De Kimpe, János Fazekas, Genevieve Lennon, Mike Rowe
Series Title: Palgrave's Critical Policing Studies
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41363-6
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Law and Criminology, Law and Criminology (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-41362-9Published: 18 November 2023
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-41365-0Due: 19 December 2023
eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-41363-6Published: 17 November 2023
Series ISSN: 2730-535X
Series E-ISSN: 2730-5368
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXIII, 305
Number of Illustrations: 4 b/w illustrations, 1 illustrations in colour
Topics: Crime Control and Security, Public Administration, Political Science, Critical Criminology, Crime and Society, Political Sociology