Edited Collection published by Dr Nicole Asquith
Policing Vulnerability – Isabelle Bartkowiak-Theron & Nicole L Asquith (eds)
In a constantly evolving context of performance management, accountability and risk assessment, vulnerable people have become a key focus of policy for police organisations and frontline police officers. Concurrently, there have been stronger demands on police, and a steep increase in police powers in relation to their interaction with vulnerable people.
This edited collection unpacks ‘vulnerable people policing’ in theory and practice and guides the reader through the policing process as it is experienced by police officers, victims, offenders, witnesses and justice stakeholders. Each chapter features a single step of the policing process: from police recruit education through to custody, and the final transfer of vulnerable people to courts and sentencing.
The authors provide analytical, theoretical and empirical insights on vulnerable people policing, and reflect on critical issues in a domain that is increasingly subject to heightened media and political scrutiny. It breaks down policing practices, operations and procedures that have vulnerable populations as a focus, bringing together original and innovative academic research and literature, practitioner experience and discussion of policy implications (from local and international perspectives).
Policing Vulnerability highlights the multi-disciplinary nature of police work, sheds light on how specific, mandatory policies guide police officers’ steps in their interaction with vulnerable populations, and discusses the practicalities of police decision making at key points in this process.