Sociology and Criminology

Police and Policing

Module code: L4105A
Level 5
15 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Lecture, Seminar
Assessment modes: Coursework

This module will examine the topic of policing in contemporary British society. 

We'll examine:

• how policing has evolved since the inception of the Metropolitan Police in 1829
• modern day policing through the analysis of relevant theories, practices and policy considerations
• different types of approaches, contexts and situations, such as those relating to counter-terrorism, community, political protest, gender, and hate crime, amongst others
• how the police in the UK are more often than not thought of as a monolithic institution
• how different policing practices shape media and public perceptions, and as a result how they affect political response.

Module learning outcomes

• Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of policing as an area of criminological study
• Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of empirical research on policing
• Apply theoretical arguments on policing to empirical examples, in order to critically analyse these examples
• Evaluate evidence from criminological studies of policing, including the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of these studies