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. This will be accomplished, at first, through a historical exploration of how policing has evolved since the inception of the Metropolitan Police in 1829. Then we will move on to look at modern day policing through the analysis of relevant theories, practices and policy considerations.

There will be a focus on different types of approaches, contexts and situations, such as those relating to counter-terrorism, community, political protest, gender, and hate crime, amongst others. The police in the UK are more often than not thought of as a monolithic institution, thus how different policing practices shape media and public perceptions, and as a result how they affect political response, will also be explored.

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