Police and government

The police have had a contentious place in Australia's history, often portrayed as ill-educated, poorly disciplined and unaccountable. Convict origins have been blamed for an anti-police mentality. The abuse of police power, maladministration and corruption have caused governments to fall. The over-policing of Aborigines and the under-policing of domestic violence and crimes against women have also been criticised as failures of police to act in conformity with requirements of justice, equality and in defence of victims of crime. Police and government: histories of policing in Australia provides a new perspective. Starting from the assumption that policing is a fundamental responsibility of government, it argues that the relations between 'police' and 'government' require analysis from three different perspectives: the relations of police forces and executive government; the role of police in the governing of populations in Australia; and finally the problem of how the police themselves are governed. Drawing on archival research, a knowledge of comparable policing history, and the author's experience in contemporary criminal justice policy and reform, this book provides an indispensable background for all those wishing to understand the present status and dilemmas of police work at the end of the twentieth century.