World Police Encyclopedia

(Note: Introduction is taken from uncorrected proofs. Changes may be made prior to publication.)

Policing is both a local and global activity, a practice within nations and a responsibility shared between them. It is thus the aim of the World Police Encyclopedia to present in one publication a comprehensive survey of policing around the world, providing the reader with rounded descriptions and keen analyses of national policing systems while placing each national system within an international policing perspective.

The Encyclopedia recognizes that every nation has a police system and no two police systems are the same. Every country polices its own territory with distinct methods and judicial procedures, with varying penalties and prison standards, and within unique cultural and historical contexts that apply specific pressures and pose specific challenges. Thus the encyclopedia contains articles on each of the member nations of the United Nations as well as the non-member nation of Taiwan, covering the globe in two comprehensive volumes.

To enable the work to function systematically as a cross-cultural, global reference work, each article is also executed with a uniform design. Where possible, articles share the same structure and contain the same kinds of information, enabling readers to compare historical contexts; policing institutions; cultural; ethnic, and religious forces; and other demographic variables that contribute to the formation, shape, and dynamic of policing systems. Readers can research how various nations educate and train police, how they finance and administer police systems, what political oversight they exercise, or how they legitimize or ban practices such as the death penalty, life imprisonment, or public surveillance.

Critical to any reference work, and especially in one that seeks to offer a great diversity of information within in a comparable format, a thorough analytical index is included. The index guides the reader to topics of interest wherever discussed within the work. It also encourages exploration of the contents so readers may discover new information and easily see connections they otherwise may have overlooked.

A reference work of this kind also recognizes the changes in policing systems around the world and the growing need to understand them, because local practices are taking on more and more global significance. With the accelerated expansion of communications, trade, and transnational political organizations, issues such as judicial, penal, and policing protocols, while locally administered, are increasingly subject to international review, praise, and critique. This encyclopedia will contribute to a reader's ability to evaluate these practices, where they have arisen and the direction they are evolving.

With the globalization of organized criminal activities, the drug trade, illicit arms deals, prostitution, and terrorism, the need for countries to cooperate and coordinate their policing efforts has increased dramatically into the twenty-first century-a theme throughout the book. Indeed, international criminal activities have made international policing efforts a priority. Imperative and expensive, these efforts have entered the business of our daily lives as never before. However, the context and history of such efforts also demands our understanding. Hopefully, this encyclopedia will aid readers to an informed and balanced understanding of accomplishments and challenges involved in any policing effort.

Organization of the Book

There are 193 entries in the World Police Encyclopedia. Given the range and scope of these entries, the following tools have been employed to ensure easy navigation of the volume, and access to essential information:

An alphabetical list of all entries.

A comprehensive index.

A template format, applied to each entry.

Every entry in the World Police Encyclopedia includes the following sub-headings, summarizing as much relevant information as it is available for the particular nation in question:

Background Material
Each entry begins with a brief overview of that nation's history and current statistical information, including population, ethnic composition of the population, and GDP per capita.

Contextual Features
In this section, the political structure of the government of the nation in question is discussed. Other information relevant to an understanding of the police of any given nation is also included in this section, including information on crime, the criminal justice system, and penal codes and prisons.

The primary section of each entry is titled Police Profile. This section is broken down further, under the following subheadings:

Background covers the history and development of the police system.

Demographics provides statistical information on the police force, including total number of members, and the gender and ethnic composition of the police force.

Organizational Description describes who controls the police, ranks and hierarchy structure, special response units, and support services (as applicable).

Functions provides an overview of police powers in regard to various police functions, discussing administrative duties as well as criminal justice matters.

Training covers the requirements for joining the police force, including any special schooling.

Police Public Projects may cover crime prevention, traffic control, or school-based police outreach programs, if any such programs exist in the nation in question.

Police Use of Firearms describes laws and regulations relating to police firearm use and ownership.

Complaints and Discipline provides an overview of police accountability regarding citizen complaints, as well as police respect for human rights.

Terrorism describes any terrorist organizations that are active in the nation in question, and police efforts to combat terrorism.

International Cooperation enumerates international assistance being provided to the police of the nation in question; exchange of officers among nations, if any; and any international policing efforts to which the police have contributed.

When applicable, entries also include a section on Police Education, Research, and Publications. This section provides an overview of

Institutions of higher education for the police;

Leading researchers, authors, reporters, and columnists, with affiliations;

The extent and sources of funding for police research, and areas of recent research;

Leading police journals, magazines, and newsletters;

Major police publications (books or reports);

Police-related websites.

Each entry concludes with a Bibliography of relevant cited sources, as well as suggestions for further reading.

A Note on Coverage
Every attempt has been made to provide comprehensive coverage of policing practices in every nation. However, a number of factors have prevented equal coverage of all countries. Accessibility to reliable information varies widely from country to country, for a variety of reasons. Some nations do not make public statistical or demographic information regarding their national security forces. In the case of numerous countries, primarily several located in Africa, data relating to the police and policing activities is simply not consistently recorded. The editors of the World Police Encyclopedia have relied on 125 contributors, and 25 associate editors, the vast majority of whom are either criminal justice scholars or working professionals in each of the countries or geographical regions addressed, to make every reasonable attempt to procure as much reliable and detailed information as possible. It is unfortunately the case that, in general, far more statistical data and information is available for Western nations, as opposed to less developed and developing nations. It is the editors' hope that any perceived lack of data included in the Encyclopedia will inspire further archival work and research among scholars and police professionals, to ensure access to police-related information for every interested