Policing Developing Democracies

There are enormous challenges in establishing policing systems in young democracies. Such societies typically have a host of unresolved pressing social, economic and political questions that impinge on policing and the prospects for reform. There are a series of hugely important questions arising in this context, to do with the emergence of the new security agenda, the problems of transnational crime and international terrorism, the rule of law and the role of the police, security services and the military. This is a field that is not only of growing academic interest but is now the focus of a very significant police reform ‘industry’. Development agencies and entrepreneurs are involved around the globe in attempts to establish democratic police reforms in countries with little or no history of such activity. Consequently, there is a growing literature in this field, but as yet no single volume that brings together the central developments. This book gathers together scholars from political science, international relations and criminology to focus on the issues raised by policing within developing democracies examining countries in Eastern Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction: Policing Developing Democracies Mercedes S. Hinton and Tim Newburn. Europe: 2. Turkey: Progress Towards Democratic Policing? Andrew Goldsmith 3. Policing in the ‘New’ Russia Adrian Beck and Annette Robertson 4. Policing in Serbia: Negotiating the Transition between Rhetoric and Reform Sonja Stojanovic and Mark Downes. Asia: 5. Policing in South Korea: Struggle, Challenge and Reform Byongook Moon and Merry Morash 6. Democratic Policing in India: Issues and Concerns Arvind Verma 7. Police Reform and Reconstruction in Timor-Leste: A Difficult Do-Over Gordon Peake. South America: 8. Venezuela Christopher Birkbeck and Luis Gerardo Gabaldón 9. The Challenges of Accountability in Democratic Mexico: Who Polices the Police? Diane Davis 10. Police and State Reform in Brazil: Bad Apple or Rotten Barrel? Mercedes S. Hinton. Africa: 11. Policing in Kenya: A Selective Service Alice Hills 12. The Building of the New South African Police Service: The Dynamics of Police Reform in a Changing (and Violent) Country Antony Altbeker 13. Policing Nigeria: Challenges and Reforms Kemi Asiwaju and Otwin Marenin

About the Author :
Mercedes S. Hinton is Nuffield Research Fellow in the Department of Law at the London School of Economics. Her previous book is the prize-winning The State on the Streets: Police and Politics in Argentina and Brazil (Lynne Rienner Publishers: 2006). Tim Newburn is Professor of Criminology and Social Policy and Director of the Mannheim Centre for Criminology at the London School of Economics.

Review :
'...excellent and comprehensive...impressively detailed.' 'The editors of this book must be commended for their recruitment of authors; every chapter demonstrates understanding of the country described as well as critical analysis of the policing regime. Hinton and Newburn have also achieved the much more difficult task of creating a sense of a book as a whole, with similar themes considered in each chapter and drawn out in the introduction. This book will be of interest to anyone studying developing countries, as success in police reform is a key indicator of democratic progress. It should also interest all students of policing as international comparisons provide valuable perspective. The book's clear structure and organization, along with the accessible style of writing adopted by all chapter authors means that the book can be recommended to all interested prospective readers, even those with little prior knowledge of the subjects covered.' -Brian Stout, De Montfort University, in Policing, vol 5 iss 4