NCJ Number
118562
Journal
Policing Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1989) Pages: 17-32
Date Published
1989
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article traces the history and policy of public-order policing in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Abstract
The article notes that the significant difference between the police response to public disorder in the United States and the United Kingdom is the potential assistance available to the police. In the United States, National Guard personnel and resources are available upon request of the local police chief. In the United Kingdom, the civilian police are typically the sole resource for quelling public disorders, except in cases of terrorism. The historical analysis of public disorders in the United States and the United Kingdom focuses on the public unrest occasioned by racial strife in the two countries. In addition to police reactive efforts to suppress public disorder, both countries established multidisciplinary commissions to analyze the underlying causes of disorder and make recommendations. Recommendations typically consisted of improved relevant police training, the provision of improved resources, and sociopolitical actions to reduce the causes of unrest. 37 references.