Policing in England and Wales, 1918-39 The Fed, Flying Squads and Forensics

by Laybourn, Keith; Taylor, David

• ISBN13: 9780230232457
• ISBN10: 0230232450
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-05-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

An examination of the modernization of the English and Welsh police during the interwar years, focusing upon the increasing professionalization of the police, the Federation, forensic work and the growth of traffic policing. The authors challenge the established viewpoint by arguing that this period saw significant changes in policing.

Author Biography

Keith Laybourn is Professor of History at the University of Huddersfield, UK. His main interests are in British Labour history, British social policy, the history of gambling, and the history of policing. He has written and edited more than 40 books and numerous articles including Britain's First Labour Government (2006) with John Shepherd, and Britain on the Breadline (1991). David Taylor is Emeritus Professor of History in the School of Music, Humanities and Media at the University of Huddersfield, UK. He is the author Hooligans, Harlots and Hangmen (2010) and Policing the Victorian Town: The Development of Policing in Middlesbrough c. 1840-1914 (2002).

Table of Contents

List of Tables
Dedications
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
PART I: THE PROBLEM OF PUBLIC ORDER AND THE PROFESSIONALISATION OF THE POLICE
The Legacy of the Great War: the Failure of Police Trade Unionism and the Emergence of the Police Federation of England and Wales
Policing Public Order in the Interwar Years
Detective and Scientific Work: A New Vista
PART II: THE PROPHECY OF NAHUM: MOTOR VEHICLES, THE POLICE AND THE PUBLIC IN INTER-WAR BRITAIN
‘A mere traffic signalling device’? The Debate on Policing and Traffic Control
The Police and the Practicalities of Traffic Management
Motoring Offences and the Enforcement of the Law
Cars, Crime and Coppers: Combating the ‘Smash and Grab’ Raider
Conclusion
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index