Police science or police studies is the study of police work. It is a subfield of
criminology
Criminology (from Latin , 'accusation', and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'', 'word, reason') is the interdisciplinary study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is a multidisciplinary field in both the behaviou ...
and sociology.
As an interdisciplinary science, the field includes contributions from
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
,
forensic science
Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...
,
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...
,
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
,
jurisprudence
Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...
,
criminal justice
Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...
,
human geography
Human geography or anthropogeography is the branch of geography which studies spatial relationships between human communities, cultures, economies, and their interactions with the environment, examples of which include urban sprawl and urban ...
, correctional administration and
penology
Penology (also penal theory) is a Academic discipline, subfield of criminology that deals with the philosophy and practice of various societies in their attempts to repress crime, criminal activities, and satisfy public opinion via an appropriate ...
. The field makes contributions to understanding of
community policing
Community policing is a philosophy and organizational strategy whereby law enforcement cooperates with community groups and citizens in producing safety and security. The theory underlying community policing is that it makes citizens more likely t ...
,
police culture, and other policing tactics or behaviors.
There was a "dizzying expansion" of police studies in the early 2000s with a large number of works being published in the field.
By country
United Kingdom
UK has developed the
Police National Computer
The Police National Computer (PNC) is a database used by law enforcement organisations across the United Kingdom and other non-law enforcement agencies. Originally developed in the early 1970s, PNC1 went 'live' in 1974, providing UK police for ...
as a sophisticated intelligence tool that holds extensive data on criminals, vehicles and property, and accessible in a matter of seconds through over 30,000 terminals across the country.
PITO reports that a national fingerprint and
DNA database has been developed containing over 3.4 million DNA profiles providing the police with an average of 3,000 matches a month. In 2004-5 there were over 40,000 matches.
The police use a wide range of technologies to curb road traffic offences like speeding and drunk driving including
breathalyser devices, bus lane enforcement cameras, immobilisation devices, light signals devices and speed measuring devices.
UK has developed new technologies for effective policing
Bangladesh
A department of Criminology and Police Science (CPS) has launched in 2003 at Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University.
See also
* Crime science
*'' Polizeiwissenschaft''
References
External links
UK moots a 5-year S&T Strategy (pdf)
Law enforcement theory
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