Re-considering the Field of Policing: A Review of The Policing Web
Jean-Paul Brodeur's last book, The Policing Web1was initially entitled “A Treatise on Policing.” The Concise Oxford English Dictionary (9th ed.) defines treatise as a “written work dealing formally and systematically with a subject.” The Policing Web is undoubtedly a treatise and a very significant one at that. It is a tour de force that will undoubtedly become for decades a crucial reference work and a definitive text on policing, for scholars, policy analysts, and senior police practitioners. A central feature of this work, and one that sets it apart from other texts on policing published in English, is that it systematically avoids the Anglo-American centrism that has characterized so much of this literature. This is a significant, and much needed, achievement. This book is quintessentially “Brodeur.” It is thorough, it is critical, it is deeply rooted in philosophy, it is exceptionally well researched, and it is written in a recognizably “Brodeur style” – a style that is authoritative and that does not “suffer fools gladly.” Particularly appealing is the fact that it is refreshingly personal – it is full of insights from his research and writing – while at the same time it is utterly scholarly.