ABSTRACT
In situations where many ows and nodes come together (Castells, 1996), such as airports and seaports, traditional methods of crime control and prevention are no longer suitable (Ruessink & Tops, 2006) and dierent roles for police and for government are needed. is premise has been adopted in the concept of nodal orientation in a strategy document called Police in Evolution (PIE) published by the Dutch Board of Chiefs of Police (Projectgroep Visie op de Politiefunctie, 2005). e strategy proposes that, in addition to its traditional local orientation, the Dutch police should focus on ows, that is, on infrastructure such as road systems, waterways, and communication networks, and on places where various ows coincide (i.e., infrastructural nodes). Furthermore, this control task should be focused on people rather than on criminal oenses. us, a nodal orientation presupposes intensive cooperation between police and other agencies (Shearing, 2005). Multinodal infrastructurals have many dierent “owners,” public as well as private, each of them with distinct interests, duties, responsibilities, and powers in enforcement. As a result, when it comes to law enforcement and investigation into suspect activities, it is unclear which agency should take on the role of director.
