ABSTRACT
This chapter will present a narrative overview of the development of policing, from the first signs that an organised and professional system was necessary to the present day. It places policing within the context of the social and economic conditions of the times and seeks to identify the theoretical underpinnings of police development. As a guiding structure for the chapter, the notion of there being seven ages of policing has been used to link historical developments to current realities. The chapter concludes with some thoughts about policing in the future.
