ABSTRACT
The public police have been the focus of this book, and both ‘public’ and ‘police’ provide important markers of delimitation. We have examined the nature and extent of the trust citizens place in what most still consider as ‘the police’: uniformed protectors, peacekeepers or enforcers, paid for by the public purse and with a stated mission to serve – or govern – all members of society. We recognise that this is a limited vision of policing. It pays little attention to either private and other forms of police organisation or to the fact that some members of the public may be well aware that these other forms exist. Public ideas about private policing, and an empirical investigation into the legitimacy of private or quasi-state police, would be a fascinating topic for another book.
