ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the rationale behind the new policing paradigm and discusses some structural and cultural characteristics of the police organisation that challenge the implementation of knowledge-based policing. The overall idea behind the new policing paradigm is to make the police better able to prevent and respond to different types of crime and disorder and societal threats. Along with the introduction of the new policing paradigm there has been a development in the understanding of crime prevention, and how it is achieved, which is closely associated with knowledge-based policing. The intelligence studies literature refers to prevention as pre-emptive, anticipatory actions whereby intelligence services are supposed to intervene before potential threats develop, such intervention being considered as societal self-defence. Future work on knowledge-based policing can advantageously be combined with the aim to change the police into a learning organisation. This goal is in line with other public and private organisations following the principle of 'learning from past mistakes'.
