ABSTRACT
Police workloads have spiralled over the past 50 years, causing one police commentator to remark that ‘there are twice as many police officers as there were in 1952, but they deal with ten times as many crimes' (Judge 2002: 29). If members of the public in Scotland were asked how they would invest in the police organisation in order to improve the service given, most would give the immediate and expected response of ‘more bobbies on the beat’. It is highly improbable that the respondents would suggest spending money on expanding civilian support, or investment in technology or more research and development. Local and national politicians and police associations regularly express the opinion that the solution to rising crime and disorder problems lies with additional police resources. The Scottish community is no different. This chapter seeks to explain how the police in Scotland go about policing the Scottish community within the framework of community policing and how this form of policing is under continual pressure to survive in the modern day. It aims to demonstrate that the situation is more complex than merely putting extra ‘bobbies on the beat’ (Audit Commission 1996; Loveday 1998:161–162). Comment is also made about new developments, such as the increasing importance of community partnerships in policing Scotland in the 21st century.
