ABSTRACT
To lay the groundwork for the following chapters, this introduction provides an overview of the major themes and concepts this book is centred on. It first begins by defining the concept of ‘wicked problems,’ drawing on the relevant literature to show how this idea has been used to explain policy issues seen as thorny and intractable across different social and economic domains. Then, how this concept has been used to date within the field of criminology is discussed before moving on to show how it relates to the area of public policing and the types of social problems with which police are increasingly tasked to resolve. Expanding upon this theme, the social problems that are the focus of specific chapters are subsequently introduced, explaining why and how these are examples of ‘wicked problems.’ The next section describes the research data presented in the following chapters and how this data is used. Lastly, a ‘road map’ of the book is provided in the form of breakdowns of the central ideas in each chapter.
