ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the everyday policing of Newham in relation to the London 2012 Olympics. It discusses how police defined, monitored, prioritized, contained and investigated Olympic-related crime, and how Olympic-related policing connected to the policing of Newham. The research focused on the policies and practices of both specialist Olympic police personnel, and local policing. The book explores in particular how the Olympics impacted on local policing in Newham, and how both the routine and the extraordinary were managed and policed at a time of exceptional organizational change within the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). Olympic issues and their impact on local policing were manifold and, as discussed through this book, they required negotiations over details and the envisioning of possible scenarios that harboured potential local, national and global risks.
