Policing at the Crossroads: Changing Directions for the New Millennium

Abstract

Now is a period of reflection and transition as the last decade of this century draws to an end. Scholars argue that substantial forces are challenging current methods of working and organising and that restructuring is needed to prepare for the future. How then should police administrators prepare their organisations to respond to the challenges of the 21st century? This discussion employs historical and organisational evidence to analyse the critical milestones in the development of policing. It posits that policing has reached an important crossroads with organisational managers dividing their support between traditional or community/problem-solving operational models. It faces the challenge of selecting a pathway for the future. The demands of providing security and order in the emerging information age, with its global, economic order, far exceed present day policing methods. This discussion concludes with suggestions on how to prepare for the future.

This paper was originally presented at the 1997 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.