Contemporary policing is developing rapidly and is becoming increasingly professionalized. For practitioners National Occupational Standards, Skills for Justice and the new PDLP (Police Development and Leaning Programme) have brought a new emphasis on skills, standards and knowledge. Training for police officers and civilian staff working in policing is being significantly upgraded. At the same time it has become more rigorous, with universities and other higher educational institutions playing an increasingly important part in police training - as well as expanding the range of policing courses for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

This Dictionary is the first of a new series of Dictionaries covering key aspects of criminal justice and the criminal justice system and designed to meet the needs of both students and practitioners:

• entries (of between 500 and 1500 words) on key terms and concepts arranged alphabetically from accountability and governance to Zero-tolerance policing
• designed to meet the needs of both students and practitioners
• entries include summary definition, main text and key texts and sources
• takes full account of emerging occupational and Skills for Justice criteria
• edited by the UK's leading academic expert on policing and the Chief Executive of the National Policing Improvement Agency
• Entries contributed by leading academic and practitioners in policing