25/08/2014 the internationalisation of uk policing 1945-2012 georgina sinclair research fellow...

The Internationalisation of UK Policing 1945-2012

Georgina SinclairResearch Fellow

International Centre for Policing, Crime and JusticeThe Open University

Copyright © Georgina Sinclair. All rights

reserved.

UK POLICE BRAND IS INTERNATIONAL

Routinely Unarmed

IntegrityHuman Rights

Scotland Yard

Expertise

Modern

Professionalism

Community Policing

‘the bobby’

History


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Questions?

• How did the UK police ‘brand’ become international?

• Journey from 19th C to present day

• International policing assistance post 1945 – some case studies

• Emergence different facets of UK police brand


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UK Police ‘Brand’?

• ‘The police force of Great Britain is a tremendous asset because we were the original democratic community based police service....’

• ‘The Peelian principles of policing are so heavily enshrined and indoctrinated into our police force I think it is an asset. If you’re to look across Team UK and think, “What are we good at?” well, policing is definitely one of them and it is only, I feel, sensible to share that. It is a strength…’


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International Development

• 19 C/20C – development of two broad ‘models’– Civil and colonial – Two-way traffic

• Similar models developed commonwealth– E.g. Canada; Australia; New Zealand

• Training international police (Ireland/UK)• Roving UK police advisors• Interpol


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Policing Empire

• Simpler approach? • UK policing ‘models’ only for transfer• Integration within colonial systems governance

• Crises decolonisation• Reinforcement of ‘colonial’ styles• Formed Police Units

• Independence• Retaining colonial model • Former colonial police officers (British) stayed on


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‘New’ International Policing1945-1965

• International Policing Assistance – Bi-lateral/Multi-lateral missions– Allied Control Commission

• Cold War – E.g. Greece; Malaysia/Vietnam

• Commercialisation– E.g. Columbia

• Early UN Missions– E.g. Congo


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Sinclair. All rights reserved.

Irish Policing: ‘global travels’

• ‘In terms of our experiences gained in Northern Ireland, we are very popular in providing aid to other parts of the world … we have worked over the last three years in Bosnia, Kosovo, Ethiopia, Gaza, Palestine, Jamaica, Guinea, Estonia, New Zealand, Iraq and Hungary, to name just a few. We have some incredible best practice, which we are happy to export, and we benefit in the longer term from doing that …’

• (Sir Hugh Orde, Chief Constable PSNI, 2005)


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UK Crises Northern Ireland post 1969

• Familiarity with divided community policing/hostile environment policing

• Expertise in navigating between soft and hard policing• Public Order management• Firearms use: providing firearms training• Counter-terrorist policing (tactical, operational, strategic)• Professionalisation (since 1970) of police-military co-

operation• Professionalisation/modernisation (since 2001) of

‘community-based’ policing• Request for these skills post 1989


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UK & International Policing

• Post 1989 rise in UN/EU led missions & ad hoc international policing assistance– Blurring state/corporate boundaries– Demands for ‘UK’ policing skills

• HMG support for UK policing overseas– National Security Strategy (2010)– Strategic Defence and Security Review (2010)– Building Stability Overseas Strategy (2011)– Defence Engagement Strategy (2011)

• Why does this matter to the UK?– Post 9/11; transnational crime; protecting overseas + at home– UK police for senior UN/EU posts e.g. cultural diplomacy


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UK Police Overseas Deployments – January 2012


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Concluding Observations

• UK policing has internationalised through colonial-commonwealth experiences– leaving the ‘right’ legacy at end of empire

• Multi-faceted brand – ‘civil’ – ‘colonial’ styles have interacted over time– international policing experiences impact at home– home office police; Scotland; Northern Ireland + National police

forces (e.g. MDP) • Elements of UK policing brand have become a commodity

– E.g. E.g. ‘civil’/’colonial’ aspects post 1945– E.g. Irish/Northern Irish – Balkans; Iraq; Afghanistan– E.g. MDP - Afghanistan

25/08/2014 the internationalisation of uk policing 1945-2012 georgina sinclair research fellow...

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