Policing People - by Toby Miles-Johnson (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book explores why police background characteristics and occupational attitudes matter, and how they affect officers, policing, and citizen engagement.

Book Synopsis

This book explores why police background characteristics and occupational attitudes matter, and how they affect officers, policing, and citizen engagement.
Bridging sociology, criminology, and organizational psychology, this book offers a timely, research-driven analysis of how police officers' background characteristics and occupational attitudes shape recruitment, behavior, and public engagement. With a focus on education, gender, diversity, and institutional bias, Miles-Johnson provides critical insights into the internal dynamics of policing and their broader implications for citizen trust and professionalism. Essential for scholars and students of policing, criminal justice, and public administration, this book challenges conventional approaches to officer performance and retention by emphasizing the complex interplay between individual traits and institutional culture.

Review Quotes

"Policing People is a timely and thought-provoking exploration of how background characteristics and occupational attitudes shape the culture, practices, and challenges of modern policing. Drawing upon extensive research, Toby Miles-Johnson unpacks the complex ways in which officers' identities, experiences, and workplace environments influence decision-making, stress, resilience, and relationships within the communities they serve. This book should be essential reading for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers who are grappling with questions of bias, diversity, inclusion, and professionalism in contemporary policing. By bridging theory and practice, Policing People provides both a rigorous academic analysis and a roadmap for creating more equitable, accountable, and effective policing. Policing People is not only a significant scholarly contribution, but also a vital resource for anyone committed to rethinking recruitment, training, and organisational culture to build trust between police and the public." --Adrian Leiva, Western Sydney University

About the Author

Toby Miles-Johnson is professor of criminology and policing at Western Sydney University.