Policing is in a profound period of change, the result of recent government reform, a renewed drive for professionalism as well as the need to adapt to a rapidly changing society. This book provides a highly readable and up to date introduction to the work of the police, exploring what this currently involved and the directions it may be going in. It is designed for student police officers starting their probation and training, students studying public or uniformed service courses in colleges, students taking undergraduate courses in policing and criminal justice, and anybody else who wants to know about policing today.

The book describes all the key elements of policing work. The first two parts look at how the police functions as an organization, with chapters devoted to important new areas of crime reduction partnerships and forensic support in investigation and enforcement. The third section covers key aspects of practical police work, with coverage of such challenging areas as anti-social behaviour and terrorism. The book contains a wide range of practical tasks and activities, and links are made throughout to the new Initial Police Learning and Development Programme and National Occupational Standards in Policing.

"'Written by practitioners for practitioners, this book is a comprehensive introduction to the work of policing and will provide a useful insight for anyone, student, member of staff or citizen, seeking to understand our profession.' - Peter Neyroud QPM (Chief Constable and Chief Executive, National Policing Improvement Agency) 'I am delighted to provide the foreword for this excellent publication. Just a quick glance at the contents will show that it covers everything from the initial training of a probationer through to countering the modern terrorist threat. Every page is relevant, not just to those wanting to join the police service, but also to those who need to know and understand how it works, what issues it must address and what the future may hold'. - Dick Winterton (Chief Executive, Skills for Justice)"

Colin Rogers is a Lecturer in Criminology in the Department of Health, Sport and Science at the University of Glamorgan. Prior to this, he was a Police Inspector with South Wales Police for 30 years. His areas of expertise include community safety partnerships, situational crime prevention, problem oriented partnerships and also police governance and accountability.

Rhobert Lewis is Associate Dean of the Department of Health, Sport and Science at the University of Glamorgan. His particular areas of expertise are police training, and forensic and police sciences.