An Inside Job: Policing and Police Culture in Britain

by Malcolm Young

Drawing on the one hand on his experience as a constable, a member of the Drugs Squad, and a Superintendent in the "Research" division of the Mercia Police, and on the other on his skills as a social anthropologist, Young provides a fascinating, and at times disturbing insight into the workings of today's British bobby. Laying bare the private and well-concealed practices of some aspects of policing, including the creation of "crime figures" and the manipulation of "detection rates," Young concludes by exploring the extent to which the police stage-manage the arbitrary and changing face of crime. This controversial insider story is essential reading for anyone concerned with the powers and practices of the modern police force.

434 pages, Hardcover

First published April 11, 1991