Pioneers of policing? Nordic (mis)directions in a global era

TY - CHAP

T1 - Pioneers of policing?

T2 - Nordic (mis)directions in a global era

AU - Sausdal, David

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - This chapter tracks some recent developments in Danish policing. In particular, it discusses some of the ways in which the Danish Police have responded to what they themselves term “problems of globalisation”. This includes how Danish police increasingly have to deal with criminal issues and other deemed societal threats stemming from outside of Denmark. Be it because of the smuggling of illegal goods and substances, cybercrime, financial crimes, terrorism or migration, the Danish police have had to rethink their approach as to properly deal with a more global world order. As the chapter describes, this restructuring has by large been sought achieved through a move towards more intelligence-led policing coupled with increasing international cooperation. Such a move towards “intelligence” and “internationalization” is even something that leading police and political figures pride themselves in as the Danish police are said to be pioneers and even promoters of contemporary policing developments. While this might be true, there is nevertheless a significant schism between this perspective and that of many regular officers. To many Danish frontline officers, a move towards intelligence-led and internationalised means of policing is not only not appreciated as much as by the management, it is even sometimes perceived as antithetical to what they see as “proper police work”. In conclusion, the chapter considers this difference in opinion. Specifically, it does so with a view to much similar disagreements present in other Nordic countries. The question that ultimately arises is the question of what ‘the Nordic way’ of policing really is, and, subsequently, the question of what direction Nordic policing should actually take?

AB - This chapter tracks some recent developments in Danish policing. In particular, it discusses some of the ways in which the Danish Police have responded to what they themselves term “problems of globalisation”. This includes how Danish police increasingly have to deal with criminal issues and other deemed societal threats stemming from outside of Denmark. Be it because of the smuggling of illegal goods and substances, cybercrime, financial crimes, terrorism or migration, the Danish police have had to rethink their approach as to properly deal with a more global world order. As the chapter describes, this restructuring has by large been sought achieved through a move towards more intelligence-led policing coupled with increasing international cooperation. Such a move towards “intelligence” and “internationalization” is even something that leading police and political figures pride themselves in as the Danish police are said to be pioneers and even promoters of contemporary policing developments. While this might be true, there is nevertheless a significant schism between this perspective and that of many regular officers. To many Danish frontline officers, a move towards intelligence-led and internationalised means of policing is not only not appreciated as much as by the management, it is even sometimes perceived as antithetical to what they see as “proper police work”. In conclusion, the chapter considers this difference in opinion. Specifically, it does so with a view to much similar disagreements present in other Nordic countries. The question that ultimately arises is the question of what ‘the Nordic way’ of policing really is, and, subsequently, the question of what direction Nordic policing should actually take?

M3 - Book chapter

BT - Nordic Criminal Justice in a Global World: Practices and Promotion of Exceptionalism

PB - Oxford University Press

ER -