Why does community Why does community engagement matter?engagement matter?

Professor Ian LoaderProfessor Ian Loader

Centre for Criminology, University of Centre for Criminology, University of OxfordOxford

Does community engagement Does community engagement matter?matter?

• Why engage the public? The path Why engage the public? The path travelled . . . travelled . . .

• Cometh the PCC: From bureaucratic to Cometh the PCC: From bureaucratic to democratic accountability?democratic accountability?

• The Coalition, crime-fighting and The Coalition, crime-fighting and community engagementcommunity engagement

Making sense of police reformMaking sense of police reform

• Two puzzles about the Coalition’s police Two puzzles about the Coalition’s police reform agendareform agenda- Why so far, so fast (and to what end)? Why PCC’s?- Why so far, so fast (and to what end)? Why PCC’s?

• Releasing the police’s inner crime-fighter:Releasing the police’s inner crime-fighter:- - Regulation-busting; Winsor, outsourcing, crime Regulation-busting; Winsor, outsourcing, crime maps maps

• The meaning of PCC’s: A (crime-fighting) The meaning of PCC’s: A (crime-fighting) voice for the people? voice for the people?

Why the police (and Why the police (and community engagement) community engagement)

mattermatter

• Beyond the myth of crime-fightingBeyond the myth of crime-fighting

• What do the police do? Why do the police What do the police do? Why do the police matter?matter?

• Two lessons:Two lessons:- The question of - The question of howhow policing is done policing is done- The importance of permanent public - The importance of permanent public deliberation deliberation

Back to PCC’s . . . Back to PCC’s . . .

• The promise of PCC’sThe promise of PCC’s - - responsive policing; democratic priority-setting; an responsive policing; democratic priority-setting; an

experiment in extending and enhancing democracy experiment in extending and enhancing democracy

• The dangers of (and for) PCC’s:The dangers of (and for) PCC’s:- - Remote, headline-chasing crime-fighters Remote, headline-chasing crime-fighters

• A proposal for PCC’s: An office for public A proposal for PCC’s: An office for public engagementengagement