This exciting new book has three aims: to provide an analysis of the changing forms and functions of British policing; to consider the processes which have given rise to those changes; and to examine their implications for policing, society and governance. The central theme is the transition from modern to late modern policing in Britain, as well as in Europe, North America and elsewhere. A key element of this transition is the fragmentation of policing into diverse forms. For that reason the book examines both public policing and the commercial, municipal and civil forms which operate alongside it. Policing Britain will be essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students taking courses in police studies, criminology and criminal justice, and in more specialised courses in public order, crime prevention and security management. Its innovative theoretical focus will also be suitable for students taking courses in social policy, sociology and politics where police and policing are studied.