Police Staffing: Global Perspectives and Local Realities

Introduction

The principal aim of this special issue is to offer a comprehensive and nuanced analysis of police staffing, expanding upon existing literature while actively inviting fresh perspectives. While previous studies have provided valuable insights into key aspects of police staffing, including recruitment, retention, and allocation, numerous dimensions remain relatively unexplored. These include but are not limited to workload demand, efficiency, scheduling, and the infrastructural underpinnings of staffing. This issue aspires to address these gaps, and we warmly invite contributions that introduce innovative angles, methodologies, or theoretical frameworks. To guide but not prescribe the discourse, this special issue initially focuses on several indicative themes:

• The global contours and variations of police staffing.
• The internal dynamics that shape staffing decisions and their ramifications.
• The reciprocal interplay between staffing and other crucial facets such as crime rates and resource allocation.
• Uncharted territories in the domain of resource allocation within police staffing.
• The demystification of widespread myths and misconceptions surrounding this topic.

We recognize the value of divergent viewpoints and unique lines of inquiry. Therefore, while these themes offer a starting point, we strongly encourage submissions that venture beyond them, exploring novel questions and issues that enrich our collective understanding of police staffing. The growing societal and scholarly attention to police staffing highlights the urgency of this special issue. Discussions at academic conferences, professional practitioner reporting, and media coverage underscore the subject’s broader relevance, complemented by the strong citation metrics of recent research.

In sum, this special issue aims to serve as a fertile ground for both established scholars and emerging voices in the field. We seek to stimulate academic discourse, enrich theoretical frameworks, and provide actionable insights for policy and practice. It is our hope that this issue will act as a foundational resource for future research while offering practical guidance for those engaged in the multifaceted challenge of police staffing.

Submissions information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Author guidelines must be strictly followed.

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Author Guidelines

Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to “Please select the issue you are submitting to”. Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Key deadlines

Opening date for manuscripts submissions: 01/10/2023

Closing date for manuscripts submission: 30/04/2024

Email with questions: [email protected]