'soft' Policing ― The Collaborative Control of Anti-social Behaviour

Through the use of ethnography, this book investigates the practices of 'soft' policing through the perspective of different control agencies in the front-line of duties including the police, social work teams and the youth justice service, and their collaborative response towards young people involved in low-level anti-social behaviour.

Examining early intervention initiatives, based on offering support to help steer young people away from anti-social behaviour, McCarthy analyses the decision-making practices, group-level deliberation, practical struggles and experiences of multi-agency working, highlighting the key role of the police in these partnerships. This book shows that whilst attempts to intervene early may be largely conditioned by a benevolent spirit akin to social work, complexities in collaborative responses can arise when initiatives do not always reflect the intended aims, and can at times lead to deeper and more intensive control under the guise of support.

'Soft' Policing will appeal to a range of scholars in criminology and policing, as well as practitioners including youth justice professionals, police officers, social workers and those involved in the provision of services for children and young people.

Daniel McCarthy is Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Surrey, UK. His research interests include policing, punishment and social control, and social theory. He has published a number of articles in academic journals, including the British Journal of Criminology, Policing and Society and Criminology and Criminal Justice.