World Encyclopedia of Police Forces and Correctional Systems (2nd ed.)

摘要

In recent years policing has undergone considerable change. Formerly very much a local activity, limited to countries and locations, the threat of terrorism has caused policing to change and to take on a global dimension. But the terrorism threat is not the only reason - since 1988 the information revolution has transformed the once staid and slow-moving profession of law enforcement into a dynamic one where every police officer has access to as much information in the field as the commanders at headquarters. Police forces, even in the smallest of countries, are connected into a vast network that, through Interpol and other organizations, can reach into the farthest corners of the world.