RT Article
T1 Plural policing as professional strife. Municipal officers and police officers in the Netherlands
JF International journal of police science & management
VO 21
IS 3
SP 146
OP 155
A1 Eikenaar, Teun 1981-
LA English
YR 2019
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1789553172
AB In the past 30 years, the introduction of new providers of policing services has meant that the policing landscape in many countries has changed considerably. In the Netherlands, an important aspect of this ‘pluralization of policing’ is the introduction of municipal officers: new, public officials who are employed by Dutch municipalities. This article discusses how front-line professionals themselves view these changes and the division of labour between the regular police and municipal officers. By interpreting their views as strife and contestation over professional domains and by borrowing concepts from the sociology of professions, it adds a novel perspective to the current debate on plural policing. The article discerns four views, two of which highlight differences and two of which highlight similarities between these professions. In interpreting these views, the article states that officers define their professions mostly by referring to fundamental argumentations about professional core aspects and higher values. This implies the ‘professional projects’ of front-line workers might be as important as their orientation on outside (societal) needs and desires.
K1 plural policing
K1 Front-line professionals
K1 Municipal officers
K1 Professionalism
K1 Sociology of professions
DO 10.1177/1461355719854107