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Preferred term

civilianization  

Definition

  • DefinitionCivilianization is a process involving the replacement of fully attested, sworn police officers with ‘civilian’ staff who have either no police powers or limited police powers and who provide either administrative or specialist support to policing.Distinctive FeaturesCivilianization is not a new process in policing, but it is one that has gathered pace since the 1980s as managerialist approaches have been applied to policing and as policing has required more specialist skills. The development of ‘civilianization’ has been particularly pronounced in England and Wales, where the civilian workforce grew substantially through the 1980s and has expanded significantly since 2000 with the growth of the concept of the ‘extended police family’. Less pronounced, but significant movement in the direction of civilianization has also taken place in northern Europe, Australia and New Zealand. [Source: The SAGE Dictionary of Policing; Civilianization]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/civilianization

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