Author(s):
Susanne Fischer



Title:
We Keep Being the Good Guys! – On the Changing Legitimation of Police

Abstract:
The legitimation of police as an institution has been based on three pillars: the unique institutional position, the control of police by established procedures and opinion polls sugge­sting an unspecific permanent legitimation. This article aims to show that, beyond recognised shortcomings in established mechanisms, apparently unconnected developments at pre­sent point to a profound change of the legitimation of police in new content as well as geographically related contexts. In this respect the change in the police's security mission and its control, the changing framework of actors in secu­rity production, the changing information and transparency culture and the changing geographical references of police work are discussed.

S. 16-28