'The core function of the police should be to maintain order.' Discuss with particular reference to Wilson and Kelling's 'broken windows' thesis.

It may be surprising for some of us to learn that the duties of the police do not just involve fighting crime, apprehending criminals, chasing thieves and other 'crime busting' duties, but include traffic control, dealing with community and social nuisance problems, attending sports/social events, crime prevention advice and many other less pressing tasks, in other words, 'order maintenance'. The police force as we know it today has changed radically from the first policemen …

…from http://chronicle.com/free/v47/i22/22a01401.htm, accessed 05/06/05 Wilson, J, Q. & Kelling, G, L. (1982), "Broken Windows: The police and neighbourhood safety" in Criminal Perspectives, edited by McLaughlin, E. Muncie, J & Hughes, G. (2003) Sage Publications Other sources: http://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/harcourt-illusion.html http://www.bostonreview.net/BR27.2/harcourt.html http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/toolkits/fa0106d.htm http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/wilson/paper.html