Governing Police Stops Across Europe

"Governing Police Stops Across Europe should be essential reading for all those involved in police governance, scrutiny, and practice.” --Gill Imery, former Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary Scotland This book takes a critical and comparative approach to the analysis of the governance of police stops across Europe. It draws on an EU COST Action research network on Police Stops which engaged academics and practitioners from 29 countries to better understand the practice of police stops. It begins by examining how police stops are defined and the various legal rules and levels of accountability afforded. The chapters are arranged by theme to focus on a core aspect of the governance of police stops. These include: legal frameworks and police discretion; internal governance; external accountability and civilian oversight; possibilities for legal recourse; and the different roles of data and technology. Eachcompares the distinct approaches evident across Europe, often employing case studies. The book adopts a critical approach, acknowledging governance as contested and involving diverse (state, non-state and supranational) actors. It considers implications for policing in a rapidly changing environment globally. Elizabeth Aston is Professor of Criminology at Edinburgh Napier University, UK, and the Director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research. Sofie De Kimpe is full time Professor of Criminology at the Department of Criminology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium and was Chair of the EU COST Action on Police Stops. János Fazekas is Associate Professor at ELTE University, Budapest, Hungary. He was co-leader of the Governance Working Group of the EU COST Action on Police Stops. Genevieve Lennon is Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Strathclyde, UK. She was co-leader of the Governance Working Group of the EU COST Action Police Stops. Mike Rowe is Lecturer in Public Sector Management at the University of Liverpool, UK, and was Vice Chair of the EU COST Action on Police Stops.