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Policing County Lines: Responses to Evolving Provincial Drug Markets

Spicer, Jack

Authors



Abstract

The County Lines phenomenon has become one of the most significant drug market developments in the UK over recent years. This book analyses how it is being responded to by the police in affected provincial areas. Drawing on unique ethnographic fieldwork, it takes readers into police stations and out onto the streets with officers, providing timely insight into the policing of this high profile and challenging drug market context. The book considers the use of new police tactics that have been proposed and familiar methods that officers regularly embarked on. Through a sophisticated theoretical framework it argues that the policing of County Lines can often be considered ‘symbolic’, with concerns regularly placed on sending out strong messages that appear superficial when closely examined. Alongside this, however, there appears to be a progressive shift towards a more pragmatic drugs policing approach that embraces harm reduction principles.This cutting-edge research speaks to academics in Criminology and Policing, and to practitioners and policy makers.

Book Type Monograph
Online Publication Date Feb 5, 2021
Publication Date Feb 5, 2021
Deposit Date Feb 9, 2021
Publisher Palgrave Macmillan
Edition 1st
ISBN 9783030541927
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54193-4
Keywords County Lines; Drugs Policing
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/7076534
Publisher URL https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030541927
Contract Date Nov 2, 2020