Renowned criminologist Mike Hough illuminates the principles and practices of good policing in this important analysis of the police service's legitimacy and the factors, such as public trust, that drive it. As concern grows at the growth in crimes of serious violence, he challenges conventional political and public thinking on crime and scrutinises strategies and tactics like deterrence and stop-and-search. Contrasting 'hard' and 'soft' approaches to policing and punishment, he offers a fresh perspective that stresses the importance of securing normative compliance. For officers, students, policy makers and anyone who has an interest in the police force, this is a valuable roadmap for ethical policing.

Mike Hough is Emeritus Professor in the School of Law at Birkbeck, University of London. He was President of the British Society of Criminology from 2008 until 2011, and he was awarded the European Society of Criminology Award for 2020, in recognition of his lifetime contribution to European criminology.