LIST OF PANELS

The panel on policing and security explores new challenges for policy-making and accountability in the field of policing and internal security. Beyond the “classical” conflict between security and civil liberties, a number of new challenges have made policy-making in this field more complex in recent years: Firstly, new security threats, especially those perceived after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Secondly, fast technological developments have changed societies’ communication habits, the economy’s dependence upon communication channels, and consequently, also changed the operative fields and methods of police and other security agencies. In reaction to newly perceived threats, even democratic countries have established technical capacities for surveillance that conflict with the limited role that states have customarily played in rule of law systems. Established boundaries between policy fields and the related public actors have been questioned by this process. This is especially true between internal and external security (police and military) as well as between the functions of police agencies and secret services. In parallel, policing and security tasks are becoming more diverse. Private security companies have developed to important actors in many countries, contributing to a “pluralisation of policing”. Digitalisation and new methods of surveillance have witnessed a decisive move forward. Prevention has become a core task, complementing the classical repressive functions of police and other security agencies. The aim of the panel is to open a forum for the discussion and exchange of empirical findings, theoretical arguments and methodological tools for the analysis of policy-making and accountability in the field of policing and internal security policy. Trans-disciplinary approaches and contributions taking a trans-border comparative perspective are most welcome in order to develop new approaches to comparative research into policing and security.

The panel on policing and security that we propose for the ICPP conference will explore new challenges for policy-making and accountability in the field of policing and internal security. Beyond the “classical” conflict between security and civil liberties, a number of new challenges have made policy-making in this field more complex in recent years: Firstly, new security threats, especially those perceived after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Secondly, fast technological developments have changed societies’ communication habits, the economy’s dependence upon communication channels and consequently also changed the operative fields and methods applied by police and other security agencies. These aspects lead to a growing attention by scholars and by the broader public into internal security issues. In reaction to these newly perceived threats, even democratic countries have established technical capacities for surveillance that conflict with the limited role that states have customarily played in rule of law systems. Established boundaries between policy fields and the related public actors have been questioned by this process. This is especially true between internal and external security (police and military) as well as between the functions of police agencies and secret services. In parallel, policing and security tasks are becoming more diverse. Private security companies have developed into important actors in many countries, contributing to a “pluralisation of policing”. Digitalisation and new methods of surveillance have witnessed a decisive move forward. Prevention has become a core task, complementing the classical repressive functions of police and other security agencies. The public policy research agenda for policing and security is vast, and includes: policy-making for policing and security; the distribution of power between elected policy-makers and security agencies seeking a margin of discretion for their operative tasks; specific patterns of security policy (e.g. secrecy); and questions related to accountability of the relevant policy-making and implementation in democratic rule of law systems. The aim of the panel is to open a forum for the discussion and exchange of empirical findings, theoretical arguments and methodological tools for the analysis of policy-making and accountability in the field of policing and internal security policy. Trans-disciplinary approaches and contributions taking a trans-border comparative perspective are most welcome in order to develop new approaches to comparative research into policing and security.