Bethan Loftus
Biographic Data
| ID | 251478 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bethan Loftus |
| GIVEN NAMES | Bethan |
| FAMILY NAME | Loftus |
| SIGNATURE | LOFTUS B |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Manchester |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5346-1332 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 264 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
Scrutiny of Police Institutions and the Spectre of Culture
This article revisits the concept of police culture and its explanatory value in understanding the recent scandals that have rocked policing in England and Wales. It focusses on concerns around the prevalence of sexism and violence against women and girls (VAWG) within policing and explores whether an increase in the diversity of police officers has pushed aspects of police culture into specific specialist and less visible areas of policing. The …
Ethnography and the Evocative World of Policing
The moral and emotional world of police informants
The global pattern of implementing proactive policing to address crime and insecurity continues to drive undercover techniques, including the deployment of police informants. Our aim in this article is to reflect upon research on informants policing, setting out a more comprehensive agenda that appreciates the moral significance and power dynamics at play. Our starting point is that this practice embodies immense moral and emotional tension, both…
Ethnography and the Evocative World of Policing (Part I)
Ethnography has proved to be a crucial methodology for entering and understanding the world of policing. Recent developments in the fields of policing, and within police organisations themselves, h
Ethnography and the evocative world of policing (Part II)
Normalizing covert surveillance
In this article, I draw on data derived from an ethnographic field study of covert policing in the United Kingdom to demonstrate that the deployment of covert surveillance has become normalized, both in policing thought and operational practice. In a break with earlier patterns, the methods of covert surveillance are used extensively and are no longer regarded as a tactic of last resort. Covert policing is well anchored within organizational arra…
Private security as moral drama
This article explores the phenomenon of scandals as they unfold in the private security industry. We begin by outlining our theoretical understanding of scandals, before tracking the key phases of two recent events – one in Sweden, the other in Britain. Scandals, we suggest, are best viewed as moral tales which dramatize a host of societal norms and values about private security and criminal justice, prompting a great deal of normative conflict. …
Watching the watchers
It has long been claimed that the police are the most visible symbol of the criminal justice system (Bittner, 1974). There is, however, a significant strand of policing – covert investigation that relies routinely on methods of deception – that resists public revelation (Ross, 2008). The growing importance of covert police investigation has profound implications for the relationship between citizen and the state in a democratic society, but it is…
Revisiting the classics
As a field of social science research, policing has been fortunate to have a number of influential academic researchers and a rich history of significant writing. This is something to be celebrated. Our Revisiting the Classics series aims to bring together leading commentators to review books that contribute to the core of police studies. There will always be debate about which books are seminal and which authors have had the greatest influence o…
From a Visible Spectacle to an Invisible Presence
In this article, we draw upon data derived from an ethnographic field study of covert policing to shed light on the occupational culture of those officers engaged in the targeted surveillance of the public. Although many of the attitudes and working practices of covert officers mirror those offices found in more ‘traditional’ areas of policing, they also differ from them in a number of important ways. In particular, aspects of the occupational co…
Policing and the surveillance of the marginal
While the surveillance practices of the private security industry have become a central preoccupation of scholarship, the surveillance power of the state has been greatly enhanced through multiple procedures of information gathering to support practices of control and management. In this article, we draw upon two different research projects to examine the surveillance work of the police and other public sector groups working in partnership, as we…
Border regimes and the sociology of policing
Throughout the world, resources are being shifted towards border enforcement. Along with the concerted political and financial investment afforded by states into defending territories, the apparatus of border policing comprises of numerous state agencies and an ever-expanding range of private actors and commercial bodies. Yet an examination of the culture and practices of those responsible for the routine preservation of border priorities has gar…
Covert surveillance and the invisibilities of policing
This article draws upon research from the first ethnographic field study of covert policing conducted in the United Kingdom, and seeks to shed light on how covert officers carry out their surveillance work. In particular, it demonstrates how officers attempt to blend into their surroundings and render their work invisible in order to intrude into the daily lives of those people considered suspect. In so doing, we highlight some hitherto unnoticed…
Replaying the Classics
This chapter offers an account of the principal theoretical perspectives on police culture. It starts by elucidating why it is important to assess police culture, before reviewing a number of the classic ethnographies that continue to exert considerable influence over this area of study. Then, it describes the works which have subsequently followed and prepares a thematic discussion of the central characteristics of police culture. Towards the en…
Police Culture in a Changing World
PART I - SITUATING POLICE CULTURE 1. Replaying the Classics 2. The New Social Field of Policing PART II - POLICE CULTURE IN MOTION 3. Dominant Culture Interrupted 4. Enduring Themes, Altered Times 5. Policing Diverse Publics 6. The Continuing Significance of Class PART III - CONCLUSION 7. Police Culture in Transition?
Police occupational culture
Understandings of police culture rely heavily on ethnographies conducted several decades ago. In these classic accounts, authors have identified recurring themes within police dispositions and practices over time and space. There have, however, been important developments within policing contexts, some of which could be expected to transform the cultural ethos that has long underpinned the police identity. This article draws upon ethnographic res…
Dominant Culture Interrupted
This article draws upon research conducted in an English police force to explore how greater political recognition of cultural and gendered identities has impacted upon the interior culture. Two broad, and opposing, perspectives on the contemporary working environment are presented. The first is characterized by resistance and resentment towards the new diversity terrain, and is articulated principally by white, heterosexual, male officers. A con…
Police occupational culture
Understandings of police culture rely heavily on ethnographies conducted several decades ago. In these classic accounts, authors have identified recurring themes within police dispositions and practices over time and space. There have, however, been important developments within policing contexts, some of which could be expected to transform the cultural ethos that has long underpinned the police identity. This article draws upon ethnographic res…
Border regimes and the sociology of policing
Throughout the world, resources are being shifted towards border enforcement. Along with the concerted political and financial investment afforded by states into defending territories, the apparatus of border policing comprises of numerous state agencies and an ever-expanding range of private actors and commercial bodies. Yet an examination of the culture and practices of those responsible for the routine preservation of border priorities has gar…
Dominant Culture Interrupted
This article draws upon research conducted in an English police force to explore how greater political recognition of cultural and gendered identities has impacted upon the interior culture. Two broad, and opposing, perspectives on the contemporary working environment are presented. The first is characterized by resistance and resentment towards the new diversity terrain, and is articulated principally by white, heterosexual, male officers. A con…
Policing and the surveillance of the marginal
While the surveillance practices of the private security industry have become a central preoccupation of scholarship, the surveillance power of the state has been greatly enhanced through multiple procedures of information gathering to support practices of control and management. In this article, we draw upon two different research projects to examine the surveillance work of the police and other public sector groups working in partnership, as we…
Watching the watchers
It has long been claimed that the police are the most visible symbol of the criminal justice system (Bittner, 1974). There is, however, a significant strand of policing – covert investigation that relies routinely on methods of deception – that resists public revelation (Ross, 2008). The growing importance of covert police investigation has profound implications for the relationship between citizen and the state in a democratic society, but it is…
Ethnography and the Evocative World of Policing (Part I)
Ethnography has proved to be a crucial methodology for entering and understanding the world of policing. Recent developments in the fields of policing, and within police organisations themselves, h
From a Visible Spectacle to an Invisible Presence
In this article, we draw upon data derived from an ethnographic field study of covert policing to shed light on the occupational culture of those officers engaged in the targeted surveillance of the public. Although many of the attitudes and working practices of covert officers mirror those offices found in more ‘traditional’ areas of policing, they also differ from them in a number of important ways. In particular, aspects of the occupational co…
Normalizing covert surveillance
In this article, I draw on data derived from an ethnographic field study of covert policing in the United Kingdom to demonstrate that the deployment of covert surveillance has become normalized, both in policing thought and operational practice. In a break with earlier patterns, the methods of covert surveillance are used extensively and are no longer regarded as a tactic of last resort. Covert policing is well anchored within organizational arra…
Covert surveillance and the invisibilities of policing
This article draws upon research from the first ethnographic field study of covert policing conducted in the United Kingdom, and seeks to shed light on how covert officers carry out their surveillance work. In particular, it demonstrates how officers attempt to blend into their surroundings and render their work invisible in order to intrude into the daily lives of those people considered suspect. In so doing, we highlight some hitherto unnoticed…
Revisiting the classics
As a field of social science research, policing has been fortunate to have a number of influential academic researchers and a rich history of significant writing. This is something to be celebrated. Our Revisiting the Classics series aims to bring together leading commentators to review books that contribute to the core of police studies. There will always be debate about which books are seminal and which authors have had the greatest influence o…
Private security as moral drama
This article explores the phenomenon of scandals as they unfold in the private security industry. We begin by outlining our theoretical understanding of scandals, before tracking the key phases of two recent events – one in Sweden, the other in Britain. Scandals, we suggest, are best viewed as moral tales which dramatize a host of societal norms and values about private security and criminal justice, prompting a great deal of normative conflict. …
Dominant Culture Interrupted
This article draws upon research conducted in an English police force to explore how greater political recognition of cultural and gendered identities has impacted upon the interior culture. Two broad, and opposing, perspectives on the contemporary working environment are presented. The first is characterized by resistance and resentment towards the new diversity terrain, and is articulated principally by white, heterosexual, male officers. A con…
Replaying the Classics
This chapter offers an account of the principal theoretical perspectives on police culture. It starts by elucidating why it is important to assess police culture, before reviewing a number of the classic ethnographies that continue to exert considerable influence over this area of study. Then, it describes the works which have subsequently followed and prepares a thematic discussion of the central characteristics of police culture. Towards the en…
Police Culture in a Changing World
PART I - SITUATING POLICE CULTURE 1. Replaying the Classics 2. The New Social Field of Policing PART II - POLICE CULTURE IN MOTION 3. Dominant Culture Interrupted 4. Enduring Themes, Altered Times 5. Policing Diverse Publics 6. The Continuing Significance of Class PART III - CONCLUSION 7. Police Culture in Transition?
Police occupational culture
Understandings of police culture rely heavily on ethnographies conducted several decades ago. In these classic accounts, authors have identified recurring themes within police dispositions and practices over time and space. There have, however, been important developments within policing contexts, some of which could be expected to transform the cultural ethos that has long underpinned the police identity. This article draws upon ethnographic res…
Covert surveillance and the invisibilities of policing
This article draws upon research from the first ethnographic field study of covert policing conducted in the United Kingdom, and seeks to shed light on how covert officers carry out their surveillance work. In particular, it demonstrates how officers attempt to blend into their surroundings and render their work invisible in order to intrude into the daily lives of those people considered suspect. In so doing, we highlight some hitherto unnoticed…
Policing and the surveillance of the marginal
While the surveillance practices of the private security industry have become a central preoccupation of scholarship, the surveillance power of the state has been greatly enhanced through multiple procedures of information gathering to support practices of control and management. In this article, we draw upon two different research projects to examine the surveillance work of the police and other public sector groups working in partnership, as we…
Border regimes and the sociology of policing
Throughout the world, resources are being shifted towards border enforcement. Along with the concerted political and financial investment afforded by states into defending territories, the apparatus of border policing comprises of numerous state agencies and an ever-expanding range of private actors and commercial bodies. Yet an examination of the culture and practices of those responsible for the routine preservation of border priorities has gar…
Watching the watchers
It has long been claimed that the police are the most visible symbol of the criminal justice system (Bittner, 1974). There is, however, a significant strand of policing – covert investigation that relies routinely on methods of deception – that resists public revelation (Ross, 2008). The growing importance of covert police investigation has profound implications for the relationship between citizen and the state in a democratic society, but it is…
Revisiting the classics
As a field of social science research, policing has been fortunate to have a number of influential academic researchers and a rich history of significant writing. This is something to be celebrated. Our Revisiting the Classics series aims to bring together leading commentators to review books that contribute to the core of police studies. There will always be debate about which books are seminal and which authors have had the greatest influence o…
From a Visible Spectacle to an Invisible Presence
In this article, we draw upon data derived from an ethnographic field study of covert policing to shed light on the occupational culture of those officers engaged in the targeted surveillance of the public. Although many of the attitudes and working practices of covert officers mirror those offices found in more ‘traditional’ areas of policing, they also differ from them in a number of important ways. In particular, aspects of the occupational co…
Private security as moral drama
This article explores the phenomenon of scandals as they unfold in the private security industry. We begin by outlining our theoretical understanding of scandals, before tracking the key phases of two recent events – one in Sweden, the other in Britain. Scandals, we suggest, are best viewed as moral tales which dramatize a host of societal norms and values about private security and criminal justice, prompting a great deal of normative conflict. …
Ethnography and the evocative world of policing (Part II)
Normalizing covert surveillance
In this article, I draw on data derived from an ethnographic field study of covert policing in the United Kingdom to demonstrate that the deployment of covert surveillance has become normalized, both in policing thought and operational practice. In a break with earlier patterns, the methods of covert surveillance are used extensively and are no longer regarded as a tactic of last resort. Covert policing is well anchored within organizational arra…
Ethnography and the Evocative World of Policing (Part I)
Ethnography has proved to be a crucial methodology for entering and understanding the world of policing. Recent developments in the fields of policing, and within police organisations themselves, h
Ethnography and the Evocative World of Policing
The moral and emotional world of police informants
The global pattern of implementing proactive policing to address crime and insecurity continues to drive undercover techniques, including the deployment of police informants. Our aim in this article is to reflect upon research on informants policing, setting out a more comprehensive agenda that appreciates the moral significance and power dynamics at play. Our starting point is that this practice embodies immense moral and emotional tension, both…
Scrutiny of Police Institutions and the Spectre of Culture
This article revisits the concept of police culture and its explanatory value in understanding the recent scandals that have rocked policing in England and Wales. It focusses on concerns around the prevalence of sexism and violence against women and girls (VAWG) within policing and explores whether an increase in the diversity of police officers has pushed aspects of police culture into specific specialist and less visible areas of policing. The …
Sociology (14 works) · Policing Practices and Perceptions (13 works) · Political science (13 works) · Criminology (12 works) · Law (11 works) · Public relations (8 works) · Ethnography (7 works) · Law (7 works) · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis (6 works) · Anthropology (5 works)