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Policing

Code: 100442 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Criminology OB 2

Contact

Name:
Hector Sanchez Delgado
Email:
hector.sanchez@uab.cat

Teachers

Helena Mulero Alcaraz
Ferran Restrepo Arrufat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

- The language used for theory and seminars 11 and 12 will be Catalan. Seminar 13 will be held in Spanish.

- The teaching of the subject will be taught taking into account the perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).


Objectives and Contextualisation

This subject has as fundamental aim to offer an overview about policing in our society. That’s to say, its place in the Criminal Justice System, in the Public Administration, its relationships with the public, the functions performed by the police (preventative, reactive and supportive). The course also focuses on the scope and limit of police functions, the police culture, stressing what is common in all police organisation and what varies in function of the models and public policies.

As second objective, complementary to the previous one, this subject contextualises police, security and criminal justice as concentric circles (being security the largest). Students should clearly indentify police role within the framework of Criminal justice and security in general. They should also understand the meaning of its functions, namely, its relationship with crime and law and identify the main traits of the police organisation and those of other usual police partners, especially private security. Eventually students should have basic knowledge on security planning.


Competences

  • Ability to analyse and summarise.
  • Accessing and interpreting sources of crime data.
  • Applying a crime prevention program at a community level.
  • Carrying out the criminological intervention on the basis of the values of pacification, social integration and prevention of further conflicts.
  • Demonstrating a comprehension of the victim's needs on the basis of the knowledge of victimological theories.
  • Drawing up an academic text.
  • Identifying existing social resources to intervene in the conflict and criminality.
  • Students must demonstrate a comprehension of the best crime prevention and intervention models for each specific problem.
  • Students must demonstrate they know a variety of criminal policies in order to face criminality and its different foundations.
  • Students must demonstrate they know the legal framework and operating model of the crime control agents.
  • Using research methods in social sciences in order to diagnose criminality problems.
  • Verbally transmitting ideas to an audience.
  • Working autonomously.
  • Working in teams and networking.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Ability to analyse and summarise.
  2. Acting in a professional way in the criminological field for pacifying, social integration and delinquency-prevention purposes.
  3. Applying a prevention program for crime control agents.
  4. Appropriately applying social resources to criminality.
  5. Appropriately managing a security or prevention team.
  6. Correctly describing in the criminological field the legal-penal framework and crime control agents.
  7. Demonstrating they know the means and scientific procedures of crime prevention.
  8. Drawing up an academic text.
  9. Effectively developing a delinquency prevention program in the community area.
  10. Interpreting crime-related police reports.
  11. Intervening in the criminological field for pacifying, conciliatory and crime-prevention purposes.
  12. Knowing the structural prevention strategy of delinquency.
  13. Properly using the criminological prevention and intervention programs.
  14. Students must be capable of carrying out a security audit in the public field.
  15. Using risk analysis methods in the field of safety.
  16. Using the police analysis methodologies of crime investigation.
  17. Verbally transmitting ideas to an audience.
  18. Working autonomously.
  19. Working in teams and networking.

Content

1. Introduction to Security

1.1. What do we understand by security?

1.2. The concept of security

1.3. Objective and subjective security

1.4. Fear of crime
 1.4.1. Role of the media
 1.4.2. Social policies
 1.4.3. Education
 1.4.4. Urban design

1.5. Punitive populism

1.6. Involved actors

1.7. Current trends in security

2. Introduction to the Police

2.1. History and evolution of the police

2.2. Functions

2.3. Police as an institution

2.4. Legal framework

2.5. State, regional, and local police forces

2.6. Models of police-society relations

3. The Police Profession and Organization

3.1. The police profession: culture and organization

3.2. Police recruitment: single entry vs dual entry

3.3. Specialization vs generalists

3.4. Central and territorial units: ongoing balance

3.5. Special units: intervention groups and internal affairs

3.6. Non-police civil servants

3.7. Police unions

3.8. New internal partners: security guards, auxiliaries, and volunteers

3.9. Continuous training

4. Data Sources

4.1. Official police data

4.2. Other official sources (judicial, statistical, international)

4.3. Victimization and perception surveys

4.4. Own and field sources

5. The police function of crime prevention

5.1. Theories and foundations

5.2. Police strategies to prevent crime

5.3. Spatial criminology

5.4. Crime concentration: Hot Spots

5.5. Available tools

5.6. Evaluation and limitations

5.7. Practical examples

6. Police Bias and Legitimacy

6.1. Police legitimacy

6.2. Police discretion: opportunities and risks

6.3. Police biases

6.4. Social and political effects

6.5. Relevant cases and examples

6.6. Police accountability mechanisms

7. Self-Protection and Physical Integrity of the Police

7.1. Concept of self-protection

7.2. Self-defense in the police context

7.3. Justification and relevance

7.4. Legal framework for the use of force

7.5. Training and practice

8. Other Areas of Police Work

8.1. The police in response to conflicts and antisocial behavior

8.2. Public order strategies and tactics

8.3. Public order in a democracy: public safety and human rights

9. Police systems. Tendencies.

9.1. Governmental police : France, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

9.2. Police as public service. Community policing with local base : the United Kingdom.

9.3. A new basically local system : Belgium.

9.4 Federal systems: Germany, USA and Canada

9.5. A “de-centralised” system : Spain.

9.6. Importance of the local police area.

9.7. Towards a plural policing model.


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
lectures 19.5 0.78 2, 6, 1, 17, 13
Seminar sessions 19.5 0.78 2, 6, 1, 17, 19, 13
Type: Autonomous      
in group work 26 1.04 2, 6, 11, 8, 1, 19, 13
Readings, study, paper preparation 80 3.2 2, 3, 6, 1, 18, 13

The activities that students will be required to complete during the course are:

  1. A group project.

  2. An individual project.

  3. A final exam.

Punctuality:
Classes start promptly at the scheduled time. Entry will not be allowed once the class has begun, and students may not leave before it ends unless there is a justified reason.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Class attendance 12,5% 0 0 2, 4, 3, 12, 7, 6, 9, 5, 10, 11, 8, 14, 1, 17, 18, 19, 13, 15, 16
Exam 40% 5 0.2 2, 6, 1, 18, 13
Group project 15% 0 0 2, 3, 12, 7, 6, 11, 14, 1, 17, 19, 13, 15
Individual paper 20% 0 0 2, 4, 12, 6, 9, 5, 10, 11, 8, 1, 18, 13, 16
Participation in class 12,5% 0 0 2, 6, 1, 17, 13

Assessment

  1. Continuous Assessment Model

The assessment model is continuous and has a formative purpose, allowing both students and instructors to monitor the degree to which the established competencies are being achieved. The following will be assessed:

a) The individual project
b) The group project, which must be presented
c) The written exam
d) Class participation

The content of the assignments will be indicated at the beginning of the course on the Virtual Campus.

  1. Requirements to be Assessed

Students must have submitted the group project, the individual project, and sat the final exam.

  1. Requirements to Pass the Course

a) Students must attend 100% of classes and seminars in person. All absences must be justified by illness, force majeure, or academic reasons previously authorized by the instructor. If the student attends less than 80% of the academic activities, they will not be able to pass the course.

b) To pass the course, students must obtain at least a 4 on the final exam, and the average of the assignments (group and individual work) must be 5 orhigher. The final average grade for the course must be 5 or higher in order to pass (taking into account the group project, the individual project, and the exam).

  1. Resits

If a student does not pass the individual and/or group projects, they will have the opportunity to take a resit for each part.

The final written exam may be retaken approximately two weeks later.

  1. Fraudulent Conduct

Any student who cheats or attempts to cheat on an exam will receive a zero (0) for the course and lose the right to a resit. Students who submit a project or activity with signs of plagiarism or who cannot justify their arguments will receive a zero (0) and a formal warning. In case of repeated misconduct, the student will fail the course (0) and lose the right to a resit.

  1. Single Assessment Model

Students may request a single assessment model. To demonstrate acquisition of the knowledge and competencies related to the course, several assessable activities will be carried out in accordance with the established syllabus.


Bibliography

1.- Compulsory bibliography.

Guillén, F. (2012). Policia i seguretat. Servei Publicacions UAB.

Guillén, F. (2016). Modelos de policía. Hacia un modelo de seguridad plural. Bosch editores.

2.- Complementary bibliography.

Basic texts.

Fernández Justes, C, & Yñíguez, A. (2014). Gestió estratègica de la Policia. Organització de l'eficiència en el treball policial. Punto Rojo libros.

Medina, J. (2011). Políticas y estrategias de prevención del delito y seguridad ciudadana. Edisofer, editorial B de F. (chapter VII).

Newburn, T.  (2005). Policing key readings. Willan Publishing.

Newburn, T. (2008). Handbook of policing. Willan Publishing.

Security.

Beck, U. (1998). La sociedad del riesgo. Paidós Básica.

Curbet, J. (2010). El rei nu. Una anàlisi de la (in)seguretat ciutadana. CCG Edicions.

García-García, S. (2022). Asociaciones vecinales y organizaciones comunitarias en la gestión de la seguridad. In J. Medina (Ed.), Institucionesde control del delito (pp. 75-90). Dykinson.

Guillén, F. (2020). La falacia de la seguridad objetiva y sus consecuencias”. E-E-Journal of Criminal Sciences. 15, 1-28.

Guillén, F. (2018). Desencuentros entre la Policía y el público. Factores de riesgo y estrategias de gestión. Bosch Editor.

Guillén, F., & Brotat, R. (2023) (Coords.). 40 años de ventanas rotas. Luces y sombras. Bosch Editor.

Martínez Espasa, J. (2016). Las políticas públicas de seguridad ciudadana. Análisis y propuestas desde la criminología. Tirant lo Blanch. 

Murría, M., Sobrino, C. & González, C. (2022). Las políticas locales de seguridad (y prevención). In J. Medina (Ed.), Instituciones de control del delito (pp. 91-104). Dykinson.

Ortiz de Urbina, I. & Ponce, J. (Eds.)  (2008)  Convivencia ciudadana, seguridad pública y urbanismo. Diez textos fundamentales del panorama internacional. Diputació de Barcelona.

San Juan, C., & Vozmediano, L. (2021).  Guía de prevención del delito. Seguridad, diseño urbano, participación ciudadana y acción policial. Bosch editor.

Shearing, C., & Wood, J. (2011). Pensar la seguridad. Editorial Gedisa.

Waller, I. (2008). Menos represión. Más seguridad. Verdades y mentiras acerca dela lucha contrala delincuencia. INACIPE.

Waller, I. (2014). Control inteligente del delito. INACIPE.

Private  security.

Ocqueteau, F. (2004). Polices entreÉtat et Marché. Sciences Po.

Torrente, D. (2015). Análisis de la seguridad privada. Editorial UOC.

Torrente, D. (2022). La Seguridad privada a debate. In J. Medina (Ed.), Instituciones de control del delito (pp. 105-120). Dykinson.

Police.

Barcelona, J. (2006). Sobre el modelo policial español y sus posibles reformas. Fundación Alternativas. http://www.falternativas.org/laboratorio/documentos/documentos-de-trabajo/sobre-el-modelo-policial-espanol-y-sus-posibles-reformas

Bertaccini, D. (2009). La politica di polizia. Bononia University Press.

Bosch, J. (2018). La nostra policia. El model de seguretat de Catalunya des de 1978 fins als atemptats de 2017 i l’1 d’octubre. Eumo editorial.

Carrer, F. (Ed.). (2009). Le politique della sicurezza. Dalla "polizia comunitaria" alla "tolleranza zero". Franco Angeli.

Carrer, F. & Salomon, J C (Coords.) (2011). L'ordine pubblico. Un equilibrio fra ildesordine sopportabile el'ordineindispensabile. Franco Angeli.

De Maillard, J.(2023). Comparative policing. Routledge.

Fernández, C., & Íñiguez, A. (Coords.) (2020). Propostes i estratègies per a un nou sistema policial. Tirant lo Blanch.

Gallardo, R, A., Pérez, H., Planchadell, A. & Pomares, C. (2023). Guía práctica de la mediación policial. Universitat Jaume I. https://repositori.uji.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10234/201978/Sapienta_189.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y 

Guillén, F. (2018). Desencuentros entre la policía y el público. Factores de riesgo y estrategias de gestión. Bosch editor.

Guillén, F. (2021). La policía en primera línea contra la pandemia. Reflexiones sobre un papel distorsionado. Constructos Criminológicos, 1(1), 59-82. https://doi.org/10.29105/cc1.1-5

Guillén, F. (2022). Policía : concepto, funciones, modelo. A J. Medina (Ed.), Instituciones de control del delito (pp. 45-49). Dykinson.

Herrera, J. V. (2018). Ética policial y ciutadania. Claves de buenas prácticas en policía y proximidad. Fundación Policía Española. 

Jar, G. (2000). Modelos comparados de policía. Ministerio del Interior. Dykinson.

Kleinig, J. (1996). The ethics of policing. Cambridge University Press.

Lazuén, M P. (1999). Cuerpos de policía y seguridad ciudadana en España: Situación actual y perspectivas de futuro. Ministerio del Interior.

López-Garrido, D. (1982). La Guardia Civil y los orígenes del Estado centralista. Grijalbo.

López-Riba, J. M. (2022). Interacciones con los ciudadanos, poderes policiales, uso de la fuerza y poder simbólico. A J. Medina (Ed.), Instituciones de control del delito (pp. 61-73). Dykinson.

Loubet del Bayle, J. L. (2012). De la Police et du contrôle social. Les éditions du CERF.

Loubet del Bayle, J. L. (2016). Sociologie de la Police. L'Harmattan.

Monjardet. D. (2011). Lo que hace la Policía. Sociología de la fuerza pública. Prometeo Libros.

Newburn, T. (2007). Criminology. Willan Publishing.

Pacheco, A. (2015). Una aproximación al estudio de la cultura organizacional en la Policía Local de la Comunidad Valenciana desde una perspectiva sociològica. Universitat de València. Tesi doctoral. https://roderic.uv.es/bitstream/handle/10550/51958/La+Cultura+Organizacional+de+la+Polic%C3%ADa+Local_Alfredo+Pacheco_Tesis+Doctoral+2015.pdf?sequence=1 

Reiner, R. (2010). The politics of the police. Oxford University Press.

Roché, S. (2016). De la Police en Démocratie. Bernard Grasset.

Tena J. A. (2002). Diccionario de expresiones y términos de interés policial y criminalístico. Tecnos.

Tyler, T. (1990). Why people obey the law. Yale University Press.

Tyler, T. (2003). Procedural justice, legitimacy, and the effective rule of law. Crime and Justice, 30, 283–357.

Vidales, Caty, & Carque, J L. (Coords.) (2014). Policía comunitaria. Una policía para la sociedad del siglo XXI. Tirant lo Blanch.

Vilatarsana, A. (2015). La necessitat de construir un sistema de policia per a Catalunya. La coresponsabilitat del món local per aconseguir-ho. (Tesi doctoral, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona). https://www.tesisenred.net/handle/10803/298327#page=1

Vilatarsana, A. (2019).  La tecnología tiene que ser un instrumento transformador de las organizaciones policiales. (Blog Notes de seguretat. Generalitat de Catalunya (Entrevista): https://notesdeseguretat.blog.gencat.cat/2019/06/19/albert-vilatarsana-la-tecnologia-tiene-que-ser-un-instrumento-transformador-de-las-organizaciones-policiales/

Vitale, A S. (2017). The end of Policing. Verso.

Vollmer, A. (1936). The Police and modern society. N.J. Patterson.

Wilson, J. Q. (1968). Varieties of police behaviour. Harvard University Press.

Websites

 Crimina. http://crimidata.com/

Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) http://bka.de/

Departament d'Interior (Catalunya). http://interior.gencat.cat

Bloc del Departament d'Interior (Catalunya): Notes de Seguretat. https://notesdeseguretat.blog.gencat.cat

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). http://www.fbi.gov/

Europol. http://www.europol.europa.eu/

Home Office (Ministeri del'Interior del Regne Unit). http://www.police.uk

National institute for higher studies of security and justice of France. http://www.inhesj.fr

John Jay College. http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/

Ministerio del Interior de España (Spanish).  http://www.interior.gob.es/

National Criminal Justice Reference Service (USA). http://www.ncjrs.gov/

Germany police (in German). http://www.polizei.de/

Belgian policea (French and Flemish). http://infozone.be/

United States of America police. http://www.usacops.com/

United Kingdom police. http://www.police.uk

Polizei newsletter. http://www.polizei-newsletter.de/

What works network (Network of good practices in crime prevention) https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-works-network


Software

The appropriate one used in the university environment.


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(SEM30) Seminaris (30 estudiants per grup) 11 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(SEM30) Seminaris (30 estudiants per grup) 12 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(SEM30) Seminaris (30 estudiants per grup) 13 Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed