Policing the homeless in Montreal: is this really what the population wants?

摘要

Since the 1990s in Montreal, the implementation of community policing and the enforcement of anti-disorder programmes has had dramatic consequences on the homeless. Relying on empirical evidence from fieldwork conducted between 2005 and 2007, I examine the police contention that disorder policing is justified because it is based on a community consensus. Analysing how the Montreal police measured the citizens’ needs, I show that what the community wants is not clear and that there is no evidence in police data that citizens demanded such interventions. I then make a post-structural argument suggesting that the police created a self-fulfilling prophecy based on a perception of what the community wants. Such a perception does not reflect an expressed and quantified desire from the population in general. It is more in line with the demands of certain interest groups of that community and is shaped by the police bureaucratic reward structure and mission.View full textDownload full textKeywordscommunity policing, homeless, Montreal, incivilities, interest groups, bureaucratic imperativesRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2010.523114