Gramsci
Well-Known Member
In the UK. But iirc, many police around the world had less grounded beginnings.
Much more varied in the US. Again, iirc, the origins of their police forces came from slave patrols in the South and strike breakers?
Protection of property seemed to be the priority.
There is an overlap.
Adam Elliot Cooper book Black Resistance to British Policing points out that colonial style policing was brought to UK with the postwar immigration of people from Carribbean. Policing / over policing of whole communities etc.
There is a continuity between policing in the colonies and policing of recent migrant communities here.
Also the extension of it to white working class. Such as the Miners strike in the 80s. Which was put done in ways not dissimilar to that in Caribbean in the 30s. Which at the time had a lot of labour unrest.
In Insurgent Empire Gopal points out that those who opposed Empire in this country used ( rightly ) the argument that if the authorities use heavy handed repression in colonies and get away with it they will use it here eventually.
So no I don't agree with British exceptionalism here as compared to say US.