“Intersections” — The Science of Policing and Law Enforcement, Criminal Sciences, Public Administration Science and Trans-Disciplinarity

Abstract

The science of policing and law enforcement should not be defined by stressing its uniqueness vis a vis criminal sciences, the science of public administration and legal sciences. Law enforcement researches the government’s possibilities to maintain public order and public security and the efficiency of coercive measures and related legal issues. Therefore the theory of law enforcement requires a transdisciplinary approach that includes to some extent researches of public administration and criminal sciences. The study analyses five possible dimensions for the research of law enforcement: the public policy and regulation, the organizational and management issues, the functions and toolkit, the processes and the resources. The research of law enforcement should be extended to the administrative (regulatory enforcement) repression so as to fully overview the processes and coercive power of law enforcement.