Everyday Political Economy of Plural Policing
An interdisciplinary, international research network of scholars working on or interested in advancing plural policing research.

- Faculty of Social Sciences
- School of Law
- Research and expertise
- Everyday Political Economy of Plural Policing
School of Law - Everyday Political Economy of Plural Policing
Our mission
We are an interdisciplinary, international research network of scholars working on or interested in advancing plural policing research. The aspiration of this network is to significantly advance knowledge on the ‘Everyday Political Economy of Plural Policing’. We believe that collaboration and knowledge exchange are fundamental in achieving this goal. To facilitate this our network will provide a platform by which members can connect globally, engage in collaborative research opportunities, and organise conferences whilst sharing and promoting their work.
We welcome anyone interested in this research agenda to join our network by emailing us on: epepp@leeds.ac.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter at: @EpeppNet
Addressing the gap
Policing is no longer the exclusive domain of the ‘public police’, but is rather carried out by a wide range of public, private and voluntary actors. Over the past three or so decades, our comparative understanding of ‘plural policing’ has moved forward considerably. An ever growing number of scholars have contributed towards the process of mapping out both the multiplicity of actors tasked with delivering policing functions on the ground and the array of regulatory structures responsible for steering these functions from above.
Much less is known about what happens when these policing actors and regulatory structures interact with one another on a daily basis. To address this gap we are pushing forward a research agenda on ‘Everyday Political Economy of Plural Policing’.
Three key questions
- How do public, private and voluntary policing actors on the ground interpret and negotiate their way through the diversity of regulatory structures they encounter on an everyday level?
- What kinds of social, political and economic orders does this process bring into effect?
- How does this structure-agency dynamic play out within and across different parts of the globe?
In seeking out answers to these questions, we are interested not only in the formal characteristics of policing and regulatory institutions, but also about the mediating role of emotions, identity, culture and other less formal dimensions.
“"Plural Policing in Crisis: Reflecting on Inclusive Security Provision in the Global South" webinar recording now a… t.co/Ie5vRoVSWT” -
on October 22, 2020
“Upcoming webinar: ‘Plural Policing in Crisis: Reflecting on Inclusive Security Provision in the Global South’.… t.co/TA7Yu2wRsa” -
on October 12, 2020
“RT @Crawford1Adam: ‘Plural Policing in Crisis: Reflecting on Inclusive Security Provision in the Global South’ @CCJSLeeds @EpeppNet D… t.co/GmG1huFlVS” -
on October 8, 2020
“RT @ESaarikkomaki: Talked about how to improve Private Security–Youth Relations, blurring boundaries, new cooperation between private… t.co/TurVHzXR4r” -
on September 14, 2020
Events
News
"Plural Policing in Crisis: Reflecting on Inclusive Security Provision in the Global South" webinar
The webinar was held on 21 October 2020 and participants heard from speaker…
Thursday 22 October 2020
More on "Plural Policing in Crisis: Reflecting on Inclusive Security Provision in the Global South" webinarRead about our members’ new publication: ‘Private Security’s Accountabilities within Polycentric Assemblages’ by Julie Berg and Clifford Shearing
This article reflects on the ways which private security can be, and is, held…
Monday 10 August 2020
More on Read about our members’ new publication: ‘Private Security’s Accountabilities within Polycentric Assemblages’ by Julie Berg and Clifford ShearingRead about our member’s new publication: ‘Examining the how of Plural Policing: Moving from Normative Debate to Empirical Enquiry’ by Martin Nøkleberg
Martin Nøkleberg has written a publication examining how Plural Policing is…
Tuesday 12 May 2020
More on Read about our member’s new publication: ‘Examining the how of Plural Policing: Moving from Normative Debate to Empirical Enquiry’ by Martin NøklebergRead about our member’s new publication: ‘Exploring the Role and Contribution of Police Support Volunteers (PSVs) in an English Constabulary’ by Melissa Pepper, Karen Bullock and Daniel McCarthy
Melissa Pepper has co-authored a publication about Police Support Volunteers…
Wednesday 6 May 2020
More on Read about our member’s new publication: ‘Exploring the Role and Contribution of Police Support Volunteers (PSVs) in an English Constabulary’ by Melissa Pepper, Karen Bullock and Daniel McCarthy