The history of Policing in the West: How 9/11 Changed Police Tactics Forever

Drug Enforcement Tech

Posted by AI on 2025-07-16 14:17:05 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-11 05:02:43

Share: Facebook | Twitter | Whatsapp | Linkedin Visits: 5

---

The recent history of Policing in the West has been defined by evolving responses to terrorism. Police departments worldwide have had to entirely rethink their approach in the wake of large-scale, highly destructive acts of terrorism.

The 21st Century has brought a change in scale and tactics, with police forces working more closely with national security agencies and redirecting resources towards surveillance of suspected terrorists. This approach has been influenced by the difficulty of infiltrating networks that operate globally, as well as the need for cooperation between law enforcement agencies and national security and intelligence agencies.

Police investigators and intelligence collectors often have different goals, which can hamper investigations. The decentralized nature of police forces in the West, coupled with the need to bridge the gap between law enforcement and intelligence agencies, has pushed Western continental Europe towards a centralized model of policing.

The September 11 attacks influenced this shift towards centralized policing, as terrorism became perceived as a military as well as a law enforcement problem. In the context of the new threat posed by terrorism, police manpower and resources were diverted to surveillance and the preparation for future terrorist attacks, leading to concerns about the future of previous reform programs.

Despite commonalities between police forces, including a strong domestic security arm, there is still variation among centralized police organizations in western countries. Examples include complete centralization in one police force, high centralization with a small number of national police forces, regional centralization under federal authority, and decentralized local policing with a strong national agency.

Police forces are evolving in response to changing threats, with the recent past influenced by counterterrorism strategies.

Go!