This Course Guide has been taken from the most recent presentation of the course. It would be useful for reference purposes but please note that there may be updates for the following presentation.
LESM A301
Core Issues in Policing
Welcome to LESM A301 Core Issues in Policing, a ten-credit, higher-level course for Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) students seeking a Diploma, Higher Diploma, Bachelor of Social Sciences or Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) in Law Enforcement and Security Management Programme. This course will also be of interest to students majoring in sociology and political science within the social sciences programme, to broaden their knowledge of different policing agencies in modern society.
LESM A301 Core Issues in Policing examines many of the central issues in modern-day policing. You are introduced to: the principles of modern policing; police culture and the question of effecting changes to it; the issues of accountability and legitimacy; the philosophy and practice of partnership policing; the influence of modern technology on policing; the relationships between the police and other policing bodies; the process of globalization and its impact on policing; and the relevance of the above issues to Hong Kong.
As a student at the higher level, you are expected to have completed some other HKMU courses. You should therefore be well aware of the study skills required for distance learning, have developed your own study schedule and methods, and be familiar with the organization of HKMU courses. Even so, you should read this Course Guide thoroughly before looking at the study units and Readings. Some of the content may be familiar to you, but much of it is specific to LESM A301 Core Issues in Policing. If you are a new HKMU student, we strongly recommend you to read the Course Guide carefully and plan your study schedule accordingly.
This Course Guide tells you briefly about the course content and suggests how to work your way through the materials. It also provides some guidelines for the amount of time you are likely to spend on each unit in order to complete the course successfully.
You will probably wish to refer to this Course Guide throughout the course to help you clarify important points about studying with the University, so keep it in a convenient place.
LESM A301 aims to increase your knowledge and understanding of policing by explaining, analysing and evaluating:
Finally, the course aims to stimulate you to evaluate the adaptability of the Hong Kong Police to become a modern policing agency.
On completion of this course, you should be able to:
The following chart gives a general overview of the course structure.
| Unit | Title | Weeks | Assessment activity (end of unit) |
| 1 | The principles of modern policing | 4 | Assignment 1 |
| 2 | Police culture and police deviances | 4 | |
| 3 | Police accountability and ethics | 4 | Assignment 2 |
| 4 | Private policing and privatization of policing | 4 | |
| University Examination Period | 4 | ||
| 5 | Partnership policing | 4 | Assignment 3 |
| 6 | Policing and technology | 3 | |
| 7 | Globalization and its impact on policing | 3 | Assignment 4 |
| 8 | The Hong Kong context: the development of the Hong Kong Police | 3 | |
| 9 | The Hong Kong context: police accountability and private policing | 3 | Assignment 5 |
| TOTAL | 36 |
There are nine study units in LESM A301 Core Issues in Policing.
The study units examine key issues, explain the relevant concepts and examples, and comment on related readings. Each unit contains activities, self-tests and/or short case studies to reinforce your learning of the issues under discussion. The assignments will give you further feedback.
The course is structured so that each unit builds on previous units. Follow the advice below to get the most out of your study.
Don't worry if you haven't received all nine units in the first mailing from HKMU. It is normal to receive your study units in several separate packages.
Study units
Unit 1 The principles of modern policing considers the development of society which has seen the need for a police service. It uses four police forces (in France, Britain, Northern Ireland and the People's Republic of China) to examine the different principles and theories on which police forces are founded. Contemporary developments in the modern world and their impact on the principles of policing are analysed.
Unit 2 Police culture and police deviances draws on the notion that, although objectives and strategies might be in place, they will be worthless unless the police culture is matched to address them. You will note that the police culture is justifiably given a lot of serious attention by academics. The unit analyses police culture in the context of the objective circumstances giving rise to it. It discusses the relationship between police culture and police deviances. A detailed examination of the question of effecting changes to police culture is provided.
Unit 3 Police accountability and ethics assumes a natural link to the expectations of policing, since it logically follows that the police force/service, the government and society must know if their expectations of the police are being properly and successfully fulfilled. Today, formal processes for monitoring accountability are in place and are usually designed in accordance with productivity, performance measurement, and the pursuit of quality. The relationships between policing principles, police culture and accountability are examined by situating them in the broad context of the responsibilities of both the police and the public as a whole.
Unit 4 Private policing and privatization of policing highlights the inability of the police on their own to meet their core objectives. It argues that alliances with private organizations which undertake police-related functions should exist. The rate, number and proficiency of private police have risen dramatically. How and to what extent the private police become involved with the public police is considered.
Unit 5 Partnership policing is increasingly an important part of contemporary public services practice. This unit will focus on partnerships formed for crime prevention. The major purpose is to look into a method of analysis which examines problems of and solutions for partnership policing.
Unit 6 Policing and technology introduces the impact and issues technology brings to policing, and to the different types of technology use in modern policing. It outlines the pros and cons of using technology and the issues generated. It then discusses police responses in coping with the rapid advances in technology.
Unit 7 Globalization and its impact on policing first looks at the process of globalization. The rise of the neo-liberal social philosophy and the accompanying emergence of new public management on the one hand, and the 'globalization' of crime on the other hand, are examined. The impact of these developments on policing is discussed.
Units 8 and 9 The Hong Kong context I and II draw together all of the core issues relevant to policing and apply them in the context of Hong Kong.
Readings
The nine study units draw on a series of selected articles and chapters from books that make a significant contribution to the best understanding of the core issues in contemporary policing. These Readings are provided in your course package. In addition, suggestions for further reading are made at the end of these units. You should be able to obtain most of these readings from the reserve section in the HKMU Library.
The Internet
Internet sites on police forces/services around the world are noted in the study units.
Key sites:
Access to research and publications on policing:
Access to issues relative to partnership policing:
Access to issues relative to training/education in policing:
Individual Police Forces/Services:
Assignment File
Details of the course's assignments are in the Assignment File. You are required to complete your assignments and mail them to your tutor in accordance with the timetable provided in the Presentation Schedule. Your tutor will mark these assignments and return them to you as quickly as possible to provide feedback before you progress too far in the next units.
Keep a copy of the assignments you mail to your tutor, in case they are lost in the mail or if you want to discuss an assignment with your tutor before it is returned.
Presentation Schedule
The Presentation Schedule for LESM A301 Core Issues in Policing is included in your course package. It gives the dates by which your tutor must receive your assignments. You should guard against falling behind in your work. Keep a note of any difficulties you encounter as you progress through the materials, and raise them with your tutor as soon as possible. Try to have specific questions for your tutor to answer, and be specific about the material that you do not understand.
Assignmnets
Course assessment consists of the best four (out of five) assignments and an examination. This course is designed to assist you in moving easily from the required Readings in the course materials to the assignments and the examination.
Examination
At the end of the course, you are required to take a final examination. The examination aims to test your understanding of all areas of study covered in the course; and it will be a three-hour, closed book, written examination.
The total score for the examination paper counts for 50% of the total course mark.
Summary of course assessment calculation
The following table shows the score distribution for the final course mark:
| Assessment type | Marks |
| Assignments 1–5 (best 4 of 5 @ 12.5% each) | 50% |
| Final examination | 50% |
| Total | 100% |
You must obtain at least a score of 40% in the continuous assessment component and 40% on the final examination to pass the course. That is, you must pass both assessment components. The overall pass mark is 40% or higher.
Tutors
Tutors are available to provide assistance during formal tutorials. However, your tutor is also available by telephone during selected hours. Do not hesitate to contact him or her by telephone if you need help. The following are some typical circumstances in which you would find help necessary. Contact your tutor if you:
Tutorials
There will be nine two-hour tutorial sessions for LESM A301. The topics for discussion are set out in the following table.
| Tutorial topics | Related unit | |
| 1 | The principles of modern policing | 1 |
| 2 | Police culture and police deviances | 2 |
| 3 | Police accountability and ethics | 3 |
| 4 | Private policing and privatization of policing | 4 |
| 5 | Partnership policing | 5 |
| 6 | Policing and technology | 6 |
| 7 | Globalization and its impact on policing | 7 |
| 8 | The Hong Kong context: the development of the Hong Kong Police | 8 |
| 9 | The Hong Kong context: police accountability and private policing | 9 |
We hope that, especially if you are a police officer, you will be able to relate what you learn in this course about policing modern society to your day-to-day job. We also hope that the critical skills and wider perspectives it gives will be useful to you as you continue your studies in the Law Enforcement and Security Management programme or other programmes.
Dr Wilkie Kwong is a veteran in the policing and security field. He was formerly an auxiliary policeman in the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police, a Royal Military Police sergeant in the British Army, and a Housing Officer in the Hong Kong government. He obtained his BSSc (Hons), Postgraduate Certificate in Adult Learning and MEd from Hong Kong Metropolitan University; his MSc in Criminology and MSc in the Criminal Justice System from the London School of Economics and the University of Leicester; and his Postgraduate Diploma in Social Research Methods and PhD in criminology from the University of Portsmouth. He also holds a City & Guilds and The International Institute of Security (II Sec) Certificate in Security Management, and a Continuing Diploma in Housing Management from City University of Hong Kong. He has been teaching part time in Hong Kong Metropolitan University, the University of Hong Kong, the Cyber-U Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnics University and the University of Portsmouth. His research interest is in policing and he is now conducting research on the private security industry in Hong Kong.
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