A dramatic increase in interest in police issues in recent years has provoked a series of questions about the emergence of modern police systems - their structure and functions and the relationship between police and public. This introductory comparative text provides an international perspective. Following an examination of how the modern police emerged, linking this with comparative methods of analysis, the book progresses with sections focusing on policing in a wide range of different societies: France and The Netherlands - Western European societies; Canada and Hong Kong - influenced by the colonial tradition; Japan - an Eastern capitalist society; The USSR, China and Cuba - contrasting communist systems. Each is considered in terms of the relationship between the police and the communities they serve. The resulting comparative analysis throws up a number of important questions: can ideas be transferred from one society to another?; are communist police structures significantly different?; how accountable are the police in different societies?