In this comprehensive study, Jean-Paul Brodeur examines the diversity of the policing web. Policing agencies such as criminal investigation units, intelligence services, private security companies, and military policing organizations, are examined in addition to public uniformed police, to show the extent to which policing extends far beyond the confines of public police working in uniform and visible to all. The study also includes a consideration of military policing both when compatible with the values of democracy and when in opposition. It also examines criminal organizations enforcing their own rules in urban zones deserted by the police and criminal individuals acting as police informants since they too are part of the policing web, even though they do not qualify as legitimate policing agents or agencies.

The underlying argument of The Policing Web is that the diverse strands of the policing web are united by a common definition that emphasizes the licence granted to policing agencies to use, either legally or with complete impunity, means that are otherwise prohibited as crimes to the rest of the population. This claim is argued for throughout the book and its paradoxical consequences investigated. Although much effort is devoted to presenting a comprehensive model linking all the components of policing, it is acknowledged that the 'policing web' is by no means a neat and well-integrated structure. Even the belief that it will develop into a tightly coordinated system is in itself questionable. Indeed, the study shows that there is not just one policing web, but several, depending on the country, police history and culture, and the images of policing which shape the mind of the community. These often overlooked factors are nonetheless essential components of the context of policing and are discussed within an international framework.