This book provides a much needed overview of comparative policing, putting forward a case for comparative research as an aid to making sense of the many different levels of policing change in contemporary 'globalised' society. Drawing from police arrangements in a range of different countries, from England and Wales, to USA, to China, it provides a number of thematic case-studies addressing current issues concerning policing. The book: examines the role of the police in society, by exploring the changing nature of policing; explores the current agenda factors of the pluralisation of policing; and provides a global comparison by drawing on international examples and cases of policing.