This book provides an understanding of the causes and management of public disorder. It seeks to describe and explain the processes by which the police interpret and respond to instances of public disorder, to account for variations in their strategies and tactics, and to identify the conditions in which police interventions (or inaction) may serve to enhance or reduce the potential for wider confrontation. It will be essential reading for anyone with an interest in policing, crowd behaviour and issues around public order and disorder.

Introduction 1. Public order policing: theoretical approaches 2. Theories of public disorder 3. The American urban riots, 1991-2001 4. The British urban riots, 1991-2001 5. World-wide 'anti-globalisation' protest, post Seattle 6. The G8 Justice and Home Affairs Ministers' meeting in Sheffield, June 2005 7. English football fans abroad, 1990-2006 8. Conclusions