In a comparative study drawing on material from the United States and Britain, David Waddington examines how various types of industrial, political, urban and sectarian disorder occur. Contemporary Issues in Public Disorder critically appraises the theoretical approaches to understanding public disorder and contributes to the ongoing debates on police methods, police accountability and the controversial role of the media.

This book draws on a wide range of studies of collective conflict and the policing of crowds and social movements to provide 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.

In addition to providing a penetrating review and critique of relevant...