This paper attempts to reframe the issue of police demilitarisation using an approach that takes into account both the internal and external aspects of the concept. Internal militarisation concerns the deployment and shaping of a police force so that it resembles the military; external militarisation concerns the way in which the police relate to the army and to the outside environment. The paper starts by discussing the ethical differences between the police and the armed services, and goes on to suggest reasons why most police forces have become somewhat militarised. It then proposes six categories that can be used to examine the question of militarisation and police accountability. Each of these categories raises its own set of issues, requiring solutions not only in the realm of civilmilitary relations, but also in the broader sphere of democratic social order. While there is no definitive formula for establishing a model of democratic policing, it is fundamental that elected officials are presented with a functioning bureaucracy that serves to protect the rights of citizens and to deliver basic public services.
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