In the past, defining municipal policing was easier as it incorporated local authority duties, crime prevention and police patrol. However in the contemporary setting, police resources are regularly overstretched and novel ways of alleviating their workloads are continually being sought. One method of achieving this goal is by involving other people and technology to assist the police in their everyday tasks. A system of partnership and technology, underpinned by legislation, has made this ambition possible. This book reviews how traditional municipal policing has evolved in a number of European Union countries discussing topics such as history, police civilianization, police auxiliaries, community policing, surveillance, politics and governance, with predictions as to what may lie ahead for municipal policing in the EU. Municipal Policing in Europe provides an exclusive vista of the evolving model of local policing in the EU member states at a time when police forces are increasingly collaborating together.

The book applies a model of municipal policing to compare a number of police systems in the European Union suggesting that in the future local communities will have some form of police enforcement mechanism that will not always include the sworn police officer.

The present volume is the result of an international scholars conference held in 2005, studying the influence of the Belgian bishops and theologians at the Second Vatican Council. The book is subdivided in three main parts. A first part offers more general studies (both from a historical and a sociological point of view) into the way large assemblies function, and the way in which smaller groups are able to exercize influence on their outcome. The second part contains a number of studies devoted to the specific role and influence of the Belgian cardinal Leo Joseph Suenens at Vatican II, with particular emphasis on his contacts with other conciliar protagonists. Thirdly, the role of various theologians (Philips, Thils, Moeller, ...) and bishops (De Smedt, Calewaert, but also Belgian missionary bishops) is studied by an international team of specialists on the history of the Council.