Book Review: Disassembling Police Culture by Mike Rowe

• Published date: 01 December 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/10575677241264822
• Author: Annisa Salsabila
• Date: 01 December 2024
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

Funding

The authors disclosed receipt of the following f‌inancial support for the research, authorship, and/or

publication of this article: This work was supported by the Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan,

(Scholarship Program/ Financial Support).

ORCID iD

Firda Imah Suryani https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5200-1947

Rowe, Mike. (2023).

Disassembling Police Culture. London and New York: Routledge, pp. 176. ISBN: 9781003182597. $35.99.

Reviewed by: Annisa Salsabila ,Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

DOI: 10.1177/10575677241264822

Disassembling Police Culture, by Mike Rowe, views police work across three police departments in

England through a critical lens. Through a six-year ethnographic exploration, Rowe deconstructs the

monolithic characterization of police culture, explaining how mundane tasks, interpersonal dynam-

ics, procedural nuances, and socio-political contexts shape policing practices. This work dismantles

conventional stereotypes and advocates for a nuanced understanding and reevaluation of police

behavior and suggests pathways toward substantial law enforcement reform. The book contains

eight chapters, each offering a unique perspective on various aspects of police culture and practices.

The f‌irst chapter, “Introducing Police Culture,”challenges the conventional understanding of

police culture. Rowe highlights how the term is often used to explain police behavior without con-

sidering signif‌icant factors like legal frameworks. He argues that this simplistic view obscures the

complexities of policing. In the second chapter, “Spencer and Carol: A Shift,”Rowe examines a

single shift to illuminate the daily experiences of off‌icers. Through detailed descriptions of routine

activities, interactions with the community, and everyday challenges, Rowe demonstrates that

police work is far from the dramatic action seen in media. Instead, the backbone of policing is monot-

onous and essential tasks. This grounded portrayal contrasts sharply with sensationalized media

depictions.

The third chapter, “Turning Blue?”scrutinizes the process of becoming a police off‌icer, from

initial academy training to f‌ield experiences as probationers. Rowe emphasizes the importance of

training, mentorship, and experiential learning in shaping new off‌icers’attitudes and behaviors.

This chapter reveals the formative stages of a police off‌icer’s career, where theoretical knowledge

is tested in real-world scenarios and examines the legal aspects of training and mentoring. The

fourth chapter, “On the Record,”explores the crucial role of administrative tasks in policing. It high-

lights the importance of accurate recordkeeping, emphasizing the administrative side of policing that

ensures accountability and transparency, which are essential for compliance with regulations govern-

ing police activities.

In the f‌ifth chapter, “Part of a Whole,”Rowe examines how police off‌icers operate within a larger

social and institutional framework. He explores how off‌icers engage with the community, their col-

leagues, and other institutions, and how various external factors inf‌luence their work. This chapter

provides a comprehensive view of the broader context in which police work is situated. The sixth

chapter, “Billy and Timothy: A Shift,”offers another detailed account of a police shift, using con-

crete examples to emphasize the variability in policing. This chapter reinforces the idea that policing

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