No, Beth Shaen is not a female colleague who has defined policing. Beth Shaen is an ancient city in Israel where King Saul’s body was hung on the wall after his death at nearby Mount Gilboa. The account of this incident can be found in I Samuel 31. The city was later controlled and developed by the Romans when they extended their rule into the land of Israel. 

Years ago, I was challenged by a colleague if I had ever looked up the definition of policing. I told him of course not. I know what it means. It means law enforcement. In my view, policing and law enforcement were synonymous. He told me I should go look it up because I might be surprised. So I did. And I found this definition in the American Heritage Dictionary.

Regulation and control of the affairs of a community, especially with respect to maintenance of order, law, health, morals, safety, and other matters affecting the public welfare. 

This is an expanded definition of what we might traditionally think of as the police mandate. But policing is SO much more than just enforcing the law. The Coactive approach to policing understands that just locking people up, merely enforcing the law, doesn’t solve the problem of crime. It might solve A crime, or it might solve a series of crimes. But it will not solve the PROBLEM of crime because it is not affecting the core issues that allow crime to flourish: Fear, Apathy, and Tolerance.

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