This book contributes to contemporary debates on police reform and development and explores the role of civil society groups in policing and police reform efforts in an international context. It draws on numerous academic literatures covering civil society groups, policing, and development; as well as the author's own research in Trinidad and Tobago, Northern Ireland and the United States.
Nathan Pino's research has been characterized by the way in which it has merged two areas of inquiry normally treated separately: that of policing and security and development. In his new book, Pino argues that police reform cannot be divorced from other forms of development assistance, and that reform efforts must place an equal emphasis on promoting security and upholding human rights. In other words, police reform should complement rather than hinder economic and political development activities.