This book critically examines the 25-year journey of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) since the radical Patten reforms initiated since the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement of 1998. To what extent did the reforms designed to complement political change succeed in building legitimacy for the police system in Northern Ireland as a shared, impartial institution based on human rights and the rule of law? Drawing on academic research and practitioner experience, including interviews with six former Chief Constables, the authors analyse the challenges of implementation, ongoing struggles with public disorder, legacy issues, and political fragility. Ultimately the book assesses the contribution of policing to Northern Ireland's transition from conflict.
Price: £85.00
Pages: 264
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Publication Date:
15 October 2026
ISBN: 9781526158529
Format: Hardcover
BISACs:
HISTORY / Europe / Ireland, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Comparative Politics, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Security (National & International), Police and security services, History
Duncan Morrow is Professor of Politics at Ulster University.
Jonny Byrne is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Ulster University.
Part I: Resetting Legitimacy
1 The legacy: the chronic crisis of legitimacy in Northern Ireland’s politics and policing before 1998
2 Crafting police reform
3 Translating reform into practice
Part II: Testing Legitimacy
4 Managing public (dis)order
5 The spectre of the past
6 Armed groups in a post-conflict space
Part III: Building legitimacy
7 ‘Watch what I do, and not what I say’ - seeking legitimacy through action
8 Navigating legitimacy: the intersection of policing, accountability, and oversight
Conclusions and questions
