Undercover Police Surveillance in Comparative Perspective

The US and Europe have experienced a significant expansion in the use of undercover police tactics and technological means of surveillance. In a democratic society, such tactics raise significant questions for public policy and social research. New and sophisticated forms of crime and social control (and their internationalization) represent an important topic. This collaborative volume is devoted to the comparative study of the topic and includes articles on the historical development of covert policing in Europe and its spread to the US (where it was extended and recently exported back to Europe), plus detailed accounts of the use of covert tactics in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Iceland, Sweden, Canada and the United States.