La moralité attribuée à la règle: L'appropriation du métier de policier

Abstract

Due to developments in the way police work is carried out in France, it is necessary to reconcile new forms of organisation and respect of civil liberties. Two movements of thought come into play: the gradual industrialisation of police activities and the reordering of civil liberties within a society which puts new emphasis on security. Therefore the issue of evaluating police work must be addressed from a technical/administrative standpoint as well as from a political/moral perspective. An identity crisis could develop if these two perspectives are incompatible from the viewpoint of members of the police force. We address a twofold issue in this article. First of all, police officers adhere to a code of conduct based on rules of the profession (which may or may not be official) which are necessary because they make it possible to fulfil the purposes of the profession. Secondly, it is possible to circumvent rules whenever it seems to be acceptable to all of the institutions in which the rule is circumvented. The police profession therefore, despite appearances, adopts a measured approach. Rules which are felt to lessen the desired efficiency of the police may sometimes be interpreted, set aside or circumvented for political or moral purposes. Such purposes make this type of transgression legitimate but only to a certain point. Conversely, the over-industrialisation of the profession presents an obstacle to professional commitment and recognition.