Regulating Death after Police Contact

Abstract

Having set out key issues in policing and accountability in cases of DAPC in the previous chapter, this chapter will consider the role of the two principal organisations responsible for investigating these cases. It argues that cases of DAPC are regulated in a manner which is relatively arbitrary. The system of regulation for these cases appears to be non-systematic, discretionary and often reliant upon non-standardised practices. The type of regulation produced depends largely on the institution that produces it. The relationships a regulatory institution has with other regulators, the state and society are also shown to be important in determining the type of accountability constructed in these cases. Issues such as independence, transparency and legitimacy are all demonstrated to be relational and ambiguous concepts in this domain, perhaps reflecting the fact that the sphere of policing and regulation is suffused by relationality and ambiguity. The chapter argues that regulation exists in both a symbolic and practical way in cases of DAPC.