trators, and policymakers to the rich information contained in the mainstream psychological literature, and encourage them to look beyond the confines of research sponsored, carried out, and published "in-house" or within the wider police community. We also hope that it will highlight some of the dangers of being an uncritical consumer of research findings, and the importance of evaluating the reliability and validity, as well as the face appeal, of research findings.

Psychology and Policing should, therefore, be a valuable resource for police policymakers and administrators, and for students in criminal justice programs. It also should appeal to undergraduate and postgraduate students in applied psychology, especially those in the areas of forensic and organizational psychology, highlighting as it does the way in which psychology can contribute to the understanding and solution of complex real world problems. And hopefully, it will encourage these different groups to think further about how psychological theory and research can contribute to policing practices.

We would like to acknowledge the efforts of the various chapter authors. They were asked to review technical and complex scientific literatures, to highlight the particular implications for policing, and to do so in a way that would appeal to a diverse readership. Satisfying all of these objectives was not an easy task and we are grateful to our fellow contributors for the commitment they showed. Finally, our thanks to Carol McNally and Jody Fisher who assisted with the tidying up of several manuscripts and figures, and Kathy Brewer for proofreading assistance.

Neil Brewer Carlene Wilson

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