Recent Book: Copper Refining: The Quality of Police Education
| Author | Ken Russell |
| Date | 01 October 1979 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X7905200413 |
| Published date | 01 October 1979 |
| Subject Matter | Recent Book |
RECENT BOOKS
Apology
In
our
last issue, Professor Keith Simpson's "Police - the Investigation of
Violence" was incorrectly shown as having been published by Harrap. The Publishers
are Macdonald &Evans of Plymouth. The price was correctly shown as £4.95.
THE
BURNING
QUESTION
ROBERT
E.
CARTER:
Arson Investigation.
Glencoe Press Fire Science Serit!s
Just
as the younger generation believe
that
they invented sex, so there are
people who think
that
arson and
vandalism are products of modern day
living; but happily
~
and sadly - they
are not an innovation of the 20th
Century. The original vandals were
storming across Europe in 400 A.D. and
even the walls of Pompeii were subject to
graffiti such as
"Good
luck to comrade
Proculus."
One can wellimagine the misery of
our
early forebears, wliilst sitting in a cold,
freezing cave, noisily chewing raw meat
with their only protection from the
elements being the skins from the
animals they had killed - their misery at
last turning to glee when, perhaps an
accidental spark was caused when two
flints came together; and thus they added'
to their sporting events of pillage and
rape, afurther item called fire.
The
author,
Robert E. Carter, is
described as an 'arson investigator: but I
could not ascertain in what role. I
doubt
if he was a Policeman, otherwise his
introductory first
chapter
would perhaps
have been more concise and to the point.
Quotes from various reports and
statistics bore me, especially in the
opening paragraph which I feel should
grip my attention and make me want to
read on - however, the
author
does
highlight the general
apathy
of the public
and 'media in relation to arson as
opposed to the widespread interest in
bank
robbery and makes the point that a
banking firm will not go out of business
following abank raid, but a large
industrial company can disappear over-
night
followinga
serious fire, which in
turn, effects the livesof many employees.
Despite this I did read on and once
past the first chapter, the book becomes
extremely informative and interesting
and I would recommend it to Police
Officers who, too often,
adopt
a negative
approach
to fire and write it off as
accidental on the flimsiest of evidence.
The book is ideally divided into a
number of sections including the
chemistry offire, origin and cause, search
of scene, scientific aids, urban and rural
fires and two most interesting chapters
on the juvenile fire problem and
interrogation. It is a book I would
commend to Fire Officers and Detectives
alike, especially in the U.K. where there
would
appear
to be little effective liason
between the Police, Fire Service and the
insurance companies, Where suspected
arson is concerned. I also liked the
appendix on Building Construction
terminology, and the Glossary, of
insurance terms - would you have
known
that
'Expiration
date'
meant the
date
when a Policy expires!!? X.D.
COPPER
REFINING
LAWRENCE
W.
SHERMAN
and
THE
NATIONAL
ADVISORY
COMMISSION
ON
HIGHER
EDUCATION
FOR
POLICE
OFFICERS:
The Quality
oj
Police Education.
Jossey-Bass £9.
The
educational facilities provided for
The
dangers of educational establish-
police officers by establishments of ments arranging their own courses is
higher education" in this country are revealed in the report prepared with the
being extended.
BEe
courses, which
support
of the American Police
have been devised in full consulation
Foundation.
In 1968
US
police forces
with the police service, indicate a were in difficulty.
From
the right the
partnership between police service and police were criticised for not controlling
educationalists which ought to be crime. Liberals criticised the police for
mutually advantageous. brutality, corruption, racism
and
failure
October 1979 405
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