Contemporary Police Practice is an introduction to policing in the Australian context. It explores the history of Australian policing for the purpose of understanding contemporary police practice; reviews the core functions of police; and critically analyses the foundational research which has led to significant strategic, program, technology and administrative innovations. It provides a review of recent empirical research which has explored the effectiveness of these new approaches with lessons for best practice principles for contemporary police organisations.The book moves readers from a basic to more sophisticated understanding of 'what police do' (the practice of policing), 'what police are/should be doing' (an empirical research analysis of what works in policing), and develops current and emerging best practice principles of operational and administrative police policy, providing the perfect introduction to contemporary police practice in Australia.