Understanding the moral dimension of policing: the need to normalise ethical reasoning within police practice

This paper argues that more weight should be paid to the moral dimension of police work in light of recent challenges to police authority in the United Kingdom, most notably from Baroness Casey, but also from movements such as Black Lives Matter. We argue that MacIntyre’s (1985) idea of a practice helps reshape our understanding of policing in ways that redress these challenges. In particular, we emphasise the need to normalise ethical reasoning such that professional policing is framed in moral, as well as legal, terms. We suggest ways that this approach to policing can be developed through police education.