Caplan,J. (2001), "'This or That Particular Person": Protocols of Identification in Nineteenth Century Europe', in J. Caplan and J. Torpey, eds., Documenting Individual Identity. The Development of State Practices in the Modern World. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton

Policing and the Media: Facts, Fictions and Factions is a great read. It is a thoroughly enjoyable and consistently stimulating piece of scholarly writing which combines theoretical insight and meticulous research (did they really watch all those crime drama episodes?), punctu ated with both humour and a clearly genuine interest in the subject matter. As I see it, it works in two overlapping modes. First, it is a very helpful and engaging textbook, crammed with comprehensive overviews of the existing literature (though these could be more criti cal in places) and a number of useful summaries describing empirical findings and key theories in a range of related fields. Second, it is a piece of original research which seeks to extend an already substantial body of work (particularly that conducted by Robert Reiner) and develop an up-to-date analysis of policing and the media which can account for recent changes in the cultural and political climate in the UK, and the impact of these on different elements of the police-media relationship. As the authors put it; 'Our primary purpose in writing this book has always been to pro duce a volume that brings together, in one place, a contemporary example of the British policing image in all three domains of fact, fiction and faction. We hope, too, that it will inform and perhaps even entertain along the way' (p. 4). They have no problem delivering their stated objectives. I do have some criticisms (outlined below), but this is a very interest ing, informative and well-written piece of work. Part One, which explores factual representations of the police, is divided into three prin cipal areas for discussion—the frequently overlooked similarities between police work and news journalism, the professionalization of police-media relations, and the question of power—that is, who sets the news agenda. On the issue of professional convergence, Leishman and Mason note that both police and media personnel must meet the requirements of routinization and tight deadlines. Both must remain within legal frameworks of acceptable conduct. Both are regularly faced with long working hours and significant pressures to 'get results'. And both have been influenced profoundly by technological developments and, in particular, the changing nature of news gathering and information management. These points of contact and overlap generate a 'sense of dependency between police and mem bers of the media, uneasy though this may be at times' (p. 31). This claim, with which I agree, forms the basis of their conclusions on the perennial question of 'dominance or dependence', which they intimate in statements like that above, but do not articulate fully until the final chapter. 300