Protecting Global Cities: New York,London and the Internationalization of Municipal Policing for Counter Terrorism

Policing counter terrorism is increasingly seen as key task for police forces spanning the entire spectrum of size and capability. However, in the case of many police forces, resource limitations, low threat levels and coordination with national level law enforcement have combined to limit the expansion of their counter terrorism efforts to things like minor increases in training and heightened awareness. There are however, at the other end of the spectrum, some city police forces that have drastically reorganized and reoriented their day-to-day operations in response to heightened threats. Relying on their unique access to resources, political autonomy and unique threat levels, New York City and London have internationalized their policing efforts in an unprecedented way. This article explores the similarities, differences and dynamics of this phenomenon.