Technology and the internationalization of policing: A comparative-historical perspective

This article analyzes theoretical and empirical aspects of the role of technology in the internationalization of the police function from the mid-19th century until World War II. The findings indicate that technological advances in communication, transportation, and criminal identification significantly facilitated the internationalization of police operations. At the same time, police institutions also held technological developments accountable for an increase in opportunities for cross-border criminality, which, in turn, justified the planning and implementation of international police strategies. The article concludes with theoretical reflections on the relative autonomy of technology as a facilitating factor in the internationalization of policing.