Both authors of this addition to the Oxford Paperback Reference series have worked as police officers; Graham Gooch now lectures in police studies and Michael Williams is a lawyer. They bring a wealth of practical experience to the task of compiling this dictionary. The scope of the book includes forensic sciences and pathology, criminology, criminal proceedings and the administration of justice. The coverage is wide, including aspects of international law, but the focus and the detail applies to United Kingdom, or more specifically English law. Areas where the UK focus is apparent are the details of UK police and court structure and details of the UK administrative organization. It is here that I spotted an omission; there is a cross‐reference to the City of London, but there is no entry for the City (however, the fact that the Inner and Middle Temples have responsibility for some matters outside the Common Council of the City is something I did not know, and am pleased to have learnt). There is also a bit of the general police assumption that something wrong must be happening in entries like that for Hawala (which may be involved in funding terrorists or money laundering but is also, and probably mainly, the same process that was used to move money around Europe before the banking system was properly developed).
My usual practice when reviewing shorter dictionaries is to try to find terms beyond the fringe of the span of the book. In this case it is more that I have noted some terms that are beyond what I would have expected. Some of the medical terms, such as Insulin, may be beyond the needs of the book, but the entry for Diabetes is valuable because it warns that the symptoms can be confused with drunkenness; it was this confusion that very likely caused the death of Dylan Thomas. In another way Child Soldier may be beyond the information needs of the UK criminal justice. But finding more than you expect from a reference book is not in this case a criticism; it demonstrates the fullness of the coverage.
In addition to the dictionary there are lists of abbreviations, a list of recordable offences and the code and guidance on disclosure of information obtained during the investigation of a crime.
The British focus of this book will mean that the main market will be in the UK. Anyone involved in law enforcement within the UK – and that includes lawyers, police officers, government officials and the public as concerned citizens, readers of crime fiction, and (probably) criminals – will find this book a mine of information. For school and public libraries this will be a useful addition to their collections. For those outside the UK this book will provide some sort of guide to the British legal system. Readers who are puzzled about the difference between UK law and English law and do not know what the Common Council is will get some help in understanding the complex way the United Kingdom is governed.
