After two years of work, it's done - my new book has been published. The introduction to the book and an overview of the authors and contents of the chapters can be here (click) can be downloaded free of charge.
Some reviews have already appeared, including one in the Hessische Polizeirundschau, written by Rudi Heimann, Police Vice President of the PP Südhessen. A small excerpt: "The approximately 380 pages compiled by Bernd Bürger are well worth reading for all police practitioners and anyone who deals with the phenomenon of people in gatherings, assemblies or events on a scientific, strategic and tactical level. And I agree with the editor in his assessment that the content in this condensed form and with a high degree of transfer to practice has not yet been the subject of practice-oriented curricula. It is therefore initially up to each responsible manager to educate themselves with this work and to convey the content in an appropriate manner in order to effectively increase their own safety and that of the emergency services entrusted to them."
Hessische Polizeirundschau 4/22, p. 16.
The content:
Assemblies are an important part of democracy and the rule of law. The way a state deals with demonstrators not only has an internal impact, it is also perceived internationally, for example in Myanmar, Belarus, Hong Kong or Russia.
There are often plausible everyday explanations for escalations at gatherings or events where a large number of people come together. However, many of these supposedly deterministic causes, correlations or role attributions have been refuted or overly simplified. This can lead to misinterpretations, negative stereotyping and ultimately to suboptimal decisions. This can have serious consequences, especially in large crowds: The situation can escalate, leading to riots and outright violence.
The aim of this book is to provide an overview of international good practice approaches on how to deal with crowds in a democratic constitutional state. To this end, scientific findings from the fields of sociology, psychology, criminology, ethics and law, among others, are presented in an interdisciplinary manner and illustrated with numerous practical examples.
The book is available here (if you want to support my work, order directly from the publisher and I'll get something):
Or at the local bookseller, who will be delighted.