This book presents a critical portrait of the British police through a detailed ethnography of their work at football matches. Megan O'Neill not only sheds light on a topic of intense media interest, football hooliganism, but also presents the police in a totally fresh perspective. By using the work of Erving Goffman, she demonstrates how the police are a far from unified force. Their informal interaction 'teams' divide them operationally and socially.

MEGAN O'NEILL is Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Salford, UK.