policing

American  

[puh-lee-sing] / pəˈli sɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of maintaining public order and security, enforcing the law, or regulating or controlling something, by or as if by members of a police force.

   No matter what style is adopted for the policing of a community, officers must use discretion in interpreting the activities of citizens.

   Careful family use of the internet doesn't need to be a punitive policing of children's activities online.

2. Military. the act of cleaning up a camp or post or of keeping it clean.

   After the major’s visit, the policing of the entire camp and all the fighting positions improved 100 percent.

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Other Word Forms

• self-policing adjective

Etymology

Origin of policing

First recorded in 1830–40; police ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Security arrangements and policing strategies for European matches are developed via a combination of host clubs, national governments, local authorities and regional police forces, with input from Uefa, who run the competitions.

From BBC

She said 13,000 more neighbourhood officers were being put on the beat and reforms set out earlier this week would mean "local forces will be focused on policing their area and protecting their communities".

From BBC

O’Hara, who took Minneapolis’s top policing job in November 2022 after serving as deputy mayor and head of public safety in Newark, N.J., says the department has worked hard to rebuild public trust.

From The Wall Street Journal

And she needs to make the case for all of that – think policing, the wider justice system and the Crown Estate.

From BBC

“These tactics — if you call them that — are far and away out of touch with contemporary policing standards.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• police
• police force