Those who do big bad things still do little bad things: re-stating the case for self-selection policing

Even though the Self-Selection Policing approach for uncovering active, serious offenders, by virtue of the small crimes they commit, has been around for almost two decades now, it is still yet to be widely adopted by police. In this chapter, the case is made for the widespread incorporation of Self-Selection Policing into routine policing, by exploring the theoretical and research support for it, including a recent study of the criminal careers of those who drive whilst disqualified . The probable barriers to wider implementation are discussed, including perceptions of the criminal careers of serious offenders and current policing policy, along with their possible solutions. The chapter ends with a suggested programme of research that should finally see Self-Selection Policing become a routine tool in the police armoury for detecting serious criminals.