Law and order refers to a state of society in which there is a regular process of criminal and civil law and in which certain agencies, such as the police, are responsible for maintaining domestic tranquillity. Law and order is generally seen by most conservatives and many liberals as the basic requirement of a state, since without these conditions civil society, political freedom and civil liberties are impossible. Law and order in common parlance has also come to mean the provision of a strong police force and a concern with reducing crime and vandalism.
As such, law and order may become an election issue in democracies concerned with rising crime rates. George Wallace campaigned for the US presidency as the candidate of the American Independent Party in 1968, emphasizing concern for law and order. Conservative Party campaigns in the United Kingdom have often laid considerable stress on this theme. So important do politicians regard this issue electorally that even Labour governments seek to appear, in Tony Blair’s words, ‘tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime’.
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