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Summary

Wagner, A and Walter, M (1995). "How Police Officers Manage Difficult Situations: The Predominance of Soothing and Smoothing Strategies." In: B. Galaway and J. Hudson (eds.), Restorative Justice: International Perspectives. Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press, pp. 271-282.

A study of the management of 128 conflict situations by uniformed police in Bonn, Germany. Data were obtained by means of participant observation and were categorized according to areas of conflict and conflict management strategies. Conflict situations were dealt with passively (cooling-off of the conflict, downgrading the conflict potential, and delegating the final resolution to other institutions) in more cases than active intervention by the police even in situations such as domestic conflicts and conflicts involving physical attacks in which the parties expected active participation of the police. Further research should investigate the factors that influence strategies used by the police