Conceptual divides and practice synergies in law enforcement and public health : some lessons from policing vulnerability in Australia

The debates about how and whether law enforcement and public health share a policy and practice mandate are perplexing. Frontline practice indicates that this intersection is de rigueur, and that practitioners from both fields see no reason why they cannot work together beneficially. Indeed, police are as much public health interventionists as health practitioners are public safety facilitators. In this article, we identify the conceptual dissonance that continues to frame the debate about law enforcement and public health, and document the practical synergies that exist (and have always existed) in both fields. We suggest that the divide between law enforcement and public health is futile, and that the shared concept of vulnerability in policing, health and law can do much to foster better collaborative practices, policies and shared understandings.