Book excerpt: Martin examines the environment of policing, a profoundly urban enterprise that has been greatly influenced by the pace and nature of urbanization. While police continue to serve the criminal justice system well, he finds that they have become less effective in carrying out the larger function of maintaining order, which must be tailored to changing urban circumstances. Policing still functions as a craft, with its hallmark in-at-the-bottom entry requirements and emphasis on skills attained through experience. In Urban Policing in Canada Martin makes a convincing case for transforming policing into a knowledge-based profession.