Exhibiting power: dark tourism and crime in the police museum

This chapter discusses the representations of crime in state-run police museums, which are found around the world with varying foci. As state institutions, these museums function as an expression of official narratives of justice, control, and state-sanctioned morality, all of which come in the guise of edutainment. The approach taken here is a critical stance on ideologies, hegemony, and power. Methodologically, this chapter employs critical discourse analysis to appraise how information is presented within three diverse contexts: the Polismuseet in Stockholm, Sweden; the Police & Justice Museum in Sydney, Australia; and the Police Museum in Hong Kong, China. Through a comparative analysis, this chapter critically engages with the dichotomy inherent in crime as an attraction within the context of state power.