"Where east meets west": Police, immigration and public order crime in thesettlement of Canada from 1896 to 1940

In the late 19th century the police in North America and Britain prosecuted public order offenses as a way of regulating the moral and criminal conduc t of the lower classes. Between 1896 and 1940, public order law was similar ly employed to assimilate the 'dangerous foreigners' from southern and east ern Europe. Time series evidence from Canada suggests there was a significa nt long term relationship between public order offenses (drunkenness and va grancy) and non-British immigration. There was no long run relationship bet ween immigration and serious crimes. The analysis supports a cultural confl ict perspective regarding the policing of foreign immigrants.