A report by a committee of MPs said that the Border Force had a key national security role in the United Kingdom, but faced a range of challenges, including insufficient and inflexible resources, and a lack of sufficiently good data to help prioritize work. It said there was little evidence of progress on legacy issues following the separation of the Border Force from the UK Border Agency.
Source: The Border Force: Securing the border, Thirty-first Report (Session 2013–14), HC 663, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Dec
A report evaluated the first six months of the employment and reoffending pilot, which was part of a planned programme of pilots to test the application of payment by results approaches in the area of criminal justice. The report outlined findings from the first phase of the evaluation and noted core themes that might be explored further in later waves of the evaluation.
Source: Rowan Foster, Lauren Small, Sarah Foster, Oonagh Skrine, Gillian Hunter, and Paul Turnbull, Evaluation of the Employment and Reoffending Pilot: Lessons learnt from the planning and early implementation phase, Ministry of Justice
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Dec
A report examined the experiences of six police forces in handling cases of 'absent' children and adults, to assess perceptions of best policy and practice. It evaluated the roles of call handlers, supervisors and missing person co-ordinators, and examined the instances of collaboration with other agencies in endeavouring to investigate and safeguard absent people. The report highlighted areas of variation between the forces and identified potential risks to absent people.
Source: Karen Shalev Greene and Francis Pakes, Absent: An exploration of common police procedures for safeguarding practices in cases of missing children and adults, Association of Chief Police Officers/National Crime Agency/University of Portsmouth
Links: Report | Childrens Society press release
Date: 2013-Dec
A government minister said that the National Fraud Authority would close from 31 March 2014, with its responsibilities split between the National Crime Agency, the City of London Police, the Home Office and the Cabinet Office.
Source: Written Ministerial Statement 2 December 2013, columns 36-37WS, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Hansard
Date: 2013-Dec
A government report set out measures to tackle extremism in the United Kingdom. Proposals included: to consider the case for new civil powers to prevent those with radical views from radicalizing others; to consider the case for new types of order to ban radical groups; to consult on strengthening the powers of the Charity Commission; to work towards restricting access to online terrorist material; to improve the online process for public reporting of extremist content; to mandate the delivery of the preventive Channel programme in England and Wales; and to provide intervention and support on release from prison for those who had demonstrated extremist views.
Source: Tackling Extremism in the UK: Report from the Prime Minister s Task Force on Tackling Radicalisation and Extremism, Cabinet Office
Links: Report | Press release | Hansard
Date: 2013-Dec
An article examined the role of Police and Crime Panels in England and Wales and the effectiveness of their scrutiny of Police and Crime Commissioners. The article drew on desk-top research, a literature review, and documentary analysis of meeting minutes. It noted the limited powers of the panel, contradictions in the model of scrutiny, the extent of political alignment between the panel and the PCC, and the ability of PCCs to constrain the scrutiny function.
Source: Stuart Lister, 'Scrutinising the role of the Police and Crime Panel in the new era of police governance in England and Wales', Safer Communities, Volume 13 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Nov
A report evaluated a 15 month pilot of domestic violence protection orders. DVPOs were introduced by the Crime and Security Act 2010 to provide immediate protection for victim-survivors by enabling police to issue a domestic violence prevention notice to place 48 hour restrictions on the perpetrator. This was then followed by a DVPO, issued by the magistrates court, for between 14 and 28 days. The report supported a wider roll out of DVPOs, but recommended procedural refinements and identified training needs. It recommended that primary legislation should be considered, to lengthen DVPNs from 48 hours to between 4 and 7 days, as well as to criminalize breaches of DVPOs.
Source: Liz Kelly, Joanna Adler, Miranda Horvath, Jo Lovett, Mark Coulson, David Kernohan, Mark Gray, Joseph Hillier, and Sian Nicholas, Evaluation of the Pilot of Domestic Violence Protection Orders, Research Report 76, Home Office
Links: Report | Hansard (Written statement)
Date: 2013-Nov
A report examined policing in Britain. It noted that police forces had been subject to much recent reform, alongside new policing challenges and ongoing debates about the purpose, organization and governance of policing. It made recommendations for change, including: a formal acknowledgement of the social role of policing, and the value of neighbourhood approaches, with local prevention partnerships developed to involve local citizens; improvements to case handling procedures; clearer principles to guide the use of community disposals; discontinuation of the Police and Crime Commissioner model of local governance, with a greater role for local authorities in local police boards; consultation on the restructuring of police forces; development of clear principles for outsourcing and changes to procurement practices; and changes to the terms and conditions of employment for police officers and staff, including a code of ethics and changes to misconduct proceedings.
Source: Policing for a Better Britain: Report of the Independent Police Commission, Independent Police Commission
Links: Report | IPC press release | Police Federation press release | ACPO press release | BBC report | Guardian report | New Statesman report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Nov
A report for the equal rights watchdog examined the use of stop and search powers by police forces in England and Wales. It said that overall usage of the powers had reduced, but black and Asian people were still disproportionately targeted. The commission now proposed to work in partnership with those forces using S.1 and S.60 stops most disproportionately, to retrain officers on use of the power.
Source: Karen Hurrell, Race Disproportionality in Stops and Searches, 2011-12, Briefing paper 7, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report | EHRC press release
Date: 2013-Nov
An article examined the powerful role (real and imagined) played by the police in young Asian men's sense of belonging and identity.
Source: Matthew Millings, 'Policing British Asian identities: the enduring role of the police in young British Asian men's situated negotiation of identity and belonging', British Journal of Criminology, Volume 53 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Nov
An audit report in Scotland said that, following the merger of police forces, there had been significant changes to governance arrangements, and some important strategies and plans were still under development. Planning the move to a single service had been hampered by poor information, a lack of clarity about roles, and difficult relationships between the government, Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority. The report said that it was unclear how anticipated savings would be achieved and called on all parties to agree how to monitor and report on outcomes and benefits, as well as on police performance. It recommended that the SPA and Police Scotland should finalize and agree their financial strategy by the end of March 2014.
Source: Police Reform: Progress update 2013, Audit Scotland
Links: Report | Summary | Audit Scotland press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Nov
An article examined the debates surrounding the closure of police stations in the United Kingdom between 2007 and 2012, by examining the statistics as reported in the press. It discussed the narratives of the debate and drew conclusions about the impact of station closures on rural policing and rural crime.
Source: Robert Smith and Peter Somerville, 'The long goodbye: a note on the closure of rural police-stations and the decline of rural policing in Britain', Policing, Volume 7 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Nov
A think-tank published a collection of essays from Police and Crime Commissioners, reflecting on their first year of office.
Source: Max Chambers (ed.), The Pioneers: Police and Crime Commissioners, one year on, Policy Exchange
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Nov
A report examined whether the nature of the first crime for which someone was convicted was a prediction of future offending. The study analysed data from the police national computer on crimes committed in England and Wales since 2001. The report said that offenders who committed robbery, burglary or vehicle theft as a 'debut offence' were most likely to become chronic offenders. It noted the implication for future rehabilitation work.
Source: Natalie Owen and Christine Cooper, The Start of a Criminal Career: Does the type of debut offence predict future offending?, Research Report 77, Home Office
Date: 2013-Nov
A report evaluated the domestic violence disclosure scheme pilots. The pilots aimed to introduce a consistent process for the use of existing police powers to disclose information to an individual about previous violent offending by their partner. The report raised issues around the police process, low public awareness and understanding, and low awareness of the scheme amongst some frontline police officers. It identified a need for guidance to support greater consistency across different local areas, and for support for those who received a disclosure. The report made recommendations.
Source: Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) Pilot Assessment, Home Office
Links: Report | Hansard (Written statement) | Women's Aid press release | Telegraph report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Nov
An article examined the scrutiny of Policy and Crime Commissioners during their first nine months in office. It said that central government had taken a more prominent role in scrutiny in some regions than first envisaged, due to ambiguity of legislative guidelines.
Source: Sophie Chambers, 'Who is policing the Police and Crime Commissioners?', Safer Communities, Volume 13 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Nov
A report by a committee of MPs outlined its enquiry into police officers' activity following an incident involving Andrew Mitchell, MP.
Source: Leadership and Standards in the Police: Follow up, Tenth Report (Session 2013–14), HC 756-I, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Nov
A government report reviewed the published evidence on the scale and nature of cyber crime.
Source: Mike McGuire and Samantha Dowling, Cyber Crime: A review of the evidence, Research Report 75, Home Office
Links: Report Ch 1 | Report Ch 2 | Report Ch 3 | Report Ch 4 | Summary
Date: 2013-Oct
The government published a framework document that set out the respective roles and responsibilities of the Home Secretary and the Director General of the National Crime Agency, and the principles that would govern the relationship between the Home Office and NCA. It further set out the ways in which the NCA was to operate, as set out in the Crime and Courts Act 2013.
Source: Framework Document for the National Crime Agency, Home Office, TSO
Links: Framework
Date: 2013-Oct
An article examined the Prolific and Other Priority Offender (PPO) Programme. The evaluation had shown some promising results but this article raised doubts over the PPO's likely impact on local crime rates, while recognizing that the rationale might have had merit. It questioned the extent to which the programme enhanced the understanding of desistance.
Source: Matt Hopkins and Julia Wickson, 'Targeting prolific and other priority offenders and promoting pathways to desistance: some reflections on the PPO programme using a theory of change framework', Criminology and Criminal Justice, Volume 13 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Oct
A report by a committee of MPs said that it had examined Protocol 36 to the Treaty of Lisbon and the list of measures to which the government would opt back in following its exercise of the opt out. The report highlighted areas of agreement and reservation and called for an early debate in the House.
Source: Ministry of Justice Measures in the JHA Block Opt-Out, Eighth Report (Session 2013-14), HC 605, House of Commons Justice Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Oct
A report by a joint committee of MPs and peers said that more restrictions were needed on intrusive terrorism powers to detain and search travellers' electronic devices at ports and airports. It called on the government to drop from the Bill the proposed new test to decide on payment of compensation for miscarriages of justice as, in the committee's view, it was incompatible with the presumption of innocence. The report suggested a number of other amendments to the Bill with regards to preventive measures against anti-social behaviour, and said that the Crown Prosecution Service should develop a strategy for the prosecution of forced marriage. The committee also recommended additional measures to protect against prolonged retention of DNA and other personal samples in criminal investigations. The report noted that the number of significant amendments to the Bill, combined with delays in receiving requested information from the government, had raised barriers to the effective scrutiny of the Bill.
Source: Legislative Scrutiny: Anti social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, Fourth Report (Session 2013-14), HC 713 and HL 56, Joint Select Committee on Human Rights, TSO
Links: Report | HOC Briefing
Date: 2013-Oct
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on E-crime.
Source: E-crime, Cm 8734, Home Office, TSO
Links: Response | MPs report
Date: 2013-Oct
The Home Office published a report on the scale and cost of organized crime.
Source: Hannah Mills, Sara Skodbo, and Peter Blyth, Understanding Organised Crime: Estimating the scale and the social and economic costs, Research Report 73, Home Office
Links: Report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Oct
An article examined policing and the use of restraint in mental health settings. People with mental health problems were held in police custody more often than they should be, partly due to failures in care at an earlier stage for people approaching crisis. Restraint was used too often in some in-patient settings, although face down restraint had been phased out altogether in some areas.
Source: Sophie Corlett, 'Policy watch: the rights of those with mental health problems in acute care', Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Volume 17 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Oct
The government published its response to a consultation on direct entry into policing. It announced imminent introduction of the policy, with a review after 5 years.
Source: Direct Entry in the Police: Government response, Home Office
Links: Response | Home Office press release | Hansard | Police Federation comment
Date: 2013-Oct
The government introduced (following consultation) amendments to six of the codes relating to the the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. The affected codes were: A (stop and search), B (search of premises and seizure of property), C (detention of suspects), E (audio recording of interviews), F (visual recording of interviews) and H (detention of terrorism suspects). The changes included the provision of access to an appropriate adult while in police custody for young people aged 17.
Source: Police, England and Wales: The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Codes of Practice) (Revisions to Codes A, B, C, E, F and H) Order 2013, Statutory Instrument 2013-2685, Home Office, TSO
Links: Statutory Instrument | Hansard | Consultation responses | PACE Code A | PACE Code B | PACE Code C | PACE Code E | PACE Code F | PACE Code H
Date: 2013-Oct
A government report examined the criminal careers of offenders involved in organized crime, looking at the characteristics, criminal histories and the offence trajectories for organized crime offenders, and the offence-based risk factors for subsequent involvement in organized crime.
Source: Brian Francis, Leslie Humphreys, Stuart Kirby, and Keith Soothill, Understanding Criminal Careers in Organised Crime, Research Report 74, Home Office
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Oct
A briefing paper examined the debates that took place on the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill in the House of Commons at report stage and third reading. It identified amendments made to the Bill at report stage and highlighted some of the conclusions of the report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights with regard to each part of the Bill.
Source: Dorothy Hughes, Matthew Purvis, and Russell Taylor, Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill (HL Bill 52 of 2013 14), Standard Note LLN 2013/029, House of Lords Library
Links: Briefing paper
Date: 2013-Oct
A report outlined the interim findings of an independent review of the Police Federation. It said that the Federation needed urgent reform and set out the broad principles for change on which the final recommendations would be based.
Source: Police Federation Independent Review: Progress report, Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce
Links: Report | Police Federation response | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Oct
A report by a committee of peers said that it had examined Protocol 36 to the Treaty of Lisbon and the list of measures to which the government would opt back in following its exercise of the opt out. The report said that the list of opt in measures did not go far enough, and highlighted the possible substantive and reputational damage of not seeking to rejoin other measures. The report said that the government should seek to rejoin the 35 measures that had already been identified, but also seek to rejoin further measures across five areas.
Source: Follow-up Report on EU Police and Criminal Justice Measures: The UK s 2014 opt-out decision, Fifth Report (Session 2013-14), HL 69, House of Lords European Union Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Evidence | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Oct
The College of Policing began consultation on a draft code of ethics for the police service in England and Wales. The consultation would close on 29 November 2013.
Source: Draft Code of Ethics: Principles and standards of professional behaviour for the police forces of England and Wales, College of Policing
Links: Consultation document | College of Policing press release | ACPO press release
Date: 2013-Oct
The Crown Prosecution Service issued guidelines on the prosecution of cases of child sexual abuse. Alongside this, the CPS also issued a joint protocol, drawn up with a range of connected agencies, on the sharing of information.
Source: Guidelines on Prosecuting Cases of Child Sexual Abuse, Crown Prosecution Service
Links: Guidelines | Protocol | CPS press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report | Victim Support press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A new book examined the major police reform proposals in England and Wales since 2010 and analyzed what these changes meant for the future of policing.
Source: Timothy Brain, A Future for Policing in England and Wales, Oxford University Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Oct
The Home Office published a strategy on serious and organized crime.
Source: Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, Cm 8715, Home Office, TSO
Links: Strategy | Home Office press release
Date: 2013-Oct
A new book examined how the police service could deliver effective counter-terrorism measures while maintaining the essential trust, confidence, and co-operation of the public.
Source: Imran Awan and Brian Blakemore (eds), Extremism, Counter-terrorism and Policing, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Sep
A new book examined collective violence, democracy, and protest policing – based on an analysis of protests in Great Britain in the period 1999-2011. It said that the frequency with which violence intruded on to the streets was related to both how society was governed and how it was policed.
Source: David Mansley, Collective Violence, Democracy and Protest Policing, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Sep
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on police and crime commissioners' financial interests.
Source: The Government Response to the First Report from the Home Affairs Committee: Police and Crime Commissioners – Register of Interests, Cm 8692, Home Office, TSO
Links: Response
Notes: MPs report (May 2013)
Date: 2013-Aug
A think-tank report said that 10 super police and crime commissioners (out of the total of 41 in England and Wales) should be given additional responsibilities, including the power to: appoint and dismiss prison governors and local probation chiefs; order inspections of criminal justice agencies; and take over youth justice budgets. It said that the move would mean cheaper and more effective justice, and better accountability.
Source: Max Chambers, Ruth Davis, and Charlotte McLeod, Power Down: A plan to for cheaper, more effective justice, Policy Exchange
Links: Report | Policy Exchange press release | BBC report | New Statesman report | Public Finance report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Aug
A new book examined the future of the police service in England and Wales. It said that economic conditions had created an environment in which cost saving was permitting hitherto unthinkable changes in the style and means of delivery of policing services. It discussed new policing paradigms, and made the case for an evidence-based practice approach.
Source: Jennifer Brown (ed.), The Future of Policing, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Aug
The police service inspectorate said that police forces in England and Wales were rising to the challenge of spending cuts – crime was down, victim satisfaction was up, and forces were protecting their front lines as much as possible. But there were concerns about the ability of some forces to respond to future cuts.
Source: Policing in Austerity: Rising to the Challenge, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary
Links: Report | HMIC press release | Police Federation press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Jul
The government began consultation on how the police in England and Wales used stop-and-search powers. The consultation would look at whether stop-and-search was used appropriately and fairly, and how it could be better targeted and more intelligence-led.
Source: A Consultation on Police Powers of Stop and Search, Home Office
Links: Consultation document | Home Office press release | ACPO press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jul
A report by a committee of MPs called for a new code of ethics for all police officers in England and Wales, and said that officers who committed serious misconduct should have their pensions reduced.
Source: Leadership and Standards in the Police, Third Report (Session 2013-14), HC 67, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Oral and written evidence | Additional written evidence | Committee press release | ACPO press release | Police Federation press release | BBC report | Daily Mail report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Jul
A report by a committee of MPs said that new elected police watchdogs were showing a 'worrying' ability to evade statutory rules governing the sacking of chief constables.
Source: Police and Crime Commissioners: Power to Remove Chief Constables, Sixth Report (Session 2013-14), HC 487, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Committee press release | Public Finance report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Jul
A report examined the research literature on the role of the police in reducing crime. Neighbourhood policing, particularly in transient, culturally diverse communities, would need to develop new approaches to community engagement. Public expectations of what the police could and could not deliver would need to be carefully managed. And better sources of community intelligence on crime would need to be fostered. Many of these changes required a different style of policing – one that fostered the trust and confidence of local communities, and met their concerns and expectations.
Source: Jacqui Karn, Policing and Crime Reduction: The evidence and its implications for practice, Police Foundation
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jul
The police service inspectorate said that most police forces in England and Wales had not developed an understanding of how to use stop-and-search powers effectively in preventing and detecting crime. 27 per cent of the records examined did not include sufficient grounds to justify the lawful use of the power, the reasons for this including: poor understanding among officers about what constituted the 'reasonable grounds' needed to justify a search; poor supervision; and an absence of direction and oversight by senior officers. One-half of forces did nothing to understand the impact on communities, and fewer than half complied with legal requirements to make arrangements for stop-and-search records to be scrutinized by the public.
Source: Stop and Search Powers: Are the police using them effectively and fairly?, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary
Links: Report | HMIC press release | ACPO press release | EHRC press release | OPM blog post | Daily Mail report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Jul
An article examined how the police service was governed. It highlighted the complexity of the economic and political environment in which the police had to work: the insecure funding platform; the stream of initiatives, targets, and official guidelines; the delicacy of handling community sensitivities; the inherent opaqueness of the national 'tripartite' system of governance; and the constant challenge of making balanced judgements under conflicting pressures.
Source: Ron Amann, 'On the receiving end: the governance of the police in Britain', Political Quarterly, Volume 84 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jul
An article examined recent attempts in Northern Ireland to create a police force that was viewed as responsive to the needs of both the Catholic/nationalist community and the Protestant/unionist community. Progress had been made in establishing legitimacy: but continuing deep sectarian divisions, combined with recent economic difficulties, presented serious challenges to police/community partnerships.
Source: Richard Allen Hays, 'Policing in Northern Ireland: community control, community policing, and the search for legitimacy', Urban Affairs Review, Volume 49 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jun
The equality and human rights watchdog said that police use of stop-and-search powers had been cut by up to 50 per cent in 5 forces, including London and the west midlands, without slowing the fall in the crime rate. An 18-month programme to reduce the disproportionate targeting of stop-and-search on black and Asian people had led to fairer and more efficient use of the powers.
Source: Stop and Think Again: Towards race equality in police PACE stop and search, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report | EHRC press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Jun
An article examined institutional arrangements for realizing democratically accountable policing in England and Wales, and in the Netherlands. Recent reforms in England and Wales were aimed at increasing local electoral influence over policing. By contrast, the Dutch system deliberately limited the degree of local electoral control. Both systems, in different ways, were at risk of over-emphasizing particular democratic criteria (such as electoral participation or delivery of service) to the exclusion of others (such as concerns with equitable and fair policing, and the protection of minority rights).
Source: Trevor David Jones and Ronald van Steden, 'Democratic police governance in comparative perspective: reflections from England & Wales and the Netherlands', Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, Volume 36 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jun
The report of an independent commission reviewed the work of the Metropolitan Police Service with regard to people who had died or been seriously injured following police contact or in police custody and where mental health was, or was perceived to be, a key issue. It made 28 separate recommendations designed to improve police procedures and inter-agency working.
Source: Independent Commission on Mental Health and Policing: Report, Independent Commission on Mental Health and Policing
Links: Report | Summary | CSW press release | MHN press release | Mind press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-May
The coalition government published the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill. The Bill included measures (mostly related to England and Wales) to tackle anti-social behaviour, forced marriage, dangerous dogs, and illegal firearms. There would be new, simpler powers for police to tackle anti-social behaviour. Forced marriage would become a criminal offence, as would a breach of a forced-marriage protection order.
Source: Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, Home Office, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | Impact assessment | Home Office press release | Cabinet Office briefing | HOC research brief | Childrens Society press release | CIH press release | Labour Party press release | LGA press release | Liberty press release | Manifesto Club press release | Nottingham Trent University press release | BBC report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-May
Two linked articles examined legislation creating a single police service for Scotland. It said that the legislation was not the conclusion of a merger, but the beginning of a reform process. Concerns were identified over the relationship between politics and the police, the balance between local and national priorities, and the effectiveness of the new accountability mechanisms.
Source: Kenneth Scott, 'A single police force for Scotland: the legislative framework (1)', Policing, Volume 7 Number 2 | Kenneth Scott, 'A single police force for Scotland: the legislative framework (2)', Policing, Volume 7 Number 2
Links: Abstract (1) | Abstract (2)
Date: 2013-May
An article examined the literature on the effectiveness of interventions in the built environment to reduce the fear of crime. The quality of the evidence overall was low. There were some indications that home security improvements and non-crime-related environmental improvements might be effective for some fear of crime outcomes. There was little evidence for the effectiveness of street lighting improvements, closed-circuit television (CCTV), multi-component environmental crime prevention programmes, or regeneration programmes.
Source: Theo Lorenc et al., 'Environmental interventions to reduce fear of crime: systematic review of effectiveness', Systematic Reviews, Volume 2
Date: 2013-May
A new book said that the criminal justice system had little effect on crime rates; that policing had been hijacked to serve the needs of lawyers; and that 'facts' about crime were continually manipulated to serve the needs of politicians and the media. It quoted research suggesting that a high proportion of cases in which women had had sex unwillingly should not be classified as rape; and it said that some women's own behaviour increased their risk of becoming a victim of rape.
Source: Nick Ross, Crime: How to Solve It – And Why So Much of What We're Told Is Wrong, Biteback Publishing
Links: Summary | Statement from Nick Ross | Extract (rape issue) | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-May
A report by a committee of MPs published, for the first time, a comprehensive register of Police and Crime Commissioners' interests, pay, costs, second jobs, and offices. It criticized some commissioners for failing to make information publicly available, and said that the government was failing to monitor the situation.
Source: Police and Crime Commissioners: Register of Interests, First Report (Session 2013–14), HC 69, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Committee press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-May
A special issue of a journal examined urban security in Europe.
Source: European Journal of Criminology, Volume 10 Number 3
Links: Table of contents
Notes: Articles included:
Adam Edwards, Gordon Hughes, and Nicholas Lord, 'Urban security in Europe: translating a concept in public criminology'
Daniel Gilling, Gordon Hughes, Matthew Bowden, Adam Edwards, Alistair Henry, and John Topping, 'Powers, liabilities and expertise in community safety: comparative lessons for "urban security" from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland'
Date: 2013-Apr
An article examined the factors that could trap the police in adversarial approaches to young people, and how best to move towards policing grounded on principles of procedural justice. Ideas about procedural justice might be able to gain more traction in times of austerity, given that changing policing style did not necessarily incur significant costs.
Source: Mike Hough, 'Procedural justice and professional policing in times of austerity', Criminology and Criminal Justice, Volume 13 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Mar
A new book examined how traditional municipal policing had evolved in European Union countries.
Source: Daniel Donnelly, Municipal Policing in the European Union: Comparative perspectives, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Mar
An article examined the expansion of the police service in England and Wales, which had happened at a time of falling levels of recorded crime. A period of enforced contraction could be a positive opportunity to re-appraise what the state police ought to be doing. In some areas a narrowing of the police role might be both possible and beneficial.
Source: Andrew Millie, 'The policing task and the expansion (and contraction) of British policing', Criminology and Criminal Justice, Volume 13 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Mar
An article examined resident participation in neighbourhood policing; the extent to which police officers organized their priorities around those of residents who participated; and the ways in which officers worked with other state agencies and residents themselves to tackle certain problems. It questioned the notions of accountability embedded in neighbourhood policing, and whether the neighbourhood policing approach offered an effective mechanism for holding officers to account by residents.
Source: Karen Bullock and David Leeney, 'Participation, "responsivity" and accountability in neighbourhood policing', Criminology and Criminal Justice, Volume 13 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Mar
The coalition government announced a package of measures designed to strengthen standards of integrity in policing. The Independent Police Complaints Commission would be expanded to deal with all serious complaints against the police.
Source: Debate 12 February 2013, columns 713-725, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Hansard | Home Office press release | ACPO press release | IPCC press release | Police Federation press release
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined the possible impact of contracting budgets and increasing demand from the public on the delivery of 'policing products and services' (sic). It considered the potential role of the private sector, along with alternative funding mechanisms such as payments by results. Such reforms were unquestionably significant and would change the relationship between the police service and the public.
Source: Colin Rogers and James Gravelle, 'Future of policing in the UK: understanding the economics', Review of European Studies, Volume 5 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined the relative importance of police numbers and visibility in determining public confidence in the service. Visibility had a significant and positive effect on confidence: but so did police numbers over and above the effect of visibility. Because the extent to which police were visible in local areas was itself a function of the number of police employed, the number of police had an additional indirect influence on public confidence through its direct effect on visibility. Reducing police numbers was therefore likely to erode public confidence in the police, even if frontline visibility was maintained through organizational efficiency.
Source: Katy Sindall and Patrick Sturgis, 'Austerity policing: is visibility more important than absolute numbers in determining public confidence in the police?', European Journal of Criminology, Volume 10 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
A report by a committee of MPs said that the Independent Police Complaints Commission was overloaded with appeal cases; that serious cases involving police corruption or misconduct were left underinvestigated, while the Commission devoted resources to less serious complaints; and that public trust continued to be undermined by the Commission's dependence on former officers and the investigative resources of police forces.
Source: Independent Police Complaints Commission, Eleventh Report (Session 2012–13), HC 494, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | IPCC press release | ACPO press release | INQUEST press release | Labour Party press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Public Finance report
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined the hypothesis that police legitimacy was determined by procedural fairness, distributive fairness, lawfulness, and effectiveness. It also investigated the relative influence of legitimacy and feelings of obligation on citizens' willingness to co-operate with the police. Legitimacy was found to exhibit a direct influence on co-operation that was independent of obligation, and an indirect influence that flowed through people's felt obligations to obey the police.
Source: Justice Tankebe, 'Viewing things differently: the dimensions of public perceptions of police legitimacy', Criminology, Volume 51 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined the impact of the 2011 London disorder on attitudes towards the police, sentencing, crime, and disorder. Although public confidence had remained largely steady, confidence was lower (and already had been lower prior to the events) in those areas of London that were hit hardest by the disorder. A substantial shift was observed towards greater punitiveness and authoritarian viewpoints.
Source: Katrin Hohl, Betsy Stanko, and Tim Newburn, 'The effect of the 2011 London disorder on public opinion of police and attitudes towards crime, disorder, and sentencing', Policing, Volume 7 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined the challenges for the European Union as a policy actor in tackling organized crime.
Source: Felia Alluma and Monica Den Boer, 'United we stand? Conceptual diversity in the EU strategy against organized crime', Journal of European Economic Integration, Volume 35 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined trends in public order policing. It traced the ways in which strategies used in Northern Ireland were being transferred to Britain, especially in relation to black and minority-ethnic communities.
Source: Liz Fekete, 'Total policing: reflections from the frontline', Race and Class, Volume 54 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan
An article compared approaches to policing, and addressing offending and anti-social behaviour, in public housing in New York and in United Kingdom cities.
Source: John Flint, 'Policing public housing: New York and British cities', Safer Communities, Volume 12 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan
The government began consultation on proposals (made by an independent review) to allow people to join the police service in England and Wales without starting at constable rank, and to fast-track the best officers to senior management roles.
Source: Consultation on the Implementation of Direct Entry in the Police, Home Office
Links: Consultation document | Hansard | Home Office press release | ACPO press release | Guardian report | Public Finance report | Telegraph report
Notes: Winsor report (2012)
Date: 2013-Jan