The government responded to two reports by a committee of MPs on crime reduction policies.
Source: Government Response to the Justice Committee's First Report of Session 2014 15: Crime reduction policies, Cm 8918, Ministry of Justice, TSO
Links: Response | MPs report | MPs report
Date: 2014-Sep
An article examined the role of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in England. Drawing on an in-depth study, it said that PCSOs were uniquely placed in policing to build social capital that could be used to resolve community problems, prevent crime, and gather intelligence. It said that PCSOs should not be viewed as expendable under austerity and, for their full impact to be realized, they needed to be fully integrated and supported members of neighbourhood policing teams.
Source: Megan O'Neill, 'Ripe for the chop or the public face of policing? PCSOs and neighbourhood policing in austerity', Policing, Volume 8 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Sep
The police service inspectorate said that there was significant variation in the way in which police forces in England and Wales approached police attendance in response to calls from the public, and around one-third of forces were failing to identify vulnerable and repeat victims of crime. The report raised concerns about the level and nature of recording of responses, service demand, performance and workload of officers, and outcomes. It said that, nationally, the provision and use of technology was inadequate, that there was no national police information strategy, that there were delays in setting up the police information/communications technology company, and there was a lack of modern mobile technology in many forces. The report made forty recommendations for urgent improvements.
Source: Core Business: An inspection into crime prevention, police attendance and the use of police time, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary
Links: Report | HMIC press release | ACPO press release
Date: 2014-Sep
An article examined the creation of a competitive market to provide forensic science services to the police in England and Wales. It described recent change and identified and analyzed a range of related issues, including: the regulatory gap; the justice deficit; market instability; and threats to research and development. The article argued that a free market in forensic science services could compromise the criminal justice system, and it made recommendations for a 'managed market'.
Source: Angela Gallop and Jennifer Brown, 'The market future for forensic science services in England and Wales', Policing, Volume 8 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Sep
A report provided findings from an inquiry into the integrity and assurance of UK food supply networks and suggested measures for a national food crime prevention framework. The government published its response alongside the report, accepting recommendations and setting out proposals that included a new Food Crime Unit to focus effort on enforcement against fraud and criminality in the food chain.
Source: Elliott Review into the Integrity and Assurance of Food Supply Networks – Final Report: A national food crime prevention framework, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Links: Report | Response | Written ministerial statement | DEFRA press release | Queens University press release | Unite press release | WLGA press release
Date: 2014-Sep
An article examined partnership working between the police and other community agencies. Drawing on two studies, it said there was strong support for partnership working among police officers and it considered how this might be encouraged and sustained within police forces.
Source: Daniel McCarthy and Megan O'Neill, 'The police and partnership working: reflections on recent research', Policing, Volume Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Sep
A report by a committee of MPs said that crime on Britain's railways had decreased over the past decade. It said that this demonstrated the effectiveness of the specialist rail policing provided by the British Transport Police (BTP) and, although there were areas where the BTP could improve its performance, the overall model might be applied to other transport modes, such as aviation. The enquiry had highlighted that there were often vulnerable children and young people in and around railway stations, but the BTP currently had no targets in relation to child protection. The committee said that relevant bodies should work together to review existing practice in this area.
Source: Security on the Railway, Fifth Report (Session 2014–15), HC 428, House of Commons Transport Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Committee press release
Date: 2014-Sep
The government began consultation on proposals to change the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Code of Practice A in order to implement the government's commitment, set out in an earlier consultation on stop and search, to clarify the meaning of 'reasonable grounds for suspicion' (a legal basis upon which stops could be made), as well as to emphasize that officers would be subject to formal performance or disciplinary proceedings if the powers were not correctly used. The consultation on the draft revised code would close on 20 October 2014. The government also announced the implementation of new guidance on the use of stop and search, and the availability of data on police forces' use of the power.
Source: Draft Revised PACE Code A (Stop and Search), Home Office
Links: Consultation document | Home Office press release
Source: Best Use of Stop and Search Scheme, Home Office
Links: Guidance | Home Office press release | EHRC press release | BBC report | Telegraph report
Date: 2014-Aug
A code of ethics was published to guide the work of police officers and police staff in England and Wales.
Source: Code of Ethics: A code of practice for the principles and standards of professional behaviour for the policing profession of England and Wales, College of Policing
Links: Report | Home Office press release
Date: 2014-Aug
A new book examined citizen and community participation in policing, how concepts around participation in crime control had come to inform government policy and contemporary police practice, and the impact of citizen participation on political decision-making and police accountability.
Source: Karen Bullock, Citizens, Community and Crime Control, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Aug
A think-tank report said that many social housing estates in Britain had experienced decades of neglect and had entrenched and generational social problems (including 'endemic' domestic violence). Drawing on case studies of good practice, the report said that such estates would benefit from locally-based intervention involving local people, based on good local intelligence, and supported by inter-agency collaborative working. It said that existing resources should be better deployed, that encouraging the reporting of crime was crucial, and that women needed to be supported through the provision of, and support for, male perpetrator programmes, sex and relationships education, and interventions to empower women in deprived areas through education, employment, and parenting support. The report made a range of recommendations, including: for an 'Estates Recovery Board', to complement the Troubled Families team, pooling funding from relevant government departments; and for the police and crime commissioners to establish multi-agency 'Estate Recovery Teams' to devise estate recovery plans.
Source: Gavin Knight, The Estate We're In: Lessons from the front line, Policy Exchange
Links: Report | Policy Exchange press release | NHS Alliance press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Aug
A report by a committee of MPs said that conservative estimates of the numbers of girls at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) indicated that it could be one of the most prevalent forms of severe physical child abuse in the United Kingdom. It said that, in two London boroughs, an estimated one in ten girls were born to a woman who had undergone FGM (and were therefore deemed to be at risk themselves). The report called on the government: to develop a comprehensive and resourced national plan; for more proactive prosecution of cases, the extension of anonymity rights for victims, and changes to the law to introduce protection orders; for more systematic approaches to child protection for girls born to mothers who had undergone FGM; for better training of relevant professionals and greater police engagement; and for community work to campaign and inform against FGM.
Source: Female Genital Mutilation: The case for a national action plan, Second Report (Session 2014–15), HC 201, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Committee press release | Unite press release
Date: 2014-Jul
A report reviewed the approach of the Metropolitan Police to safeguarding children in London. It said that, although improvements had been made, an increase in allegations of child abuse was expected and the force needed now to ensure that its teams were fully resourced.
Source: Keeping London's Children Safe: The Met's role in safeguarding children, Greater London Authority
Links: Report | Childrens Society press release
Date: 2014-Jul
A report discussed police reform and said that, in order to achieve ongoing savings and support the hardest to help, the police would need to work differently. The report called for a new form of neighbourhood policing to engage and support people as 'expert citizens', defined as people who would not only keep themselves and their property safe but also work closely with local officers.
Source: Clare Fraser, Camilla Hagelund, Katy Sawyer, and Myles Stacey, The Expert Citizen, Reform
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jul
A report examined the effect that heroin and crack-cocaine use might have had on acquisitive crime (theft-type offences) in England and Wales since 1980 and the implications for future crime trends. It said that the number of heroin users increased markedly through the 1980s and early 1990s and that many also used crack as their drug-using career developed, with use probably peaking between 1993 and 2000, and crime having peaked between 1993 and 1995. There had been a reduction in the number of younger users and the report said that many of the existing heroin/crack using population were therefore older. It said that, in aggregate, heroin/crack users were a driver of overall crime trends, and that detecting and preventing future drug epidemics was paramount. The report said that if it was possible to identify the minority of heroin/crack users who committed large volumes of crime during addiction periods, and those periods could be shortened or prevented, there was significant potential to reduce crime but, given the trends in use, many might already have tried most existing forms of treatment and innovative approaches might therefore be needed.
Source: Nick Morgan, The Heroin Epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s and Its Effect on Crime Trends – Then and Now, Research Report 79, Home Office
Links: Report | Associated reports | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Jul
A report examined the police use of stop and searches on children and young people and the police custody facilities in place for this age group. It said that there were examples of police forces working well to develop positive relationships with children and young people, but there were a number of concerns: about the extent of stop and searches conducted on children in the past five years (over one million across 26 police forces); that some of these children were under the age of criminal responsibility; that, in some areas, disproportionate numbers of children from black and minority-ethnic groups were stopped; that just under half of forces did not provide separate custody facilities for children; and that there was a lack of specific statutory guidance for the police regarding these issues. The report was from an ongoing wider inquiry into the experiences and relationships of children and young people in contact with the police.
Source: All Party Parliamentary Group for Children Inquiry into 'Children and the Police': Initial analysis of information request to police forces, All Party Parliamentary Group for Children
Links: Report | NCB press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Jul
The police service inspectorate said that most forces had risen to the budgetary challenges of austerity, but there were growing concerns that neighbourhood policing, in particular, was at risk of being eroded and that the response to major events such as riots or murder investigations would become more difficult to achieve. The report said that collaboration between forces, public, and private sector organizations remained patchy, fragmented, overly complex, and too slow, and that changes were required if forces were to achieve further substantial cost reductions in the future. The report said that the capacity for the same level of cuts, distributed in the same way and with the same structures in place, was unlikely to be sustainable for all forces in the longer-term, and called for a considered and open debate about how policing was best funded and organized in the future.
Source: Policing in Austerity: Meeting the challenge, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary
Links: Report | HMIC press release | ACPO press release | Police Federation press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Jul
A report provided findings of a review undertaken by the Scottish Police Authority into the use of stop and search by Police Scotland. The report said that, if inappropriately applied, stop and search could cause a loss of confidence within the community, thus undermining the principle of policing by consent and damaging the ability of the police to work in partnership with the community. It raised questions about proportionality, training needs, and the adequacy of recording of non-statutory searches, and said that further work was needed to determine the short and long term impact of stop and search on different groups and communities. The report made a range of recommendations for the police service and police authority.
Source: Scrutiny Reviews – Police Scotland's Stop and Search Policy and Practice: Final report and recommendations, Scottish Police Authority
Links: Report | SPA press release
Date: 2014-Jun
A report by a committee of MPs said that reoffending rates remained relatively high and the government should seek to recognize more explicitly where reoffending had fallen and why. It noted the impact of the shift of power to police and crime commissioners, and said there were clear benefits to the collective ownership, pooled funding, and joint priorities that had resulted. The report questioned the government's approach to prioritizing crime reduction, and said: that addressing the funding of mental health services should be an urgent priority; that alcohol treatment required attention; that the prison system should engage in better rehabilitation; that the courts should encourage greater innovation; and that changes to the probation system needed to be carefully managed to ensure that local crime reduction activity continued. It called for the government to create an independent body to examine the evidence behind crime reduction, and its implications for policy-making, and for the Treasury to develop a longer-term strategy for the use of resources.
Source: Crime Reduction Policies: A co-ordinated approach?, First Report (Session 2014–15), HC 307, House of Commons Justice Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Committee press release
Date: 2014-Jun
An article examined the policing of anti-social driving by youths in a built-up urban environment in Scotland, in the context of concern and pressure from businesses, residents, the local authority, media, and government. It said that policing practices were shaped by the introduction of anti-social behaviour legislation that had redefined behaviours as deviant or anti-social, and considered the success of the use of this legislation and the impact this had on police relations with young drivers.
Source: Karen Lumsden, 'Anti-social behaviour legislation and the policing of boy racers: dispersal orders and seizure of vehicles', Policing, Volume 8 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jun
An article examined the evidence for a 'widely repeated' claim that victims of domestic abuse suffered an average of 35 incidents prior to someone reporting the issue to the police. It said that the only evidence found for making this claim in England and Wales came from a 1979 study of police responses in a small Canadian city. However, the article said that the numbers of cases in the study meant that it was inadequate to support an international generalization to the United Kingdom.
Source: Heather Strang, Peter Neyroud, and Lawrence Sherman, 'Tracking the evidence for a "mythical number": do UK domestic abuse victims suffer an average of 35 assaults before someone calls the police?', Policing, Volume 8 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jun
A new book examined theories of deterrence, bringing together articles that discussed issues including its diversity, its relation with the notion of 'desert', the relation of deterrence with incapacitation and prevention, the role of deterrence in debates over the death penalty, and deterrence and corporate crime.
Source: Thom Brooks (ed.), Deterrence, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Jun
The government began consultation on proposals to reform the Riot (Damages) Act 1886, based on recommendations from an independent review of the Act in 2013. The consultation would close on 1 August 2014.
Source: Consultation on Reform of the Riot (Damages) Act 1886, Home Office
Links: Consultation document | Impact assessment | 2013 review | Written ministerial statement
Date: 2014-Jun
A paper outlined strategy in London for addressing gang violence and reducing the harm caused by gangs to individuals and communities in the city.
Source: Strategic Ambitions for London: Gangs and serious youth violence, Mayor of London
Links: Strategy document | Summary
Date: 2014-Jun
A report provided findings from a review of the handling of police complaints of discrimination in three large police forces in England (West Midlands, Greater Manchester, and West Yorkshire). It said that all three forces did not investigate allegations properly, in a customer-focused way. The review had found that, of 170 complaints from the public alleging discrimination, 94 were investigated and, of those, no discrimination allegations were upheld. The report said that eight out of ten cases had been found not to be properly investigated, and two thirds of case decisions were poorly communicated. The report said that insufficient training in diversity had been a contributing factor to the way in which complaints were investigated. Recommendations included the better use of IPCC guidelines, and the improvement of training and the complaints procedure, in collaboration with local communities.
Source: Police Handling of Allegations of Discrimination, Independent Police Complaints Commission
Links: Report | Summary | IPCC press release | BBC report | EHRC press release
Date: 2014-Jun
An article highlighted the utility of a more detailed analysis of crime statistics in providing information on the patterns of crime against children, based on Northern Ireland data. It said that violent crime differentially affected older children, and detection rates varied depending on case characteristics. It called for crime-recording practice to make child victims of crime more visible, and to facilitate assessment of the effectiveness of existing initiatives and policy developments.
Source: Lisa Bunting, 'Invisible victims: recorded crime and children in the UK', Child Abuse Review, Volume 23 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jun
An article examined the level of public participation in neighbourhood (or 'community') policing in England and Wales. It said that the majority of the population did not participate in shaping the direction of local policing, but there was no evidence to suggest that the outcome from limited participation was regressive in nature.
Source: Karen Bullock and Katy Sindall, 'Examining the nature and extent of public participation in neighbourhood policing', Policing and Society, Volume 24 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-May
An article examined the piloting of a new risk assessment screening tool, designed to identify police custody detainees who required the attention of a healthcare professional for the assessment of significant health problems. It said that a structured screen was able to improve the rate of identification of detainees with head injuries, physical and mental health problems, and those likely to suffer alcohol withdrawal syndrome, as well as those at risk of suicide.
Source: Iain McKinnon and Don Grubin, 'Evidence-based risk assessment screening in police custody: the HELP-PC study in London, UK', Policing, Volume 8 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-May
A report examined liaison and diversion services in police stations and courts that aimed to identify and support people with mental health problems, learning difficulties, and other vulnerabilities, drawing on research with staff, service users, and partners in four liaison and diversion schemes in different areas of England. It said that most users of the services had at least moderate mental health problems and most had come into contact with the liaison services after committing offences. The past histories of the service users showed missed opportunities for intervention, and people had additional needs for help with issues such as housing, personal finances (including debt), benefits, and employment. It said that staff were knowledgeable and client-focussed, and good services linked with a range of organizations to build support packages, offered case management for people while they put support in place, and stayed in touch with people after they had moved on to other services. The report summarised the key aspects of successful services, and made a range of recommendations for service providers and commissioners.
Source: Graham Durcan, Keys to Diversion: Best practice for offenders with multiple needs, Centre for Mental Health
Links: Report | CMH press release
Date: 2014-May
The police service inspectorate said that its work to date on inspecting the integrity of crime data had raised serious concerns about the crime-recording process in England and Wales. The interim report covered the inspection of 13 forces and was said to report 'emerging themes'. It said that if the findings to date were representative across all forces and all crime types it would imply that 20 percent of crimes might have been unrecorded, although some forces had performed better than others and areas of good practice were found. The final report from the continuing work would be due in October 2014.
Source: Crime Recording: A matter of fact – an interim report of the inspection of crime data integrity in police forces in England and Wales, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary
Links: Report | HMIC press release | BBC report
Date: 2014-May
An article examined the impact of job stress and job satisfaction on voluntary turnover among United Kingdom-based police officers, based on a 'mediational model' of officer turnover intentions. It said that monitoring stress and satisfaction might assist in officer retention efforts, and could provide early warnings of staff turnover.
Source: Amanda Allisey, Andrew Noblet, Anthony Lamontagne, and Jonathan Houdmont, 'Testing a model of officer intentions to quit: the mediating effects of job stress and job satisfaction', Criminal Justice and Behavior, Volume 41 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-May
A report examined a project undertaken by a police force in south west England to stop hate crime against, and develop better support for, people with learning disabilities.
Source: Nikki Henderson and Tina Feather, Action Learning for Change: South Devon learning disability report, Devon and Cornwall Police
Links: Report
Date: 2014-May
An article examined the use of the electric-shock weapon Taser by police forces in England and Wales. It said that use had substantively increased, but the issue had received relatively little attention in academic work. The article said that there was a need for better use of force reporting to facilitate further research.
Source: Abi Dymond, '"The flaw in the Taser debate is the Taser debate": what do we know about Taser in the UK, and how significant are the gaps in our knowledge?', Policing, Volume 8 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-May
A report by a committee of MPs said that there was an urgent need for further reform of the Police Federation, the organization that represented police officers in England and Wales up to the rank of chief inspector. The report raised concerns on issues including: allegations of bullying; financial transparency; and the accumulation of financial reserves.
Source: Reform of the Police Federation, Eighteenth Report (Session 2013–14), HC 1163, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Committee press release | Police Federation press release | BBC report | Telegraph report
Date: 2014-May
An article examined police attitudes to, and criteria for, using s136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 to detain individuals thought to be a danger to themselves or to others. Drawing on focus groups with 30 police officers in urban and rural areas of three regions across England and Wales, it said that use of the power depended on social context and the particulars of individual cases, but resource constraints and a lack of service availability often meant that liaison with mental health services was ineffective. The authors noted the limitations of the research for generalization, but highlighted the implications of police responses and suggested that there were major implications for policy recommendations.
Source: Gillian Anne Bendelow and David Menkes, 'Diagnosing vulnerability and "dangerousness": police use of section 136 in England and Wales', Journal of Public Mental Health, Volume 13 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-May
A report by a committee of MPs said that it was still too early to determine how successful the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners had been and that, given the low turn-out for their election, the concept was still 'on probation'. It said that police and crime panels had found it difficult to understand their powers and define their role, and recommended that aspects of their role regarding appointments should be strengthened and extended. It also recommended: training for new commissioners; the election of named deputy commissioners alongside commissioners at the 2016 elections; that commissioners should review urgently the auditing arrangements for performance targets; for greater legal clarity regarding the grounds on which a chief constable might be suspended or removed; and for the development of a third party mediation process for instances where the relationship between a commissioner and chief constable had broken down.
Source: Police and Crime Commissioners: Progress to date, Sixteenth Report (Session 2013–14), HC 757, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Committee press release | CFPS press release | BBC report
Date: 2014-May
The government launched a consultation (in the form of a survey) as part of its review of the operation of Sections 135 and 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983. This legislation gave the police powers to remove temporarily people who appeared to be suffering from a mental health crisis and who needed urgent care in a 'place of safety', to facilitate assessment or treatment. The review would aim to determine whether changes to the legislation were needed in order to improve outcomes for those experiencing mental health crisis. The consultation would close on 3 June 2014.
Source: Review of the Operation of Sections 135 and 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in England and Wales: A survey, Department of Health/Home Office
Links: Consultation document | Section 135 | Section 136 | Code of Practice
Date: 2014-Apr
A special issue of a journal examined practices of research and knowledge production in critical terrorism studies and related fields, asking what was known about terrorism and counterterrorism, and how it was known.
Source: Critical Studies on Terrorism, Volume 7 Issue 1
Links: Table of contents
Notes: Articles included:
Lee Jarvis and Michael Lister, 'State terrorism research and critical terrorism studies: an assessment'
Thomas Martin, 'Governing an unknowable future: the politics of Britain's Prevent policy'
Basia Spalek and Mary O'Rawe, 'Researching counterterrorism: a critical perspective from the field in the light of allegations and findings of covert activities by undercover police officers'
Date: 2014-Apr
The government published its response to a consultation on the use by police of stop and search powers. It said that the government would now revise the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Code of Practice A to make clear what constituted 'reasonable grounds for suspicion' (the legal basis upon which police officers carried out the majority of stops). The report also set out a range of associated proposals, including for revised training, and a voluntary good practice code.
Source: Police Powers of Stop and Search: Summary of consultation responses and conclusions, Home Office
Links: Report | Home Office press release | EHRC press release | Police Federation press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Apr
A report outlined the findings of an independent review into the possible corruption and the role of undercover policing in the Stephen Lawrence case. Stephen Lawrence was murdered in London in 1993 and an inquiry into the subsequent police investigation had been critical of police actions. Further questions had been raised about potential corruption, and this independent review had been established initially to investigate corruption, with the terms then extended to look at wider matters, including alleged surveillance of the Lawrence family. In response to the report, the Home Secretary announced a number of measures, including: that un-followed lines of enquiry regarding the murder would now be reconsidered; that there would be further investigation into the activities of the police's undercover 'special demonstration squad' and possible affected cases; and that there would be a judge-led public inquiry once the criminal investigations had concluded.
Source: Mark Ellison, The Stephen Lawrence Independent Review: Possible corruption and the role of undercover policing in the Stephen Lawrence case – Summary of Findings, HC 1094, Home Office, TSO
Links: Vol One | Vol 2 Part 1 | Vol 2 Part 2 | Vol 2 Part 3 | Summary | Home Secretary statement to parliament | IPCC press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2014-Mar
The Independent Police Complaints Commission published its review into the way that it investigated deaths following police contact. The review focussed on issues of independence, the conduct of investigations, and engagement with families and police officers. The report outlined actions that would now be taken to change the way the commission worked, including its engagement with affected families, the police's management of incidents, and the development of better expertise in a range of areas, including mental health. The commission had also launched a consultation on the proposed statutory guidance on police post-incident management, which would close on 27 May 2014.
Source: Review of the IPCC's Work in Investigating Deaths: Final report, Independent Police Complaints Commission
Links: Report | Consultation document | IPCC press release | Police Federation press release
Date: 2014-Mar
A report by a committee of MPs said that more could be done to prevent children from being exposed to pornography online, and that the government should ensure that the police were adequately resourced for cases where children had been harmed in the creation of images or online content. It called on internet service providers to move forward with plans for internet filtering, and for social media companies to do more to protect children.
Source: Online Safety, Sixth Report (Session 2013–14), HC 729, House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined community policing in Scotland. It said that an increasingly entrenched performance management framework for policing was exerting pressures on beat officers to depart from established, valued, and often 'unmeasurable' activities within community policing practice. Attempts to increase community policing numbers, visibility, and public engagement had been problematic in various ways.
Source: Niall Hamilton-Smith, Simon Mackenzie, Alistair Henry, and Catherine Davidones, 'Community policing and reassurance: three studies, one narrative', Criminology and Criminal Justice, Volume 14 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined how well the public distinguished between different uniformed patrol officers, and whether they had different effects on feelings of safety and worry about crime. Police officers instilled the greatest feelings of safety, well above police community support officers (PCSOs) who, in turn, were rated above security guards and accredited community support officers (ACSOs). But police officers also generated the most worries, especially among young women.
Source: Richard Rowland and Timothy Coupe, 'Patrol officers and public reassurance: a comparative evaluation of police officers, PCSOs, ACSOs and private security guards', Policing and Society, Volume 24 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined how the police service in England and Wales operated in partnership with other agencies. Police officers involved in partnerships found them effective, crucial to their work, and, at times, enjoyable. Rather than conflicting with traditional police culture, partnership work was enhanced by, and enhanced, the police 'orientation towards the pragmatic'.
Source: Megan O'Neill and Daniel McCarthy, '(Re)negotiating police culture through partnership working: trust, compromise and the "new" pragmatism', Criminology and Criminal Justice, Volume 14 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
The government began consultation on proposals to make changes to PACE codes C and H, regarding the information given to suspects about their rights and about the accusations levied against them. PACE codes were established under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to lay out the powers of police and make provisions to protect the rights of those suspected or accused of offences. The consultation would close on 22 April 2014.
Source: Home Office
Links: Documents
Date: 2014-Mar
A new book examined the practices of 'soft' policing through the perspective of different front-line agencies (including the police, social work teams, and the youth justice service), and their collaborative response toward young people involved in low-level anti-social behaviour.
Source: Daniel McCarthy, 'Soft' Policing: The collaborative control of anti-social behaviour, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Mar
A report evaluated the set-up, delivery and perceived effects of Neighbourhood Justice Panels, a form of restorative justice conferencing that aimed to bring local victims and perpetrators together, using restorative and reparative approaches. The research had found that panel meeting attendance varied across the areas and depended on the nature of the case, and that the use of a dedicated NJP co-ordinator was key to helping victims to understand the process. Overall, the report said that the NJPs were felt to be a useful addition to the range of restorative justice approaches, with the capacity to reduce costs by diverting cases from the criminal justice system. However, strategic and operational support and engagement, funding for a dedicated NJP co-ordinator, and rigorous selection and training of volunteers were all important factors in effective delivery. Although participants had suggested including offences currently out of scope, such as domestic violence or hate crime, the report said that this was not currently under consideration.
Source: Caroline Turley, Jane Kerr, Tom Kenny, Ian Simpson, and Jasmin Keeble, Process Evaluation of the Neighbourhood Justice Panels, Ministry of Justice
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined the 'dissonance' between the rhetoric of evidence-based policy and the actuality of policing policy in relation to illicit drugs.
Source: Alison Ritter and Kari Lancaster, 'Illicit drugs, policing and the evidence-based policy paradigm', Evidence & Policy, Volume 9 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined the satisfaction levels of black minority-ethnic (BME) groups with a north of England police force. It highlighted how, in addition to policing in a fair way, direct and indirect communication played a key role in satisfaction levels. Achieving effective communication between the police force and BME groups was a complex matter, although not impossible, mediated at times by local and historical precedents with different BME groups.
Source: Giles Barrett, Samantha Fletcher, and Tina Patel, 'Black minority ethnic communities and levels of satisfaction with policing: Findings from a study in the north of England', Criminology and Criminal Justice, Volume 14 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined the pattern of growth in the range of strategic actions undertaken by police services in England under the former Labour governments (1997-2010), and the common perception that 'police mission' had been subject to expansionary pressures. Although the capacity of police leaders to focus on core policing roles had, to some extent, been compromised, this could not be explained purely in terms of central government pressure.
Source: Gordon Marnoch, John Topping, and Gavin Boyd, 'Explaining the pattern of growth in strategic actions taken by police services during the New Labour years: an exploratory study of an English police service', Policing and Society, Volume 24 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined public understanding of identification procedures in the United Kingdom criminal justice system. It said there was a general lack of understanding about procedure and process, and the research highlighted a number of misconceptions about the consequences of positively identifying an alleged offender.
Source: Gary Dalton, Julie Gawrylowicz, Amina Memon, Rebecca Milne, Ruth Horry, and Daniel Wright, 'Public perceptions of identification procedures in the United Kingdom', Policing, Volume 8 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
An article considered the role of joint interagency training in influencing the early identification and diversion of those with mental health conditions away from the criminal justice system and into appropriate mental health services.
Source: Lee-Ann Fenge, Sarah Hean, Sue Staddon, Andy Clapper, Vanessa Heaslip, and Eleanor Jack, 'Mental health and the criminal justice system: the role of interagency training to promote practitioner understanding of the diversion agenda', Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, Volume 36 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
The government began consultation on proposals to amend the codes of practice governing covert investigations. The changes would increase the requirements for authorizations, restrict the powers of local authorities, and make provision for oversight by the Office of Surveillance Commissioners. The consultation would close on 27 March 2014.
Source: Covert Surveillance and Covert Human Intelligence Sources Codes of Practice, Home Office
Links: Consultation document | Written ministerial statement
Date: 2014-Feb
A report examined the illicit drugs market in Europe and considered how enforcement actions could be made more effective. It said that the range of substances, trafficking routes, and the methods used by organized criminals were all changing, with the European Union having developed as a producing region, new markets developing in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and increasing use made of new technologies. The report made a number of strategic recommendations for the European Union area and called for continued investment in known effective measures, such as: intelligence-led policing; the targeting of key organized crime figures, financial transactions, and precursor chemicals; and co-ordinated actions and co-operation between national law enforcement bodies.
Source: EU Drug Markets Report: A strategic analysis, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction/Europol
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Feb
A study examined reforms in policing and the impact of recent change. Using a mixed methods approach, the study sought the views of officers from the rank of police constable to chief inspector across 43 police forces on issues including: officers' police/professional identity; views on the changes and challenges they faced in relation to government spending cuts and the Winsor reviews; police morale, sacrifice and goodwill; and officers' hopes and concerns for the future of the police service. The report said that differences in responses between forces and ranks were small, and there was no extensive geographical clustering of responses. It said that 84 per cent agreed that policing needed reform, but almost 90 per cent thought that the police were under resourced and most thought that budget reductions would affect their resilience. It said that both morale and confidence in the government were generally very low, and that behavioural norms and rules required a high level of commitment. The report highlighted the key role of senior management in addressing uncertainty and improving perceptions of support among their officers.
Source: James Hogget, Paul Redford, Deirdre Toher, and Paul White, Challenge and Change: Police identity, morale and goodwill in an age of austerity, University of the West of England
Links: Report | UWE press release | Police Federation press release
Date: 2014-Feb
A report provided an overview of the drug and alcohol treatment sector in England. It said that although changes in public health, and in commissioning, had not yet had a significant impact, organizations reported that they expected to go through a period of recommissioning. 35 per cent of respondents reported decreased funding, compared with 20 per cent reporting an increase, and frontline staff had reduced in almost half of respondent organizations. The report said that engagement with health and wellbeing boards and Police and Crime Commissioners was mixed, and respondents had limited confidence about the inclusion of drugs and alcohol services in joint strategic needs assessments or Police and Crime Plans. The report noted longstanding and ongoing concerns about housing and housing support, support for clients with complex needs or multiple exclusions, and employment and employment support. A further survey was planned for 2014.
Source: State of the Sector 2013, DrugScope/Recovery Partnership
Links: Report | Summary | DrugScope press release
Date: 2014-Feb
An article examined the implications of directly elected police and crime commissioners for the operational independence of the police in England and Wales. It said that the new 'quadripartite' governance framework for police institutional accountability might generate pressures on commissioners to interfere in what chief constables did. This raised questions about the appropriate scope of chief constables' operational discretion, and the extent to which politics could or should be kept out of policing.
Source: Stuart Lister, 'The new politics of the police: police and crime commissioners and the "operational independence" of the police', Policing, Volume 7 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Feb
A report examined the evidence on what works in preventing knife crime, evidence of good practice, and methods used for evaluating outcomes. It considered a range of interventions, including diversionary activities, stop and search, custodial sentences, and education, noting the merits and limitations of each. It said that educational interventions, delivered in a range of settings by people with direct experience of knife crime, promised to be the most effective and could be supported by appropriate criminal justice interventions.
Source: Rebecca Foster, Knife Crime Interventions: What works? , Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research
Links: Report | SCCJR press release
Date: 2014-Feb
A report examined the definition and recording of reported honour based violence (HBV) cases in the United Kingdom, based on Freedom of Information requests to police forces. It said that there was inconsistency between forces in what was included under the heading, and that 20 per cent of forces failed to flag all HBV cases reported to them. While welcoming earlier work by the Association of Chief Police Officers, it said that no HBV review or action plan had been published since the 2008 HBV Strategy. The report made a range of recommendations, including: the development of a clearer definition of HBV; better partnership working to safeguard women and girls; and greater consistency in, and formalization of, recording of HBV.
Source: Postcode Lottery: Police recording of reported honour based violence, Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation
Links: Report | IKWRO press release | ACPO press release
Date: 2014-Feb
A report examined the performance of Police and Crime Panels (PCPs) during their first year. PCPs were introduced in England and Wales in 2012, made up of local elected councillors and independent members with the responsibility to scrutinize and support the work of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC). The report noted the key importance of the relationship between the PCP, the PCC, and the PCC's office, and said that, where the relationship fell short, it was often as a result of misunderstandings about the panel's role. Resourcing was found to be a constraint for the more ambitious panels. The report included recommendations for the Home Office to clarify roles, to improve partnership working, to increase panels' proactivity, and to improve public engagement.
Source: Police and Crime Panels: The first year, Centre for Public Scrutiny
Links: Report | CPS press release
Date: 2014-Feb
An article examined the continuing use of the concept of 'institutional racism' as a lever for police reform. Despite the original intention to divert attention away from a preoccupation with overt racism among police staff, this was precisely where reform activity had been directed. A new approach grounded in practice, and giving primacy to conceptual accuracy, was needed.
Source: Anna Souhami, 'Institutional racism and police reform: an empirical critique', Policing and Society, Volume 24 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jan
A report provided the findings of a review of the Police Federation, an organization that represented several ranks of police officers in England and Wales. It said that 91 per cent of members surveyed called for the Federation to change, and raised concerns about: openness and transparency; accountability to members and the public; its ability to promote good behaviour and professional standards; and the impact of internal divisions on its effectiveness and reputation. The report made thirty-six recommendations.
Source: Police Federation Independent Review – Final Report: The trusted voice for frontline officers, The RSA
Links: Report | Overview of evidence | RSA press release | Police Federation press release | BBC report | Telegraph report
Date: 2014-Jan
A new book examined European Union criminal law and police co-operation.
Source: Maria Bergstrom and Anna Jonsson Cornell (eds), European Police and Criminal Law Co-operation, Hart Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Jan
A study examined the evidence on the use of stop and search by police in Scotland between 2005 and 2010. The report said that practices varied widely between areas and the effectiveness of stop and search was unclear. It said there was a clear need for politicians and policing stakeholders to clarify the limits of stop and search powers and to ensure that the appropriate legal and regulatory framework was in place to support police practice. The report made recommendations.
Source: Kath Murray, Stop and Search in Scotland: An evaluation of police practice, Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, University of Glasgow
Links: Report | SCCJR press release | SHRC press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Jan
An audit report said that there were clear gaps in the new policing framework in England and Wales that had the potential to undermine accountability both to the Home Office and to the public. The report said that while some people in the sector believed that elected commissioners had potential to improve accountability and value for money, police and crime panels had limited effectiveness and lacked powers to act on the information they received, and the introduction of both commissioners and police and crime panels had increased the potential for local tensions. The report said that commissioners were not publishing all the data that the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 required, limiting the public's ability to hold commissioners to account. The report concluded that further work was needed to ensure that the system would provide value for money.
Source: Police Accountability: Landscape review, HC 963 (Session 2013–14), National Audit Office, TSO
Links: Report | Summary | NAO press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2014-Jan
An article examined reforms to the governance of local policing in England and Wales over the previous two decades. It said that the 'success' of regime changes was contingent upon the translation of regimes into practice, and thus far they had had limited success.
Source: Daniel Gilling, 'Reforming police governance in England and Wales: managerialisation and the politics of organisational regime change', Policing and Society, Volume 24 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jan
An article examined the factors that affected the likelihood of police-initiated contacts with young people in England and Wales. Members of ethnic minorities were disproportionately approached by the police using powers to stop and search, and in general ethnicity played a significant role. The evidence also suggested that the police focused their attention on a population of 'usual suspects'.
Source: Juan Jose Medina Ariza, 'Police-initiated contacts: young people, ethnicity, and the "usual suspects"', Policing and Society, Volume 24 Issue 2
Links: Abstract | Manchester University press release
Date: 2014-Jan
A special issue of a journal examined the introduction and first year of police and crime commissioners in England and Wales.
Source: Safer Communities, Volume 13, Number 1
Links: Table of contents
Notes: Articles included:
Matthew Davies 'The path to Police and Crime Commissioners'
Liz Turner 'PCCs, neo-liberal hegemony and democratic policing'
Stuart Lister 'Scrutinising the role of the Police and Crime Panel in the new era of police governance in England and Wales'
Sophie Chambers 'Who is policing the Police and Crime Commissioners?'
Timothy Brain 'Police and Crime Commissioners: the first twelve months'
Date: 2014-Jan
A report examined healthcare in police custody suites across London. It said there was a continuing shortage of available nurses, and that medical professionals believed this to increase the risk of a death or serious harm in police custody. The report said that future changes were planned for healthcare commissioning from 2015, but called for action to be taken to improve the situation in the meantime. The report noted a role for the independent custody visitor scheme, but also noted the lack of available information about how the scheme currently operated. The report made recommendations.
Source: Falling Short: The Met's healthcare of detainees in custody, Greater London Authority
Links: Report | Associated papers | GLA press release
Date: 2014-Jan