scholarly journals Democratic Oversight and Political Direction of Chief Police Officers in England and Wales: Implications for Police Legitimacy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Shannon
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Civil Liberties ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Police Leadership ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Governance Changes

Abstract This article uses data from recent interviews with chief police officers in England and Wales to assess the connections between how chief police officers are overseen and given political direction and police legitimacy. The research found that governance changes started in 2011, particularly the election of police and crime commissioners, led to chief officers feeling more anxious, and the reforms reduced their operational independence. This may result in chief officers being less able to resist demands to encroach on civil liberties, prioritize the needs of the powerful over the marginalized, or to challenge policies that are likely to be ineffective or which neglect many peoples’ priorities. This endangers effective police leadership and legitimacy. Suggestions are made for consideration by policy makers, practitioners, and researchers to enhance police governance, leadership, and legitimacy. It is contended that the findings have implications for governance, leadership, and legitimacy in other countries and sectors.

scholarly journals Where should police forces target their residential burglary reduction efforts? Using official victimisation data to predict burglary incidences at the neighbourhood level

Crime Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Hunter ◽  
Bethany Ward ◽  
Andromachi Tseloni ◽  
Ken Pease
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Crime Rates ◽  
Crime Reduction ◽  
Residential Burglary ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Neighbourhood Level ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Terrain Modelling ◽  
Modelling Approach ◽  
Police Forces

AbstractExpected crime rates that enable police forces to contrast recorded and anticipated spatial patterns of crime victimisation offer a valuable tool in evaluating the under-reporting of crime and inform/guide crime reduction initiatives. Prior to this study, police forces had no access to expected burglary maps at the neighbourhood level covering all parts of England and Wales. Drawing on analysis of the Crime Survey for England and Wales and employing a population terrain modelling approach, this paper utilises household and area characteristics to predict the mean residential burglary incidences per 1000 population across all neighbourhoods in England and Wales. The analysis identifies distinct differences in recorded and expected neighbourhood burglary incidences at the Output Area level, providing a catalyst for stimulating further reflection by police officers and crime analysts.

scholarly journals The postcode lottery of safety: COVID-19 guidance and shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) for UK police officers

2021 ◽  
pp. 0032258X2110187
Author(s):  
Camilla De Camargo
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Safety Information ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Working Practices ◽  
Police Forces

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant changes to police working practices involving the enhanced wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE), and ways of working inside and outside of police stations. The safety guidance released by the various government agencies has been conflicting, confusing and unhelpfully flexible, and there are significant discrepancies between some of the 43 forces of England and Wales. This article draws on primary interview data with 18 police officers from 11 UK police forces to explore the problems that officers faced in accessing appropriate PPE and the difficulties in obtaining and understanding accurate coronavirus health and safety information.

scholarly journals Limits of UK Counterterrorism Policy and its Implications for Islamophobia and Far Right Extremism

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 16-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahir Abbas ◽  
Imran Awan
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Criminal Violence ◽  
Faith Leaders ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Counterterrorism Policy

The UK Government has recently announced a new Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 to facilitate tackling the threat of violent extremism. In light of this and previous initiatives, this paper provides a critical assessment of UK counterterrorism policy. This policy has created a notion of ‘suspect communities’ such that it has alienated young Muslims at the community engagement level, conceivably and empirically, potentially further exacerbating concerns government and communities have over questions of radicalisation, extremism, and the associated political and criminal violence. This paper argues that such policies can lead to the institutionalisation of Islamophobia, acting as an echo chamber for far right extremism to flourish. Significant gaps in government policy in this area can only be addressed by fostering effective relations between communities and policy makers, with enablers such as police officers, youth workers, activists and faith leaders empowered to formulate nuanced approaches in various local area settings. Given the social, cultural and political situation regarding British Muslim youth, including those presently thought to be fighting in parts of Iraq and Syria, as well as ongoing threats on UK soil presented as imminent and dangerous by UK government, there remain acute challenges with limited opportunities.

scholarly journals Cultural and social uses of orality and functional literacy: A narrative approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lineo R. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Sunday School ◽  
Narrative Approach ◽  
Male Adult ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Cultural Narrative ◽  
Functional Literacy ◽  
Narrative Story ◽  
Social Uses ◽  
The Three Rs

Lesotho’s educational system and development are largely influenced by missionaries and colonisers who taught the three ‘Rs’ (reading, writing and numeracy skills) to the Basotho. Most of those enlightened Basotho were to carry on the duties of either educating others or as missionary workers. Some became clerks, interpreters, police officers, nurses and Sunday school teachers. This article is an account of a functionally literate Mosotho male adult learner who was herding livestock and taught himself reading and writing skills. In his narrative, Hlalefang (not his real name) compares literacy to money and a watch or a clock. He further expresses how people like him have managed to muster some basic and restructure the cognitive and oral history and archival memories, through intuitiveness. The story is based on the work of Paulo Freire where culture influences the discourse of literacy. A qualitative narrative story-telling approach was used to relate Hlalefang’s lived-experiences as he navigated his ways and challenges using orality acquired through various life encounters. This inspirational cultural narrative demonstrates that culture and social uses are imperatives in functional literacy. The article challenges those in adult education, literacy, development practitioners and policy-makers to consider some aspects of culture and to be innovative in their approaches to multi-literacies.

scholarly journals Secondary traumatic stress in police officers investigating childhood sexual abuse

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 636-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy-Kate Hurrell ◽  
Simon Draycott ◽  
Leanne Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Childhood Sexual Abuse ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Secondary Traumatic Stress ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Previous research has indicated that helping professionals working with traumatised individuals are susceptible to adverse effects which can be recognised as secondary traumatic stress (STS). The purpose of this paper is to explore STS in police officer’s investigating childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in the UK. Design/methodology/approach This study employed a cross-sectional, quantitative design. An online questionnaire was completed by 101 Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) police officers in England and Wales. STS, coping strategies, anxiety, depression and demographic information was collected for all participants. Findings It was indicated that increased exposure to CSA, measured by number of interviews in the past six months, was associated with higher levels of STS. Positive coping strategies, negative coping strategies, anxiety and depression all had a strong, positive relationship with STS. Research limitations/implications This paper is a first step to understanding STS in CAIU police officers in the England and Wales. This area of research remains under-developed and would benefit from further attention in the future. Originality/value This is the first known study of its kind in the UK.

Police Family Dynamics

2019 ◽  
pp. 101-120
Author(s):  
Megan O'Neill
Keyword(s):  
Police Officer ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Family Dynamics ◽  
Community Support ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Performance Teams ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Police Forces

Chapter 5 describes and analyses the day-to-day encounters between Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and police officer colleagues. These encounters are important to consider in order to understand fully PCSOs’ occupational experiences. The pluralized public police in England and Wales are often described as a police ‘family’. However, just how functional and harmonious a family this is is shown to be variable between and within police forces. The chapter considers the reasons for this from within a dramaturgical framework, to appreciate fully the nature and organization of these face-to-face interactions. In particular, Goffman’s concepts of performances, teamwork, and regions will be used. The chapter argues that police officers and PCSOs operate as separate performance teams, rather than as one unified one, and that the relationships between these teams varies. In some areas, the teams worked in a complementary way, whereas in others, the relationship was competitive.

Social Climate Change and the Modern Police Department

2017 ◽  
pp. 296-313
Author(s):  
Adrienne C. Bradford ◽  
Heather K. McElroy ◽  
Rachel Rosenblatt
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Body Art ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Organizational Challenges

The advent of social media, blogs, smartphones, and the 24-hour all access news channels make information available to us constantly on the television, the internet, and even while mobile. This chapter highlights contemporary social and generational trends including the arrival of the Millennial generation into the workforce, legalization of marijuana, the mainstream acceptance of body art as a form of self-expression, and the influence of mass media on the lives of police officers, particularly in officer-involved shootings. These emerging factors challenge law enforcement managers to consider complex issues in the workplace while maintaining the core values, camaraderie, and professional standards inherent in policing. The public safety psychologist's role is also evolving with new technology, social developments, and organizational challenges. This chapter aims to encourage dialogue between mental health professionals, law enforcement managers, and policy-makers.

How Do the Components of Procedural Justice and Driver Race Influence Encounter-Specific Perceptions of Police Legitimacy During Traffic Stops?

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1200-1216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Starr J. Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Treatment Quality ◽  
Police Legitimacy ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
The Public ◽  
Perceptions Of Police ◽  
Influence Perceptions

Procedural justice is often recognized as the key antecedent of police legitimacy. However, less is known about how the components of procedural justice, treatment and decision-making quality, influence perceptions of police legitimacy. This study utilizes a 2 × 2 × 2 survey experiment to explore the direct effects of the components of procedural justice, and the moderating effects of driver race, on perceptions of encounter-specific fairness and legitimacy. Results indicate that treatment quality is a more salient predictor of encounter-specific fairness and legitimacy than decision-making quality. In addition, simple effects analyses reveal that driver race moderates perceptions of encounter-specific fairness but not encounter-specific perceptions of legitimacy. The findings imply that police officers should emphasize respectful treatment during encounters with the public.

scholarly journals Police officers and post-traumatic stress disorder: Discussing the deficit in research, identification and prevention in England and Wales

2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Foley ◽  
Kristina Massey
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Early Identification ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Post Traumatic

This article will review available literature regarding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within policing in England and Wales, with a particular focus on its early identification and prevention. An overview of PTSD will be given as well as an exploration of why police officers are potentially more susceptible to this mental health condition compared to other members of society. Key factors in the early identification and prevention of PTSD will be outlined, with a focus on crisis intervention techniques which have been subject to considerable academic study. There is limited research available from England and Wales that looks specifically at PTSD in policing; this research deficit will be highlighted and key areas of research which need to be explored further will be given so that this problem can be both identified and prevented in officers.

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