South Africa tax agency reform will bolster government

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Challenge

Significance The fifth consecutive year of revenue shortfalls follows years of mismanagement and institutional turmoil at SARS under former Commissioner Tom Moyane, an ally of former President Jacob Zuma (2009-18). On March 27, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed the respected Edward Kieswetter as the new SARS commissioner to help turn around the once-lauded agency. Impacts Kieswetter’s appointment should help improve relations between SARS and the National Treasury, and SARS and law enforcement agencies. Rebuilding SARS's depleted skills pool will be a significant challenge for Kieswetter. Internal divisions within SARS could persist over the short term, driven by Moyane loyalists.

Money laundering through raw diamonds

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Maximilian Johannes Teichmann ◽  
Marie-Christin Falker
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Money Laundering ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Compliance Officers ◽  
German Speaking ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Combat Money Laundering

Purpose This paper aims to illustrate how illegally obtained funds are laundered through raw diamonds in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Design/methodology/approach To identify specific money laundering techniques involving raw diamonds, this study used a qualitative content analysis of data collected from 60 semi-standardized interviews with both criminals and prevention experts and a quantitative survey of 200 compliance officers. Findings Raw diamonds are extraordinarily suitable for money laundering in European German-speaking countries. In particular, they may be used in all three stages of the laundering process, namely, placement, layering and integration. Research limitations/implications Because the qualitative findings are based on semi-standardized interviews, their insights are limited to the perspectives of the 60 interviewees. Practical implications Identifying gaps in existing anti-money laundering mechanisms should provide compliance officers, law enforcement agencies and legislators with valuable insights into how criminals operate. Originality/value While prior studies focus on the methods used by organizations to combat money laundering and how to improve anti-money laundering measures, this paper investigates how money launderers operate to avoid detection, thereby illustrating authentic experiences. Its findings provide valuable insights into the minds of money launderers and combines criminal perspective with that of prevention experts.

Identification of operational demand in law enforcement agencies

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcio Pereira Basilio ◽  
Valdecy Pereira ◽  
Gabrielle Brum
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Text Mining ◽  
Knowledge Discovery ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Latent Dirichlet Allocation ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government ◽  
The City

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a methodology for knowledge discovery in emergency response service databases based on police occurrence reports, generating information to help law enforcement agencies plan actions to investigate and combat criminal activities. Design/methodology/approach The developed model employs a methodology for knowledge discovery involving text mining techniques and uses latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) with collapsed Gibbs sampling to obtain topics related to crime. Findings The method used in this study enabled identification of the most common crimes that occurred in the period from 1 January to 31 December of 2016. An analysis of the identified topics reaffirmed that crimes do not occur in a linear manner in a given locality. In this study, 40 per cent of the crimes identified in integrated public safety area 5, or AISP 5 (the historic centre of the city of RJ), had no correlation with AISP 19 (Copacabana – RJ), and 33 per cent of the crimes in AISP 19 were not identified in AISP 5. Research limitations/implications The collected data represent the social dynamics of neighbourhoods in the central and southern zones of the city of Rio de Janeiro during the specific period from January 2013 to December 2016. This limitation implies that the results cannot be generalised to areas with different characteristics. Practical implications The developed methodology contributes in a complementary manner to the identification of criminal practices and their characteristics based on police occurrence reports stored in emergency response databases. The generated knowledge enables law enforcement experts to assess, reformulate and construct differentiated strategies for combating crimes in a given locality. Social implications The production of knowledge from the emergency service database contributes to the government integrating information with other databases, thus enabling the improvement of strategies to combat local crime. The proposed model contributes to research on big data, on the innovation aspect and on decision support, for it breaks with a paradigm of analysis of criminal information. Originality/value The originality of the study lies in the integration of text mining techniques and LDA to detect crimes in a given locality on the basis of the criminal occurrence reports stored in emergency response service databases.

College cops: a study of education and policing in California

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 648-663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christie Gardiner
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
College Graduates ◽  
The State ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Police Education ◽  
The Usa ◽  
College Educated

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the state of police education in California. There is limited national data on the topic and this study aims to improve our knowledge by studying the state with the highest number of law enforcement officers in the USA. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 162 local law enforcement agencies (police and sheriffs’ departments) in California completed a 32-question electronic survey about police education and training. Findings – Findings reveal that California agencies are more likely than agencies nationwide to offer incentives to encourage officers to pursue higher education. Although most departments require only a high school diploma, 35 percent of sworn officers are college graduates. Most college-educated officers are employed by medium and large sized agencies in urban counties which pay above-average salaries. Research limitations/implications – This paper demonstrates how the prevalence of educated police officers varies and that higher education requirements do not adversely affect the hiring of female officers. It also provides insight from police managers regarding their concerns about requiring a four-year degree and perceptions of whether college-educated officers are actually better officers than non-college-educated officers. Practical implications – Research findings may be instructive to police managers wanting to increase the number of sworn officers in their agency who hold a college degree. Originality/value – It adds to the literature by describing the education level of police officers in California and providing information about the educational requirements and incentives offered to officers by law enforcement agencies. No previous study has addressed this topic, even though California employs 12 percent of all sworn peace officers in the USA.

Race, again: how face recognition technology reinforces racial discrimination

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-335
Author(s):  
Fabio Bacchini ◽  
Ludovica Lorusso
Keyword(s):  
Face Recognition ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Racial Discrimination ◽  
Black People ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Software Companies ◽  
Causal Pathways ◽  
State And Local

Purpose This study aims to explore whether face recognition technology – as it is intensely used by state and local police departments and law enforcement agencies – is racism free or, on the contrary, is affected by racial biases and/or racist prejudices, thus reinforcing overall racial discrimination. Design/methodology/approach The study investigates the causal pathways through which face recognition technology may reinforce the racial disproportion in enforcement; it also inquires whether it further discriminates black people by making them experience more racial discrimination and self-identify more decisively as black – two conditions that are shown to be harmful in various respects. Findings This study shows that face recognition technology, as it is produced, implemented and used in Western societies, reinforces existing racial disparities in stop, investigation, arrest and incarceration rates because of racist prejudices and even contributes to strengthen the unhealthy effects of racism on historically disadvantaged racial groups, like black people. Practical implications The findings hope to make law enforcement agencies and software companies aware that they must take adequate action against the racially discriminative effects of the use of face recognition technology. Social implications This study highlights that no implementation of an allegedly racism-free biometric technology is safe from the risk of racially discriminating, simply because each implementation leans against our society, which is affected by racism in many persisting ways. Originality/value While the ethical survey of biometric technologies is traditionally framed in the discourse of universal rights, this study explores an issue that has not been deeply scrutinized so far, that is, how face recognition technology differently affects distinct racial groups and how it contributes to racial discrimination.

Pakistan counterinsurgency plan promises mixed results

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
Foreseeable Future ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Provincial Capital ◽  
Civilian Authority ◽  
The Military

Significance Claiming the lives of at least 21 people, this was the deadliest attack since the TTP siege on an army school in the provincial capital of Peshawar in mid-December 2014. Impacts The counterinsurgency campaign will allow the military to override and erode civilian authority. Islamabad's compliance with the military's security policy boosts the longevity of Nawaz Sharif's government. The bolstering of civilian law enforcement agencies is necessary, but unlikely for the foreseeable future.

scholarly journals Integrity…Courage…Honour: A Comparative Study of Law Enforcement Agencies

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. p119
Author(s):  
Ansia Storm
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Corruption Perception ◽  
First World ◽  
Preliminary Support

Purpose—The purpose of this paper was to compare three first-world countries’ law enforcement agencies to those of South Africa. The aim was to identify areas where South Africa’s agencies can improve to take the fighting of corruption to a higher level, and in doing so, improve their ranking on Transparency International’s scale, and their Corruption Perception Index.Design/methodology/approach—The author compared South Africa’s law enforcement agencies to those of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia to identify possible areas where South Africa’s agencies can improve.Findings—The results indicate preliminary support for areas in South Africa’s law enforcement agencies that need restructuring and improvement.Practical implications—Improved law enforcement agencies will assist in the fight against corruption, improving South Africa’s corruption perception index (among others), which might encourage foreign investment.Originality/value—The results of this study point to opportunities to strengthen law enforcement agencies in South Africa, which will result in improved crime-fighting abilities, higher prosecution rates, and improved crime statistics.Research limitations—Law enforcement agencies (which deals with corruption in general) from the USA, the U.K., and Australia will be explored and compared with those of South Africa.

scholarly journals The response of law enforcement agencies and police officers' experiences under the Covid-19 state of alarm in Catalonia, Spain

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Martínez-Catena ◽  
Montse Subirana-Malaret ◽  
Falgars Subirana-Malaret
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Communication Channels ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
General Terms

PurposeLaw enforcement agencies and police officers' efforts were crucial to oversee the public health measures and legal regulations introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study had two objectives: to examine the strategies implemented by law enforcement agencies in Catalonia (Spain) to monitor the pandemic and to explore the adverse working conditions of police officers and their personal difficulties during the state of alarm.Design/methodology/approachA total of 96 experienced police officers completed a closed-ended, anonymous online survey. In addition, complementary information was collected about the management of law enforcement agencies through open interviews. A descriptive analysis was carried out and the association between variables was explored.FindingsIn general terms, law enforcement agencies managed the uncertainty of the situation, with a focus on official information and communication channels between officers. However, many difficulties were reported by the police officers, such us inconsistency between rules, lack of preventive material or changes in work schedules. Besides, the officers' main concern, beyond the emotional impact suffered during this period, was the possibility of being infected or infecting others.Practical implicationsThe congruence between the job requirements and resources, as well as the increase of communication channels during situations of high risk are important variables to assure good job development and personal satisfaction of police officers.Originality/valueTo the knowledge of the authors, at the time of writing this paper, this is the first study in Spain to explore the management of law enforcement agencies and police officers' personal experiences during the Covid-19.

Immigration to linger as South African flashpoint

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Rapid Response ◽  
Customs Union ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Firms ◽  
Gateway Cities

Significance President Jacob Zuma cancelled a state visit to Indonesia to lead government efforts against the violence. However, popular perceptions of uncontrollable inflows linked state incapacity, a porous asylum system and continued weak economic growth mean that anti-immigrant sentiment will persist. Impacts In the short term, South Africa is likely to refrain from reforming the regional customs union out of fear of antagonising its neighbours. Reputational damage from the attacks is likely to undermine Zuma's efforts to create a 'rapid response' regional peace-keeping force. This reputational damage may encourage international firms to base their SSA headquarters in non-South African 'gateway' cities.

China's cyber controls will intensify this year

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
State Control ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Registration System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Fraud ◽  
Trade Dispute ◽  
Internet Control

Subject Internet control in China. Significance The Cybersecurity Law, passed in November 2016, will take effect on June 1 this year. Since the law's passage, other policy moves have strengthened state control over cyberspace ahead of a five-yearly Communist Party Congress and leadership reshuffle later this year. The Party apparatus is committed to creating a ‘harmonious’ media environment in a politically sensitive period. Impacts Online fraud, especially in P2P finance, will remain the most high-profile cybercrime. Online theft of personal or institutional information will rise as a law-enforcement priority. Guidelines for data extraction by law enforcement agencies, hinted at after the Cybersecurity Law passed, are unlikely to be prioritised. Cybersecurity reviews may become a trade dispute issue, adding to tensions with the US administration. Streaming and webcast sites will be stifled by an unfolding dual-registration system.

'Profiling' use will expand beyond human personalities

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Dimensionality Reduction ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World

Subject Profiling people and businesses. Significance Dimensionality-reduction technology, the field of statistics tasked with distilling masses of information into a few essential strands, will feature in more research efforts to organise the world around us. Impacts Value investors will use dimensionality reduction to uncover opportunities to make large gains from small improvements. Law enforcement agencies will increasingly use these techniques to understand crime phenomena. Corporate strategists will use these techniques to organise their approach to maximise sales and revenue in key markets.

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