scholarly journals Prioritizing Indecent Image Offenders: A Systematic Review and Economic Approach to Understand the Benefits of Evidence-Based Policing Strategies

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Giles ◽  
Laurence Alison
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Economic Burden ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Male Population ◽  
Lifetime Costs ◽  
Police Action ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Clear Idea ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Evidence Based Policing

In 2013, there were an estimated 50,000 individuals involved in downloading and sharing indecent images of children (IIOC) in the United Kingdom (UK). This poses challenges for limited police resources. We argue that police officers can make most effective use of limited resources by prioritizing those offenders who pose the greatest risk of contact offending, by nature of demonstrable pedophilia, hebephilia or dual offending status and thus, those at highest risk must be dealt with first. What is currently lacking is a clear idea of the potential scale of the problem in socio-economic terms and why, therefore, it is so important that evidence-based approaches to offender detection and investigation continue to be a top priority for funders and policy makers. A systematic literature review was undertaken to address two related questions. First, what is the scale of the problem in the UK, in terms of the number of pedophilic and hebephilic individuals who pose a risk of contact offending against a child? Second, what is the potential socio-economic burden generated by the national IIOC suspect pool if left unattended to by targeted police action? Applying population estimates of pedophilia and hebephilia to the male population (16–89 years), we estimate there are between 2,365–5,991 males with paedophila and 12,218–30,952 males with hebephilia who are likely contact offenders. Applying average prevalence and incidence based costing methods to a conservative estimate of one victim per offender, the combined socio-economic burden from these persons could amount to £236-£597 million (incident costs) increasing to £2.9-£7.3 billion (lifetime costs; £3.3-£8.3 billion including QALY measures). Applying the same costs to CEOP (2013) estimate of 50,000 IIOC offenders we estimate that between 6,000 and 27,500 dual offenders could have already committed past contact offenses, contributing an economic burden of between £97–£445 million (incident costs) increasing to £1.2–£5.4 billion (lifetime costs; £1.4–£6.2 billion including QALY measures). Future contact offenses could contribute a further burden of £16–£18.6 million (incident costs) increasing to £198–£227 million (lifetime costs; £226–£260 million including QALY measures). Drawing upon these findings, we argue for the benefits of a research-informed prioritization approach to target IIOC offenders.

scholarly journals Policing Research and the Rise of the ‘Evidence-Base’: Police Officer and Staff Understandings of Research, its Implementation and ‘What Works’

Sociology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 813-829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Lumsden ◽  
Jackie Goode
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Organisational Factors ◽  
Evidence Based Policing

Despite the pitfalls identified in previous critiques of the evidence-based practice movement in education, health, medicine and social care, recent years have witnessed its spread to the realm of policing. This article considers the rise of evidence-based policy and practice as a dominant discourse in policing in the UK, and the implications this has for social scientists conducting research in this area, and for police officers and staff. Social scientists conducting research with police must consider organisational factors impacting upon police work, as well as the wider political agendas which constrain it – in this case, the ways in which the adoption of evidence-based policing and the related ‘gold standard’ used to evaluate research act as a ‘technology of power’ to shape the nature of policing/research. The discussion draws on semi-structured interviews conducted with police officers and staff from police forces in England.

scholarly journals Moving beyond “Best Practice”: Experiences in Police Reform and a Call for Evidence to Reduce Officer-Involved Shootings

2020 ◽  
Vol 687 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin S. Engel ◽  
Hannah D. McManus ◽  
Gabrielle T. Isaza
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Police Reform ◽  
Reform Strategies ◽  
Police Executives ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Strong Body ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Evidence Based Policing

In post-Ferguson America, police departments are being challenged to implement evidence-based changes in policies and training to reduce fatal police-citizen encounters. Of the litany of recommendations believed to reduce police shootings, five have garnered widespread support: body-worn cameras, de-escalation training, implicit bias training, early intervention systems, and civilian oversight. These highly endorsed interventions, however, are not supported by a strong body of empirical evidence that demonstrates their effectiveness. Guided by the available research on evidence-based policing and informed by the firsthand experience of one of the authors in implementing departmental reforms that followed the fatal shooting of a civilian by an officer, this article highlights promising reform strategies and opportunities to build the evidence base for effective use-of-force reforms. We call upon police executives to engage in evidence-based policing by scientifically testing interventions, and we call on academics to engage in rapid research responses for critical issues in policing.

The Proclivity to Rely on Professional Experience and Evidence-Based Policing: Findings From a Survey of High-Ranking Officers in the Israel Police

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1456-1474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tal Jonathan-Zamir ◽  
David Weisburd ◽  
Michal Dayan ◽  
Maia Zisso
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Professional Experience ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
High Ranking ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
Personal Level ◽  
Evidence Based Policing

Studies have identified that police officers often support and value evidence-based policing (EBP), but nevertheless prefer relying on experience when making decisions. Yet, policing scholars have paid little attention to the generality of this proclivity, the psychological mechanisms behind it, or to its implications for implementing EBP. The present study illuminates this phenomenon. We review its psychological foundations and use a survey of high-ranking officers from the Israel Police to examine its prevalence. We find that while officers support EBP overall, they believe that decisions should be based primarily on experience, not research. The two were found to be separate (although correlated) constructs. Furthermore, we find that the preference for experience as the basis for decision making is an overarching trait, not associated with personal-level characteristics. We discuss the implications of our findings and argue that attempts to implement EBP should recognize and work with this inherent psychological inclination.

Evidence-based policing in Australia: an examination of the appropriateness and transparency of lineup identification and investigative interviewing practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-98
Author(s):  
Hayley J. Cullen ◽  
Lisanne Adam ◽  
Celine van Golde
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Investigative Interviewing ◽  
Best Practice Guidelines ◽  
Police Investigations ◽  
American Psychology ◽  
Lineup Identification ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Evidence Based Policing

Psychological research has been pivotal in influencing the way police forces globally approach and undertake criminal investigations. Increasing psychological research in recent years has led to the development of best-practice guidelines for conducting police investigations, across a number of key areas of criminal investigation. For example, procedures for creating and conducting lineups as recommended by the American Psychology-Law Society, and the UK-developed PEACE model for investigative interviewing, have both been of influence in Australia. However, the extent to which these evidence-based recommendations have been incorporated into policing practice within Australia is unclear. In this article, we conducted an exploratory review of publicly available policing documents within Australian states and territories, to determine the extent to which best practice lineup identification and investigative interviewing procedures have been adopted into police practice. The review revealed that for lineup identification procedures, many of the basic recommendations for conducting lineups were not incorporated into publicly available policing manuals. For investigative interviewing, it appeared on the surface that elements of the PEACE model were implemented within most Australian jurisdictions, albeit this was often not explicitly stated within policing documents. A key issue identified was a lack of (understandable) public transparency of policing procedure, as a number of Australian jurisdictions failed to have publicly available policing manuals or handbooks against which to evaluate their procedures. Therefore, we argue that there is a need for better collaboration between researchers and law enforcement in order to achieve evidence-based, transparent policing within Australia.

scholarly journals Evidence-based policing

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-185
Author(s):  
Dragana Spasić
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Comprehensive Description ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Police Decision Making ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Based Medicine ◽  
Evidence Based Policing

The concept of evidence-based policing is a relatively new approach to policing that has been drawing the attention of the scientific and professional public for more than two decades, and which was inspired by a broader movement, based on the notion of "evidence-based practice". Around the world associations (so called societies) have been set up to advance the idea of evidence-based policing trough conducting and disseminating police research. The intention of the academic and professional community is to create a knowledge base that will assist the police in making decisions regarding the implementation of particular strategies and tactics in order to achieve the desired goal. Despite the current relevance of this issue, a previously conducted survey among police officers and police educators from these areas has shown that a large number of them are not yet aware of the concept mentioned above. Bearing this in mind, as well as the fact that the majority of the respondents stated that they turn to journal Bezbednost when acquiring information about the latest topics and trends in the field of policing, the author here seeks to give brief but comprehensive description of the new concept. In order to make this possible, the first part of the paper gives an overview of the notion of evidence-based medicine and the early origins of the idea of evidence-based policing. The second part of the paper is devoted to defining the notion of evidence-based policing and to more closely defining the term "evidence" in this context. Finally, a model is presented, created by Sherman, that represents the proposed framework for incorporating this concept into the police decision-making process.

Spit guards, ethical policing and the need for an evidence-based approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 145-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Joyce ◽  
Wendy Laverick
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the advantages and disadvantages of the use of spit guards by police forces in the UK and to make recommendations regarding an evidence-based approach to decisions related to the use of such equipment. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based upon an examination of a range of primary source material, secondary sources and grey literature. Findings Although the use of spit guards can be justified by factors that include the need to protect police officers from contracting serious infectious diseases, there are a number of problems that concern ethical policing and human rights. Concerns arise when spit guards are deployed against vulnerable individuals, are used offensively rather than defensively and when such equipment is deployed disproportionately against persons from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities. Additionally, the image of the police may suffer if spit guards are accompanied by the use of excessive force which may be perceived as an abuse of police power. Practical implications The paper makes recommendations that a comprehensive evidence base is required to assist practitioners to make informed decisions regarding the deployment of spit guards. This evidence base should include the extent to which officers are spat at, medical evidence relating to spitting and the transmission of serious diseases, the views of the public concerning the deployment of spit guards and estimations as to whether such equipment will deter spitting by suspects of crime. Originality/value This paper provides an original academic contribution to the ongoing debate on the use of spit guards within policing. In particular, it brings together a wide range of material that relates to this topic and presents it as a coherent set of arguments located in a single source.

scholarly journals ‘It’s a Profession, it Isn’t a Job’: Police Officers’ Views on the Professionalisation of Policing in England

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 4-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Lumsden
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Top Down ◽  
New Public ◽  
Government Reforms ◽  
Evidence Based Policing

This article focuses on police officers’ views on the professionalisation of policing in England against a backdrop of government reforms to policing via establishment of the College of Policing, evidence-based policing, and a period of austerity. Police officers view professionalisation as linked to top-down government reforms, education and recruitment, building of an evidence-base, and ethics of policing (Peelian principles). These elements are further entangled with new public management principles, highlighting the ways in which professionalism can be used as a technology of control to discipline workers. There are tensions between the government’s top-down drive for police organisations to professionalise and officers’ bottom-up views on policing as an established profession. Data are presented from qualitative interviews with 15 police officers and staff in England.

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