Notes on policing, racism and the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK

This commentary excerpts from the research report ‘A threat to public safety: policing, racism and the Covid-19 pandemic’, carried out by the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) and published by the Institute of Race Relations in September 2021. One of the only pieces of research based on the experiences of the policed and their testimonies, the report suggests that policing during the Covid-19 pandemic undermines public health measures whilst disproportionately targeting Black and Minority Ethnic communities in the UK. The authors raise concerns about the policing of the pandemic and show that racially minoritised communities have been most harshly affected – being more likely to be stopped by the police, threatened or subject to police violence and falsely accused of rule-breaking and wrong-doing. The report argues that lockdown conditions, new police powers, and histories of institutionally racist policing have combined to pose a threat to already over-policed communities and the most marginalised and vulnerable sections of society.

Medicalization and Securitization of the Administrative-Public Sphere in the Conditions of the Pandemic in Russia and Germany

Against the background of the widespread introduction of a wide range of social and medical measures to protect the health of citizens in order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19, attention is drawn to the growing socio-political trend of medicalization of the entire administrative and public sphere. It is reflected in the increasingly clear "securitization" of many parts of public power, which is reflected in the ongoing redistribution and transformation of police powers. A number of world governments are taking actions to combat the pandemic, from imposing responsibility for poor compliance with the introduced antiepidemiological restrictions to developing a vaccine and conducting mass vaccinations, as a result of which lawmaking is actively pursued. In the extraordinary conditions in Russia, as in other countries of the world, the most effective measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection and overcome its consequences were in demand - measures of administrative coercion. The state actively uses the entire arsenal of legal means, including measures of administrative prevention, administrative procedural support and administrative punishment. In the article, the authors analyzed the administrative and legal norms of the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Germany, aimed at preventing the import and spread of a new corona virus infection (COVID-19). The trends in the expansion of the scale of administrative and police control, the influence of the state on changing the standards of behavior of citizens and the lifestyle of the population, and the movement of significant segments of crime into cyberspace are illustrated. Comprehension of the latest domestic and foreign experience, forms and methods of police-legal influence in order to reflect the danger, confirms the high relevance and important theoretical significance of the study. The authors conclude that at present both for Russia and for Germany the issues of redistribution and transformation of police powers in the administrative-public sphere of any state, reflecting the processes of medicalization and securitization of various links and sectors of public power in response to existential threats, are relevant and promising. directions of scientific research.

Racialized Surveillance in New Zealand: From the Tūhoe Raids to the Extralegal Photographing of Indigenous Youth

It has been nearly 15 years since the 2007 anti-terrorism police raids targeting the Ngāi Tūhoe (Tuhoe) iwi (tribe) who reside in the center of New Zealand's North Island. The violent treatment inflicted upon Tūhoe by New Zealand Police and the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) raised questions around the policing and punishing of Indigenous expressions of dissent. In light of recent events, revisiting how policymakers addressed the Raids offers much-needed critical analysis of the policing and surveillance of Māori in the contemporary context. This qualitative study seeks to understand how policymakers framed the 2007 Raids in discussions of crime control policy after the fact. A content analysis of Hansard's (parliamentary) debates of the 2009 Organised Crime Bill reveals that the Raids emerged primarily in discussions to expand police powers and implement harsher penalties for gang-related activity. Green, Māori, and the Labor parties framed the Raids as an act of state violence, a failed operation, a waste of taxpayers’ dollars, and a repeat of similar, historical acts of state violence against the Tūhoe people. Taking the Raids as a point of departure, the second part of the paper argues that two key events reveal a continuing project focused on the extensive policing and surveillance of Indigenous bodies in Aotearoa New Zealand: (1) the Armed Response Team (ART) trials of 2020, and (2) the ongoing extralegal photographing of Māori youth by law enforcement. These events are discussed as chronic acts of violence that lead to different life outcomes for survivors.

Policeman’s competence as a component of his administrative and legal status: experience of the Baltic countries and the USA

Problem setting. The priority of law enforcement agencies of any developed country is to ensure law and order, protect individuals, society and the state from crime, and combat crime. These functions stand out among others in the regulatory framework and are the starting point for the activities of the country's law enforcement system. However, it is fair to say that the extent to which primary and secondary police powers are exercised varies considerably across countries. The level of its efficiency depends on it to a greater extent. Having embarked on the path of European integration, Ukraine has adopted a lot of new things into the legal basis of the National Police of Ukraine, however, there is a need for further implementation of legal norms in national legislation. Target of research. The purpose of the study is to analyze the police powers in the United States, Ukraine and the Baltic countries, the search for new models of policing for further implementation in Ukrainian legislation. Analysis of recent researches and publications. Significant contribution to the study of the organization and legal support of policing in the world, its importance in ensuring public safety, areas of strategic development of the police have made such scientists as Bugaychuk K. L., Chumak V. V, Mashutina E. V., Filstein M. V. etc. Article’s main body. Police activities in Ukraine, first of all, is regulated by the Law of Ukraine «On the National Police» (02.07. 2015). It defines the principles of police activity, the police system, the measures applied by police officers, police powers, etc. Police powers are disclosed in the regulations quite fully and clearly, there is a division into basic, due to the appointment of a police body, and additional, which can be determined only by law. Nevertheless, the problem lies in the uncertainty of these powers given the police system. Given problems related to the normative component of policing, it is appropriate and relevant to refer to the foreign practice of the police, in particular to identify some features of their competence. We suggest that police competence is understood as a set of rights and responsibilities of a police officer, as well as the services provided by him. Analysing the experience of the Latvian police, it is necessary to note the differentiation of the police body depending on the field of activity and direct subordination. The Latvian police system has the following police units: the State Police, the Security Police, the Self-Government Police and the Port Police. Police activity in Lithuania has certain features of the stages of reforming the Lithuanian police such as depoliticization, professional development of the law enforcement system, active fight against corruption, provision of law enforcement services to the population, cooperation with the European community, deepening integration processes of internal security. Conclusions and prospects for the development. It is appropriate to establish a legal definition of each structural unit of the police and their main powers, as well as to propose the division of police powers depending on their rights, responsibilities and services. Specific changes should concern both the Law of Ukraine «On the National Police» and bylaws, in particular the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of 04.06.2007 «On approval of the list of paid services provided by units … of the National Police», the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of 28.10.2015. «On approval of the Regulations on the National Police».

The Politics of Exceptionalism: Securitization and COVID-19

The suggestion that we “are at war” with the coronavirus pandemic was not uncommon in national representations of the challenge posed by the virus. Such a representation was in turn frequently linked to the imperative of emergency responses, including expanded police powers, national lockdowns, and border closures. For theorists of securitization, this is not surprising. For them, the language of security and existential threat enables extraordinary and exceptional practices. This paper interrogates these assumptions about the performative and enabling role of securitizing language by beginning with emergency measures and asking how these were justified, how they became possible, and how prominent the language of “security” was to this politics of exceptionalism. It examines justifications for emergency responses—national lockdown and/or border closures—in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand in March 2020. Ultimately, the cases examined demonstrate significant variability in justifications for similar extreme measures. In the process, this analysis challenges core assumptions about the conditions in which extraordinary measures become possible, suggesting, in turn, the need for a context-specific understanding of both securitization and the conditions of exceptionalism.

When crises collide—Policing a pandemic during social unrest

In 2020, the United States was shaken by concurrent crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and protests for racial equality. Both crises present significant challenges for law enforcement. On the one hand, the protests for racial equality drew the public’s attention to the criminal justice system’s disparate treatment of Blacks and other people of colour. On the other hand, the pandemic required the expansion of police duties to enforce public health mandates. To ensure compliance, law enforcement may arrest, detain, and even use force to prevent the transmission of communicable diseases that may have an irreversible impact on human health, such as COVID-19. Policing, however, is at a critical point in America. The government is expanding police powers for the sake of public health; all the while, public indignation about police (ab)uses of power has fuelled calls for its defunding. It is therefore important to explore Americans’ views of policing pandemics during periods of social unrest, focusing on the recognition that socio-economic and racial inequities shape perceptions. The data from this project derives from surveys with Americans on the specific topics of race, policing, racial protests, and COVID-19. The study finds that Americans perceive the police as legitimate overall; however, there are divergences based on race, gender, and marital status. These differences may contribute meaningful insights to the current discourse on police legitimacy in America.

15. Police powers, public order, and terrorism

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the law on police powers. These include the role of the police, the organization of the police in England and Wales, police areas, the powers and functions of Police and Crime Commissioners, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and crime in London, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and its Codes of Practice, which contain rules concerning police powers of stop, search, entry, seizure of property, arrest, detention, and treatment of suspects; the meanings of reasonable suspicion and public place, and information which must be given on arrest.