A multicity investigation on Fear of Crime

Fear of crime is a complex phenomenon, often not connected to the crime itself. It is sometimes influenced by other environmental factors, thus creating fear in the population. We examined fears of crime and their causes in seven different cities and municipalities in the present study. The primary data collection was an online questionnaire, which were then processed with various GIS software (ArcGIS, GeoDa). We then processed police statistics related to registered crimes committed. Finally, we compared questionnaires and police data using basic statistical methods.

Domestic violence committed by women in the family - or the family as an object of protection in the criminal law of Poland

The article is devoted to the problems of understanding the legal issues of the family in the criminal law of Poland and in criminology. The paper analyzes the issues of the content of the definition of the family. It is necessary to refer to its legal definition. It is concluded that although the concept of family is repeatedly found in the Polish legal system, it is not uniform and has different content for certain areas of law. The article presents a scientific analysis of one of the categories of crimes against the family, i. e. the so-called domestic violence. There is no legal definition of the domestic violence in the Polish legal system, although it is assumed to be a social phenomenon that occurs when a family member or other person living together or managing a household deliberately tries to dominate another family member, physically or mentally. Thus it is possible to talk about domestic violence as a violence occurring among people living in the same household. Its subcategory is the so-called violence in family occurring in the family environment. The paper presents and analyzes examples of domestic violence and police statistics. Some of these behaviours can be classified as crime against the family. Thus it is possible to specify, that, on the one hand, the victims of domestic violence are more likely to be women and, on the other hand, that women are far less likely than men to be suspected of domestic violence. However presently every eighth victim of violence in family is a man. Within the framework of the presented article, it is proposed to turn attention to the problem of women as perpetrators of domestic violence, especially in relation to a man. It is necessary to emphasize that domestic violence perpetrated by women against men, including their husbands, is a growing phenomenon.

Scope, forms, characteristics and new patterns of victimisation in Serbia during COVID-19 pandemic

This paper aims to analyse the scope, forms, characteristics and new patterns of victimisation in Serbia during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as factors that influenced it. In this paper, the notions of victim and victimisation are used in their largest sense, so that the paper deals with a large scope of victimising events and victims - from (direct and indirect) victimisation by virus COVID-19 and the inadequate reaction of the state, to the criminal victimisation and violation/restrictions of human rights. The particularly difficult situation of, in a socio-economic sense, especially vulnerable groups, such as migrants and asylum seekers, street children, Roma, homeless, older people, single parents, persons located in closed institutions (prisons and social welfare institutions), and victims of violence (in family and during civil protests against state?s response to the pandemic) is stressed. After the introduction, the overview of the development of pandemic in Serbia during 2020 and the measures taken for its suppression is given. After that, the scope, forms and trends of victimisation are analysed based on police statistics and other available data. Finally, characteristics and new patterns of victimisation that appeared in the conditions of the pandemic are analysed. In the conclusion, the main factors of victimisation during the pandemic are outlined. Special emphasis is put on the lack of adequate databases relevant for appropriate response both to COVID-19 and crime, as well as on shortcomings of state response to the pandemic. The paper ends with recommendations for state actions relevant for victims in conditions of pandemic and similar crisis situations.

Police Implementation of the Partial Sex Purchase Ban in England and Wales

A main point of contention in the policy areas of prostitution and sex trafficking is whether the purchase of sex should be criminalised, whether fully (in all circumstances) or partly (only under specific circumstances). Particularly, Europe has seen several countries either fully criminalise buying sex or insofar as the person in prostitution is subject to exploitation or coercion. An example of the latter, since 2010, it is an offence in England and Wales (UK) to buy sex with a person in prostitution who has been coerced or exploited by a third party. While the offence was heavily debated before it was adopted, there has been little empirical research on its implementation, particularly by police who are on the front line of implementation. While police statistics on the offence are of questionable reliability, indications are that there has been little application of the offence. This paper explores several potential reasons for this in the context of interviews with 10 police representatives in four areas of England. Factors such as police’s knowledge and awareness of the offence, difficulties with its application, and to what extent and in what way policing of prostitution and trafficking for sexual exploitation are taking place, may all be playing a role, but do not explain lack of use in all of the areas examined in this research. The notions that there are not enough victims for the law to be applied or that police may be resisting applying the offence because they find the strict liability element of the offence unfair were not supported by these interviews. This research is unique in finding that there may be an issue with police misunderstanding fundamental elements of the offence and what seems to be a lack of awareness of the offence. These findings have implications for the assessment of the enforceability of this and similar offences and policy discussions around such offences.

Measuring the Dark Figure of Crime in Geographic Areas: Small Area Estimation from the Crime Survey for England and Wales

For decades, criminologists have been aware of the severe consequences of the dark figure of police records for crime prevention strategies. Crime surveys are developed to address the limitations of police statistics as crime data sources, and estimates produced from surveys can mitigate biases in police data. This paper produces small area estimates of crimes unknown to the police at local and neighbourhood levels from the Crime Survey for England and Wales to explore the geographical inequality of the dark figure of crime. The dark figure of crime is larger not only in small cities that are deprived but also in wealthy municipalities. The dark figure is also larger in suburban, low-housing neighbourhoods with large concentrations of unqualified citizens, immigrants and non-Asian minorities.

CCTV and robbery in high-rise public housing in Hong Kong

Purpose In Hong Kong, robberies occurring in the elevators in high-rise buildings were identified as a particular problem and the purpose of this paper is to address a dedicated programme aimed at reducing such offences. Design/methodology/approach A comparison of elevator-based robbery statistics over a ten-year policy-implication period, in two police districts, one with a high rate of public ownership and a traditionally high rate of elevator robberies, the second with a higher rate of private ownership and a traditionally lower rate of such robberies. Findings The evidence suggests that the programme was successful, with such robberies declining significantly and with no evidence of displacement. Research limitations/implications This research is based on police statistics. There is a need for more research, for example, investigating residents’ involvement with the system and the extent to which it encouraged shared ownership of the initiative. Practical implications What is clear is that, where in the West the Newman legacy led to the demonisation of high-rise public sector housing, in Hong Kong, where there is no viable alternative, the use of CCTV helped transform such areas into safer communities. Social implications The rate of robbery, most notably elevator-based robbery, fell dramatically, improving community safety. Originality/value Though there has been a considerable amount of research on the impact of CCTV on crime, almost all of this has focussed on Western industrial societies and little of it has addressed robbery. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this research is the first in Hong Kong, and the first to evaluate the impact of CCTV on robbery.

Primeros eslabones de la criminalización a mujeres: detención policial a mujeres en la Comunidad Autónoma de Euskadi (CAE) (First steps in the criminalization of women: police detention of women in the Basque autonomous community)

El presente artículo describe, desde una perspectiva de género, la experiencia de la detención policial a mujeres en la Comunidad Autónoma de Euskadi durante el periodo 2011-2016. Nos centramos en los perfiles sociodemográficos las de mujeres imputadas o detenidas y en el grado de cumplimiento de los derechos que les asisten durante la detención. Para ello, se han estudiado las estadísticas policiales disponibles por la Ertzaintza, complementadas con datos de las principales policías locales, y se ha trabajado con información cualitativa procedente de 62 entrevistas semiestructuradas que recogen la voz de las protagonistas y la mirada de diferentes agentes implicados: policías, abogacía y entidades sociales. Los resultados muestran que entre las imputadas y detenidas existe una sobrerrepresentación de extranjeras y de mujeres pertenecientes a grupos atravesados por varios ejes de desigualdad. Los derechos durante la detención son respetados, salvo algunos elementos a considerar en su forma de aplicación, sobre todo en casos de perfiles no-hegemónicos. This article describes, from a gender perspective, the experiences of police detention of women in the Autonomous Community of Euskadi during the 2011–2016 period. We focus on socio-demographic profiles of women suspected of a crime and the degree of compliance with the rights that assist them during detention. For this, the police statistics available by the Ertzaintza-Basque Autonomous Police, complemented with data provided by the main local police, were analyzed as well as qualitative information produced through 62 semi-structured interviews that raise the voice of the protagonists and the view of different agents involved: police officers, lawyers, and social movements. The results show that among the accused and detainees, there is an overrepresentation of foreigners and women belonging to groups crossed by several axes of inequality. Their rights during detention are respected, except for some elements to consider in their application, especially in the case of non-hegemonic profiles.

ENFORCEMENT STATUS OF THE POISON ACT 1952 AGAINST OFFENCES RELATED TO KRATOM (MITRAGYNA SPECIOSA KORTH) MISUSE IN MALAYSIA

Kratom story in Malaysia is a bit intricate. Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth) or local name ketum is a local plant where ‘mitragynine’ (alkaloid in kratom leaves) is listed as psychotropic substances under the Malaysian Poison Act 1952. The law stated that any activities related to possessing, selling, using, transporting, processing, importing, exporting of kratom are considered illegal and can be prosecuted. Interestingly, kratom trees are not illegal plant and no laws in Malaysia forbid the cultivation or presence of naturally growing kratom. On the prosecution side, the current laws do little to prosecute kratom addicts for rehabilitation due to no available kratom test kits which can assist the enforcement agency to arrest and prosecute kratom addicts. Therefore, the enforcement of law on kratom has been largely applied for transporting, processing and selling. Though the Poison Act cannot stop anyone who wants to plant or grow kratom there are land laws that prohibit the plantation of kratom on land specified for agriculture purpose, adding tricky situation to the present circumstances of kratom. In pharmacology, there is research and development demand for kratom, and demands from international pharmaceutical companies for kratom had created illegal rational economic exploitation of Malaysia’s kratom by individuals, so to speak resulting in more intricacies to existing complication. This paper intends to discuss the legal status of kratom in Malaysia which we believe is facing its cross-road. The paper uses the rational approach of economic and criminology arguments to establish kratom offences in the northern states of Malaysia, thus to offer a review to the current state-of-affair. A police statistics and data on kratom offences are then presented to discuss current status and its implication.

Kriminaliteta v Ljubljani v času pandemije covida-19

At a time when the world is faced with exceptional conditions and governments are taking various precautions to prevent the spread of the COVID-19, in addition to social life, trends in crime are also changing. According to world experts, reported crime fluctuates, but most forms of crime are in decline. After reviewing police statistics for the period from 1. January to 31. August 2020, in Ljubljana and comparing them with the same period in 2019, we found that reported crime had decreased. A total number of offences and misdemeanours have declined, as have robberies, thefts, burglaries, and domestic violence. The Institute of Criminology, online media, and newspapers in Slovenia have reported an increase in domestic violence, while some also reported a rise in thefts and burglaries in the country. Cybercrime is expected to increase in the future as more people and businesses move online due to the newly formed conditions, using online services, which poses new risks and opens up new opportunities for perpetrators.

CONTROLLING ACCESS TO WEAPONS IN A SYSTEMIC ASPECT

In Poland, access to certain types of weapons, in particular to fi rearms, is subject to regulation, which involves requirements and procedures relevant to the weapons and ammunition specifi ed in the law. Individual police authorities, as public administration bodies, are entitled to issue (as part of administrative and law-enforcement activities) administrative decisions, including weapon permits. This activity is of great importance to society because of the control over the users of weapons and the weapons themselves possessed by individuals in the country. In recent years, there has been growing interest in weapons in Poland, as evidenced by police statistics. The aspirations and needs of individuals vary in this respect. The aim of the system of regulating access to weapons is therefore to control the holders of weapons within the framework of the generally understood public safety and order.