National Policing Improvement Agency Research Articles

Foreword to the special issue: NPIA systematic reviews in policing

The collection of papers in this Special Issue came about as a result of the most significant funding award to date dedicated to obtaining a broad perspective of “what works” in the field of policing. In 2009, the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) in the United Kingdom, under the leadership of former Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Peter Neyroud, provided over US$600,000 to the Campbell Collaboration Crime and Justice Group (CCJG), via the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy at George Mason University where CCJG’s editorial team is based, to develop a portfolio of systematic reviews on policing topics. In total, 11 systematic searches and reviews were completed and peer reviewed under this program between 2009 and 2013. This Special Issue contains a selection of these reviews not published elsewhere, as well as several papers on lessons learned from the funded projects and areas for future development. The impact of these reviews on the field of policing has been significant. This Special Issue begins with a case study by Telep and Weisburd, which documents the history and development of the CCJG-NPIA systematic review program and its impact on the production of CCJG reviews and evidence-based policing. In addition to more than doubling the number of systematic reviews on policing topics, the program has made a substantial contribution to reversing the historical belief that the police can do nothing to prevent crime. These systematic reviews show us that a number of policing practices and techniques, both existing and innovative, are in fact effective or promising. Three systematic reviews presented in this issue (Gill and colleagues; Higginson and Mazerolle; Meissner and colleagues) suggest that police can have a positive impact not J Exp Criminol (2014) 10:367–369 DOI 10.1007/s11292-014-9218-3

Generating knowledge: a case study of the National Policing Improvement Agency program on systematic reviews in policing

Objectives To review what we have learned from the policing systematic reviews funded by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and to examine the importance of funding and influential individuals in advancing scientific knowledge.

Practising crime scene investigation: trace and contamination in routine work

The crime scene investigator (CSI) has a distinct professional profile within the police. It is the CSI who is tasked with identifying trace at crime scenes in order to inform police investigations. Despite this significant role, little is known sociologically about the CSI's routine work. This paper draws on ethnographic fieldwork completed at the National Policing Improvement Agency's Forensic Centre, observation of CSIs at real crime scenes and interview data to consider the CSI's practices surrounding trace at volume crime scenes. It foregrounds the work that takes place in transforming crime scene trace into admissible evidence or objects for laboratory analysis and the processes of identifying meaningful trace, central to CSI claims of unique expertise. Yet beyond the crime scene and police environment, it is the CSI's ability to record their adherence to prescriptive contamination avoidance procedures which is of paramount importance. This paper demonstrates the agency involved in making sense of crime scenes and the differing ways the CSI and CSI work are understood across police and courtroom environments.

The Sexual Exploitation of Children: Can You Recognise the Signs? The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), 2012. Training film. Available free: http://www.cse.siyonatech.com; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k14eDgD597o

<b>The Sexual Exploitation of Children: Can You Recognise the Signs?</b> The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), 2012. Training film. Available free: http://www.cse.siyonatech.com; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k14eDgD597o

The forensic paramedic: an outline of the role and essential criteria for the job

Journal of Paramedic PracticeVol. 5, No. 10 Career DevelopmentThe forensic paramedic: an outline of the role and essential criteria for the jobSteve McKeanSteve McKeanSearch for more papers by this authorSteve McKeanPublished Online:18 Nov 2013https://doi.org/10.12968/jpar.2013.5.10.588AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View articleReferencesAssociation of Chief Police Officers (2012) ACPO Guidance on the Safer Detention and Handling of Persons in Police Custody. 2nd edn. National Policing Improvement Agency, London Google ScholarHome Office (2003) Home Office circular 020/2003: Healthcare Professionals In Custody Suites - Guidance To Supplement Revisions To The Codes Of Practice Under The Police And Criminal Evidence Act 1984. HO, London Google ScholarHome Office (2012) Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. CODE C, revised code of practice for the detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police officer. HO, London Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byThe paradigm of forensic nursing for nursing aspirants in India: Promises, caveats & future directionsJournal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Vol. 86 1 October 2013Volume 5Issue 10ISSN (print): 1759-1376ISSN (online): 2041-9457 Metrics History Published online 18 November 2013 Published in print 1 October 2013 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

Familial searching: A specialist forensic DNA profiling service utilising the National DNA Database® to identify unknown offenders via their relatives—The UK experience

The National DNA Database (NDNAD) of England and Wales was established on April 10th 1995. The NDNAD is governed by a variety of legislative instruments that mean that DNA samples can be taken if an individual is arrested and detained in a police station. The biological samples and the DNA profiles derived from them can be used for purposes related to the prevention and detection of crime, the investigation of an offence and for the conduct of a prosecution. Following the South East Asian Tsunami of December 2004, the legislation was amended to allow the use of the NDNAD to assist in the identification of a deceased person or of a body part where death has occurred from natural causes or from a natural disaster. The UK NDNAD now contains the DNA profiles of approximately 6 million individuals representing 9.6% of the UK population. As the science of DNA profiling advanced, the National DNA Database provided a potential resource for increased intelligence beyond the direct matching for which it was originally created. The familial searching service offered to the police by several UK forensic science providers exploits the size and geographic coverage of the NDNAD and the fact that close relatives of an offender may share a significant proportion of that offender's DNA profile and will often reside in close geographic proximity to him or her. Between 2002 and 2011 Forensic Science Service Ltd. (FSS) provided familial search services to support 188 police investigations, 70 of which are still active cases. This technique, which may be used in serious crime cases or in 'cold case' reviews when there are few or no investigative leads, has led to the identification of 41 perpetrators or suspects. In this paper we discuss the processes, utility, and governance of the familial search service in which the NDNAD is searched for close genetic relatives of an offender who has left DNA evidence at a crime scene, but whose DNA profile is not represented within the NDNAD. We discuss the scientific basis of the familial search approach, other DNA-based methods for eliminating individuals from the candidate lists generated by these NDNAD searches, the value of filtering these lists by age, ethnic appearance and geography and the governance required by the NDNAD Strategy Board when a police force commissions a familial search. We present the FSS data in relation to the utility of the familial searching service and demonstrate the power of the technique by reference to casework examples. We comment on the uptake of familial searching of DNA databases in the USA, the Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand. Finally, following the adverse ruling by the European Court of Human Rights against the UK in regard to the S & Marper cases and the consequent introduction of the Protection of Freedoms Act (2012), we discuss the impact that changes to regulations concerning the storage of DNA samples will have on the continuing provision of familial searching of the National DNA Database in England and Wales.

Quality of photographic images provided for injury interpretation: room for improvement?

The aim of the study was to determine the quality and nature of photographic images submitted to the National Injuries Database (part of the National Policing Improvement Agency) in the United Kingdom, for expert assessment and interpretation. A prospective analysis of cases (n = 50) were assessed for the number, origin, type and quality of images. Of 1,332 images in 50 cases submitted to the National Injuries Database, only 24% were appropriately labeled with an index; 5% were unfocussed; 64% had no rules or measurement scales; 0% had color charts or bars; 1.3% were of unidentifiable parts of the anatomy. The images sent to the National Injuries Database for interpretation originated from a variety of sources with no consistency in presentation. In particular, features such as rules or scales, color charts and appropriate labels with indexes, were absent in a variable number of cases, although these factors may at times be crucial to interpretation. It would be appropriate for standards to be developed and used for consistency in image capture, presentation and reproduction for interpretation for court settings in order to improve the quality of evidence available.

Criminal Investigation: Filling the Skills Gap in Leadership, Management, and Supervision

Criminal investigation is a key capacity of the police and so it could be supposed that a high value would be placed on the investigative competence of those in leadership, management, and supervisory roles. But such competence is not tested during the promotion process and the limited evidence that is available shows that failures in criminal investigation are often attributed to those performing such roles. There are two reasons why investigative competence is important for police managers. First, the police service is still a formally bureaucratic organization where senior ranks can directly influence operational outcomes. Second, unlike other occupations where technical competence is defined (and often regulated) independently of employers, police leaders define both the technical competence of investigators and service delivery standards. They are, therefore, in a uniquely powerful position to shape both investigative practice and the service's capacity to investigate crime. This article explores the relationship between police managers’ competence in criminal investigation and outcomes. It then reports on a National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) initiative aimed at improving the support that is available to them in this area.

Sexual Assault of Older Women by Strangers

This study examines victim, offender, and offence characteristics associated with sexual assaults by strangers of older women compared to those against younger women. Cases are obtained from the Serious Crime Analysis Section of the United Kingdom National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA; formerly Centrex). All possible cases of rape, attempted rape, and lesser sexual assault involving a single female victim aged 60 or older are selected (n = 53). These are matched with a sample of sexual assaults against women aged between 20 to 45 years ( n = 53). Research findings reveal significant differences in relation to a number of variables, including ethnicity of the offender, number of previous convictions of the offender, and characteristics associated with the assault itself. The results of this research reveal new information about violent sexual assaults on older women by strangers and have implications for practitioners dealing with such cases.

Knowledge management in UK police forces

PurposeThis study seeks to contribute to understanding of knowledge management and, specifically, knowledge sharing in the public sector through a case study‐based investigation of knowledge management policies and strategies, and knowledge‐sharing processes in four UK police forces.Design/methodology/approachSemi‐structured interviews were conducted with ten police officers in three police forces, and in the National Policing Improvement Agency. Questions focused on knowledge management strategy, strategies for encouraging staff to share and exchange knowledge, and any challenges in these areas. Interviews were recorded and transcripts created. A three‐stage thematic analysis of the interview transcripts was undertaken.FindingsNone of the case study organizations has an overarching knowledge management strategy or policy, although there is widespread recognition of the importance of intelligence and knowledge sharing to successful policing. The three police forces, supported by the National Policing Improvement Agency, do try to embody knowledge management in their strategies, processes and training methods, although it is sometimes difficult to identify relevant initiatives and practices. Forces are facing major issues in encouraging knowledge sharing as a result of the culture, the size of the force, and variable recognition of the value of knowledge management.Originality/valueThe study concurs with earlier work on research into knowledge management and knowledge sharing in the public sector that suggests that these processes are implicit and embedded in the culture of such organizations. This makes it challenging to “manage” knowledge in such contexts. The paper offers some insights into how knowledge is managed in the UK police force.

Forensic policing—a perspective

The application of forensic science and other scientific technology in the UK plays a significant role in almost every major or serious crime investigation such as murder, robbery, and rape and also in a significant proportion of less serious crime investigations such as burglary and vehicle crime. The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) in the UK is developing a Police Science and Technology Strategy to ensure that any new scientific strategies meet the overall needs of policing and employ new technologies as quickly as possible by the police. The strategy integrates wider scientific disciplines such as social science, medical science, forensic science and physical science into one coherent science innovation stream. Several suppliers in the industrial, commercial, scientific, academic and engineering sectors are developing better relationships with the police, which would benefit from a coordinated approach. Researchers have been working to develop new ideas and approaches that enable some of the scientific processes to be conducted at the crime site.

Squaring the circles: research, evidence, policy‐making, and police improvement in England and Wales

The paper will explore both evidence‐based policing and the policy process around policing in England and Wales, using the case studies of an attempted restructuring of forces, the introduction of neighborhood policing, and the creation of a national improvement strategy. It will examine the issues through the lens of the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), which is responsible for the development of the national strategy for improvement. The approach taken will be to seek to locate the NPIA’s strategy development within a discussion of evidence‐based policing and policy‐making in policing.

Plotting Crimes: Too True to Be Good? The Rationale and Risks behind Crime Mapping in the UK

Fraser Sampson L.L.B., L.L.M., M.B.A., Solicitor, is Chief Executive of the West Yorkshire Police Authority, and Fiona Kinnear B.Sc. (Hons) is Research Director at the Authority. Working closely with the West Yorkshire Police, the West Yorkshire Police Authority has been leading the way in crime mapping in England and Wales since 2005. Beatcrime, their award-winning website, is unique in using dots-on-maps to show recorded crimes and trends down to street level and to make that information available to the public. While this approach has been recognized by bodies such as the National Policing Improvement Agency, the question of how much detail the public are entitled to expect from their criminal justice agencies and how much those agencies should withhold remains a contentious area in the UK. This article considers some of the competing arguments against the backdrop of increasing demands for public access to civic data.

Investigative Practice and Performance Management: Making the Marriage Work

Peter Stelfox is Head of Investigative Practice at the National Policing Improvement Agency. In this article, he examines the relationship between investigative practice and performance management. Criminal investigation is one of the key strategic functions of the police service. The service's capacity to investigate crime entirely comprises the skills, knowledge and experience of investigators. Other resources, such as intelligence databases and forensic science are important, but without skilled investigators who know how to use them, they are of little value on their own. Performance management should enable the service to focus this capacity on delivering a quality service to society. However, emerging evidence suggests that the way in which some managers have implemented performance management measures is having a detrimental effect on the service's ability to investigate crime effectively. This paper examines how this has happened and the steps that could be taken to improve the situation. These include better dialogue between managers and investigators and improved management practice.

The National Policing Improvement Agency: central to change

(2006). The National Policing Improvement Agency: central to change. Criminal Justice Matters: Vol. 63, Policing, pp. 10-11.