Police Patrol Research Articles

Crime dynamics under COVID-19 emergency measures in Nigeria: An exploration of residents’ perception

ABSTRACT This study examines how the COVID-19 emergency has impacted crime across different locations in Nigeria. Data were collected from a sample of residents from across Nigeria and analysed using mean ratings, percentages and chi-square. Based on the residents’ perceptions, certain crime types have decreased (e.g. home break-ins and assaults), some remain unchanged (e.g. stealing and pilfering) and others have increased (e.g. cybercrime and domestic violence). The findings show concentrations of crime in urban centres, states on total lockdown and geographical areas with poor economic indicators. The times that most crimes are perpetrated remain unchanged, except for the night time, where there has been a significant increase. Generally, individual responses to crime remain unchanged, although the use of security guards and special security door locks has changed significantly. Conversely, neighbourhood-level responses have changed significantly, particularly with the use of vigilante groups, police and military patrols as well as restrictions of human and vehicular movement. Although some of the causes of this crime change existed before COVID-19, new crime opportunities are also acknowledged. The findings suggest that Nigerian cities may face a severe battle to recover from crime even after the COVID-19 emergency has passed. Policy and further research implications are discussed.

Analyzing physical and socio-economic factors for property crime incident in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Property crime has become a challenge in major cities of developing countries including Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. However, factors contributing to property crime have not been carefully examined. Therefore, this paper presents the physical and socio-economic factors that clearly have a substantial impact on property crime. In this study, both primary and secondary data were used. Recorded property crime was collected from Addis Ababa police commission. Property crime incidence locations were georefrenced using Google Earth as well as handheld Global Positioning System. Then, a property crime surface map and pattern were created using point pattern analysis and inverse distance weighted interpolation technique. The study area was then classified into low crime and hotspot areas based on the frequency of crime events as well as the created crime surface map. A total of 200 respondents (100 in high crime area and 100 in low crime area) were selected using purposive sampling techniques. Five key informants were selected purposely from senior police officers. Data were collected using questionnaires and in-depth interview. A binary logistic regression model was employed to analyze the collected data. The data analysis showed that physical features mainly commercial center, road with no street light and river courses were positively correlated at significant level with the committing of property crime. On the other hand, public participation in crime prevention, witness and crime events reporting influenced negatively the committing of property crime. In addition, unemployment, family background, education level, age, time, season and police patrolling activities determine the occurrence of property crime events. The finding depicts that the identified physical and socio-economic factors can influence the patterns and rate of crime incidents in the study area. Therefore, the law enforcement officers should consider these influential factors to deploy police officers and to reduce property crime problems.

Crime Mitigation Strategies Utilised in Slum Areas of Nairobi, Kenya

The increase in urban population, occasioned by the rural-urban migration of young people has resulted in the expansion of informal settlements to accommodate the large numbers of low-income earners and the unemployed. This trend is replicated all across developing economies and in Kenya, it has resulted in the establishment of informal settlements such as Kangemi, Kawangware, Mathare, Mukuru, Korogocho, and Kibera, which is the largest in the whole continent. One of the negative implications of the growth of the informal settlement is the increase in criminal trends as most residents, particularly the youth resort to criminality as a way of making a living. In response, various strategies have been adopted to mitigate or rather prevent criminal activities in these informal settlements. This study focused on such strategies as used in four slums, which include Kibera, Mukuru, Mathare, and Korogocho. The study adopted the descriptive research design, which involved the collection and analysis of quantitative data using questionnaires. The data was collected from a sample of 659 residents of the four informal settlements who were randomly sampled. The data was input in the Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) and then analysed using the descriptive method whereby the data was presented on tables based on percentages. The study concluded that crime was a big problem for informal settlement residents. However, one of the most prevalent crimes included illicit brew, general robbery, muggings, and burglary. The residents claimed that the government was less concerned about resolving crime. The residents, however, acknowledged the significant role that they can play in solving crime in the slums and that community participation was critical in bringing on board all stakeholders. They have, therefore, organised themselves as communities to tackle crime and insecurity in their neighbourhood. Some of the crime prevention programs adopted include community policing, police patrols, vigilante groups, erecting gates and fences, village security committees, and the employment of night guards. The study recommended increased collaboration between state and non-state actors to combat crime in informal settlements and the enhancement of the existing community policing initiatives.

Navigating conflict: a cross-sectional study of farmers and pastoralists conflicts in Kilosa, Tanzania

ABSTRACT The Kilosa area of Tanzania has been affected by conflicts between pastoralists and farmers, leading to interferences in daily economic activities in the district. To resolve this growing issue, a study was conducted to establish the underlying causes of conflict and provide alternative and sustainable solutions for resolving disputes in the area. The study employed qualitative methods to investigate the conflicts between farmers and pastoralists. The saturation method was used to draw a sample size of 115 respondents from five villages which were purposively sampled. In-depth interviews and focus groups were conducted with farmers, pastoralists, and governmental officials to gather complete accounts of the causes and effects of these conflicts. Also, a detailed literature review was undertaken to provide theoretical support from previous studies. Multi-stakeholder analysis was emphasised to ensure a complete understanding of the conflict dynamics from multiple perspectives. The study revealed the interrelated factors, which include resource competition, climate change, inadequate land tenure systems, weak governance structures, and poor resource management policies, that intensify conflicts between farmers and pastoralists. Therefore, the proposed conflict resolution mechanism includes proper land use plans, diversification of their economies, peace-building committees, embracing good governance, and frequency of police patrol in conflict-prone areas.

Sexual Harassment in Public Spaces and Police Patrols: Experimental Evidence from Urban India

Sexual Harassment in Public Spaces and Police Patrols: Experimental Evidence from Urban India

When Fire Alarm Needs Police Patrol: Evidence from Regulating Firm-Level Pollutant Emissions in China

When Fire Alarm Needs Police Patrol: Evidence from Regulating Firm-Level Pollutant Emissions in China

Human Smuggling in the Philippines-Malaysia Border: A case study of Maritime Police Patrol

Human Smuggling in the Philippines-Malaysia Border: A case study of Maritime Police Patrol

Suppression by Police Officers of Offenses of Art. 19.3 of the Administrative Code

The study is devoted to the current state of administrative offenses provided in article. 19.3 The Administrative Code of the Russian Federation, from 2018 to 2022, identify the police units that most often suppress this type of administrative offences. The results of the study showed that the most frequent administrative offences provided for in Article. 19.3 The Administrative Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation is suppressed by officers of the patrol and sentry service of the police - 61 per cent of the total and district police officers - 30 per cent. From 2018 to 2022, there was an increase of 29% in administrative offenses intercepted by officers of patrol police and 8.6% - district police commissioners. The number of cases dismissed for lack of evidence or event of an offense varies between 0.52 and 0.77 per cent of the total number of decisions taken. The novelty of the study lies in obtaining up-to-date objective information about the status and dynamics of administrative offences provided for in Article. 19.3 The Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation, which is punished by police officers, and those police units whose officers most often punish this type of administrative offence. Field of application: scientific research - actualization of the study of the composition of administrative offenses provided for in Article. 19.3 The Administrative Code of the Russian Federation is suppressed by members of patrol police units and district police commissioners, as well as the vocational training of police officers. Police officers' examination of the administrative offences provided for in article. 19.3 The Code of Administrative Offences and the decisions taken thereon by the judicial authorities will reduce the number of cases dismissed.

ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ ПРАВА ГРОМАДЯН НА ЗАХИСТ ВІД ШКІДЛИВОГО ВПЛИВУ ШУМУ ТРАНСПОРТНИХ ЗАСОБІВ (СУЧАСНА РЕАЛЬНІСТЬ, БАЧЕННЯ НА ПЕРСПЕКТИВУ)

The goal. The purpose of the article is to determine the issue of protecting the population from theharmful and irritating effects of noise on the street and road networks of settlements and ensuring proper control over the observance of silence in public places and road safety. This article isobliged to highlight the issue of administrative and legal regulation of the use of technical meansby employees of the National Police of Ukraine, regarding the protection of citizens from theharmful effects of the noise of the vehicle exhaust gas emission system.Methods. The article uses the general scientific methodology of conducting legal research,including comparative legal, systemic structural, analysis and synthesis, deduction and induction,and other methods of scientific knowledge. Their use made it possible to determine and analyzethe current state of regulatory and legal regulation of the use of technical means of recordingoffenses by the police.Results. The article examines the problems of administrative and legal regulation of the useof technical devices for recording offenses by employees of the National Police of Ukraine.Considered, as an example, the possibility of using technical devices by employees of the NationalPolice of Ukraine to measure the permissible level of external noise (estimate the level of noise orsound by measuring the sound pressure) of vehicles with the help of a ‘noise meter’. The articlestates that the proper legal regulation of the use of technical devices by employees of the NationalPolice of Ukraine to measure and assess the noise level of the exhaust gas emission system ofvehicles is one of the determining conditions for the effectiveness of guaranteeing the right ofUkrainian citizens to protection against noise pollution. It is summarized that the experienceof implementing technical devices shows that the implementation of preventive measures issuccessful when the methods of persuasion are supported by legal norms that establish clearresponsibility for violations of established norms and standards.Conclusions. In order to ensure the legality of the use of technical devices, it is proposed tolegislatively update and provide for the grounds, order and conditions of their use by employeesof the National Police of Ukraine. It should be noted that this should be preceded by extensiveoutreach work among citizens of Ukraine, and primarily among drivers. Therefore, it is desirableto organize explanatory work with the participation of the first leaders of the patrol police ofUkraine in all mass media and social networks. And as a result, all this will encourage the creationof an atmosphere of understanding among drivers, regarding the necessity and legality of the useof devices for measuring the noise level by employees of the National Police of Ukraine.

PERSONALITY TRAITS AND STRESS AMONG FOUR FORCES OF PUNJAB POLICE

The study is an attempt to investigate differences among four forces of Punjab police including Elite Force, Traffic Police, Thana police and Punjab Highway Patrolling in terms of organizational police stress, operational police stress and personality traits. Organizational police stress questionnaire (McCreary & Thompson, 2006), Operational Police Stress Questionnaire (McCreary & Thompson, 2006), and International Personality for Item Pool Goldberg (1999) were administered to collect data from police. Sample was drawn from five ranks of police officers including constables, head constables, assistant sub inspectors, sub inspectors and inspectors of four major forces of Punjab. 825 police officers from all 36 districts of Punjab police participated in this study. ANOVA was run through SPSS to analyze mean differences. Results indicated significant major differences among all four forces in terms of their personality traits and stress levels. The study has significant implications for all the forces of the Punjab police. Keywords: Personality Traits, Organizational Stress, Operational Stress, Punjab Police.

The influence of Indigenous status on the issue of police cautions

Over the last 20 years, a body of research has emerged in the United States (US) revealing that the country’s sentencing courts to treat young male African American (and Hispanic) offenders more harshly than white offenders, even after adjusting for relevant legal and contextual factors. Similar research in Australia has generally found that the effect of Indigenous status on adult bail/sentencing outcomes is either non-significant, or significant, but very small. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of race, age, and gender on police decisions to prosecute rather than caution to a juvenile offender. We employ a multilevel model with random intercepts to explore the impact of race, age, and gender on police decisions to prosecute rather than caution to a juvenile offender. The first level controls for offender/offence factors a police officer may legally consider when deciding whether or not to caution a young offender. The second level controls for the police patrol to which the police officer is attached. After adjusting for the effects of legally relevant factors, we find Indigenous juvenile offenders (regardless of sex) are more likely to be prosecuted than cautioned, compared with their non-Indigenous counterparts. There is also wide variation across local area commands in willingness to caution juvenile offenders. We conclude that further research is needed to obtain a better understanding of the factors responsible for racial disparity in the use of police cautions.

Individual and Psychological Characteristics of Law Enforcement Officers as a Basis for Effective Psychological Selection of Personnel for Modern Police Organizations

The distinguishing features of a specific type of modern law enforcement activities (criminal police, patrol police, security police, pre-trial investigation bodies, district police officers) require a law enforcement officer to have certain individual and psychological characteristics, the absence of which make it impossible to successful perform their service tasks. Individual and psychological characteristics must be taken into account during the psychological selection of personnel for law enforcement agencies. The aim of the research is to undertake the comparative analysis of the individual and psychological characteristics of law enforcement officers who carry out various types of law enforcement activities. 986 law enforcement officers engaged in various types of law enforcement activities took part in the research. The research was carried out on the basis of a systematic approach using an optimal set of psychodiagnostic techniques. Professionally significant individual and psychological characteristics of law enforcement officers who undertake various types of service activities were singled out. It was found that the representatives of the criminal police and security police units are emotionally more stable compared to other categories of police officers. On the other hand, high levels of confidence, independence and leadership are expressed among patrol officers and investigators. Police officers in all types of law enforcement activities are particularly characterized by high self-control, responsibility, conscientiousness, thoroughness, and discipline. The obtained data will contribute to the improvement of the mechanism of psychological selection of personnel for modern police organizations.

Normative and legal provision of interaction of the patrol police with other subjects of crime prevention

The article examines the regulatory and legal support of the interaction of the patrol police with other subjects of crime prevention. It was noted that one of the entities that actively conduct preventive work is the patrol police units of the National Police of Ukraine. At the same time, the effectiveness of such work in many cases depends on interaction with other bodies of public administration and the public. This brings to the fore the issue of proper regulatory and legal consolidation of the interaction of the patrol police with other subjects of crime prevention.It was emphasized that regulatory and legal support for the interaction of the patrol police with other subjects of crime prevention plays an important role in the activities of this unit of the National Police, in particular, during the implementation of the «Community Policing» concept. It consists of three groups of norms. The first group should include norms that aim to consolidate and regulate the preventive work of the patrol police, the second group of norms defines the general principles and mechanisms of interaction of the patrol police during the performance of the entire set of police tasks, and the third group includes norms that directly regulate the interaction of the patrol police with other subjects of crime prevention.
 Not only the last group of norms, but also others exert a regulatory influence on the creation of conditions for the interaction of the patrol police as a subject of crime prevention. After all, the use of norms regulating the general principles and mechanisms of preventive activities, as well as the interaction of the patrol police with other public authorities and the public, is necessary during the organization and implementation of agreed measures in the field of crime prevention.

Unpacking the police patrol shift: observations and complications of “electronically” riding along with police

Unpacking the police patrol shift: observations and complications of “electronically” riding along with police

Unpacking the police patrol shift: observations and complications of “electronically” riding along with police

As frontline responders, patrol officers exist at the core of policing. Little remains known, however, about the specific and nuanced work of contemporary patrol officers and their shift characteristics. Drawing upon computer-aided dispatch (CAD) data for a random sample of 60 patrol shifts, we empirically analyse the activities of patrol officers working in a Canadian police agency. Our analyses reveal several interesting findings regarding the activities of patrol officers, the nature and prevalence of calls for service attended by such officers, and the temporal patterns of different patrol shifts. We discuss our results with respect to both criminological research as well as policing practice. We also highlight the complications and implications of using electronic police records to empirically study officer activity.

On Detecting Drunk Drivers in Mixed Autonomous Platoons Using Vehicles Velocity Measurements

Drunk drivers, who critically and continuously threaten road safety, are usually detected using biological sensors within the same vehicle or after drunk driving behavior is observed by police patrols. Observing an obvious drunk driving behavior indicates a relatively high blood alcohol concentration, and thus, detecting drunk drivers with a relatively low blood alcohol concentration is difficult. This study uses output-only measurements available from motion sensors in the longitudinal drive of mixed autonomous and human-driven platoons to detect drunk drivers’ behavior in human-driven vehicles within the same platoon. The human-driven vehicle is assumed to be between two autonomous vehicles that are able to share information with each other. The proposed approach relates a set of motion sensor measurements with another within the platoon and does not require the knowledge of the excitation signal or the dynamics of the platoon. Numerical simulations are first implemented to test the proposed approach, and then, VISSIM software is implemented to simulate realistic road topography. Further validations on laboratory mobile robots are presented in this article, where a class of abnormal driving conditions that includes human-driven vehicles is simulated. Experiments are carried out by measuring abnormal human-driven vehicles within connected autonomous robots. This method is shown to deal with various system uncertainties, and the approach can deal with the drunk driver case. The drunken driving conditions are modeled mathematically with different blood alcohol concentration levels, which correspond to different effects and different drunk driving behaviors. The proposed transmissibility-based drunk driver detection algorithm is shown to detect drivers with risky relatively low alcohol concentrations.

Police equilibrium: a glocal assessment of the demand and supply of police

ABSTRACT Police resources are scarce public goods and have to be used with maximum efficiency. One dimension of efficiency is the spatial and temporal alignment of police presence to calls-for-service. The research question of interest in this paper is whether the police are where and when they are needed most. We employ a supply and demand model based on police presence and the occurrence of calls for police service. We use GPS data from 100 tracked police vehicles and data on calls-for-service from a mid-sized European police agency. We find that most segments receive relatively more police presence than calls-for-service alone would warrant and that calls-for-service as well as emergency calls show little spatiotemporal variation. Further, police presence is found to be the main driver in changes regarding police provision across streets. We discuss the need to develop more evidence-based frameworks to investigate the effectiveness of police patrol and response deployment. The insights can assist police chiefs to identify streets with high demand for police services and to understand the predictability of police demand within their jurisdiction.

Strengthening Equity and Inclusion in Urban Greenspace: Interrogating the Moral Management & Policing of 2SLGBTQ+ Communities in Toronto Parks.

There is growing recognition that greenspace provides invaluable benefits to health and wellbeing, and is essential infrastructure for promoting both social and environmental sustainability in urban settings. This paper contributes towards efforts to build 'just' and equitable urban sustainability, and more specifically greenspace management, by drawing attention to hostility and exclusion experienced by two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, genderqueer, pansexual, transsexual, intersex and gender-variant (2SLGBTQ+) park occupants. There is evidence that access to greenspace is inequitable-despite ongoing media accounts of targeted violence and discriminatory police patrolling of 2SLGBTQ+ communities in urban parks, this population has not received adequate research attention. This paper examines systemic barriers that impede urban greenspace access among 2SLGBTQ+ communities, including how the threat of violence in greenspace limits opportunities for accessing benefits associated with naturalized settings. These themes are explored within the context of the City of Toronto, Canada. Our mixed-method approach draws upon key informant interviews, key document content analysis, and ground-truthing. Our findings reveal how queer corporeality, kinship and love subvert deeply entrenched heteronormative social values and understandings of sexuality, partnership, gender, and use of public space, challenging institutional understandings of morality and daily life. The paper concludes by reflecting on the state of 2SLGBTQ+ communities' relationships to greenspace, and potential ways forward in building greater inclusivity into the social fabric of park design and management.

Smart Patrolling Based on Spatial-Temporal Information Using Machine Learning

With the aim of improving security in cities and reducing the number of crimes, this research proposes an algorithm that combines artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques to generate police patrol routes. Real data on crimes reported in Quito City, Ecuador, during 2017 are used. The algorithm, which consists of four stages, combines spatial and temporal information. First, crimes are grouped around the points with the highest concentration of felonies, and future hotspots are predicted. Then, the probability of crimes committed in any of those areas at a time slot is studied. This information is combined with the spatial way-points to obtain real surveillance routes through a fuzzy decision system, that considers distance and time (computed with the OpenStreetMap API), and probability. Computing time has been analized and routes have been compared with those proposed by an expert. The results prove that using spatial–temporal information allows the design of patrolling routes in an effective way and thus, improves citizen security and decreases spending on police resources.

Prevalence and factors associated with post traumatic stress disorder among field police patrol officers serving in Kampala Metropolitan region

BackgroundOccupation groups like police officers and fire fighters are exposed to a number of traumatic events which put them at a risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous studies have found the prevalence of PTSD in police officers to vary between 7 and 19%. However, most of these studies have been undertaken in western setting with little research having been undertaken in sub-Saharan Africa including Uganda.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence and factors associated with post-traumatic stress disorder among field police patrol officers serving in Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP) North Region.MethodsThis was a cross sectional study that was conducted on 392 field police patrol officers serving in KMP North Region. Diagnosis of PTSD was undertaken using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5. In order to assess for psychiatric comorbidities, the study used the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.)ResultsIn this study, the prevalence of PTSD was 7.4%. An additional 62.5% had sub-threshold PTSD, which was defined as, the presence of at least one PTSD symptom but not meeting full criteria for PTSD diagnosis. The factors found to be significantly associated with PTSD were all related to the presence of psychiatric comorbidities, namely the presence of: a current major depressive episode (aOR = 4.7; 95% CI: 1.5- 14.8; p = .009); an alcohol use disorder (aOR = 5.1; 95% CI: 2.0–13.0; p = .001); and presence of dissociation symptoms (aOR = 6.7; 95% CI: 2.0–22.2; p = .002).ConclusionPTSD is one of the common psychiatric disorders experienced by serving police officers in Uganda. The tendency of PTSD in this group to co-occur with other psychiatric disorders means that any treatment program to address it should be part of a comprehensive multi-disorder mental health treatment programme in the police office.