Specific Police Research Articles

Mediated public perceptions of police encampment clearances in Canada and France: a cross-national study

ABSTRACT This qualitative study investigates public perceptions of police encampment clearances in Canada and France. Our focus is on how YouTube users in these two countries judge police conduct in response to videos of police clearing encampments. Research on police public perceptions and police legitimacy typically focuses on public views of the police institution and perceptions stemming from direct interactions with officers. An analysis of YouTube comments on police intervention videos offers important insights into a relatively unexplored intermediate case: the mediated judgements on concrete, specific police action from individuals outside of the perceived police intervention. Further, the scholarship specifically examining social media and public perceptions of policing in cross-national contexts is almost nonexistent. To address these gaps, we ask the following: What do comments on YouTube in response to videos of police encampment clearances reveal about police legitimacy in Canada and France as perceived by social media users? A total of 8,091 user-generated comments across 25 Canadian YouTube videos and 7,086 comments across 29 French YouTube videos were collected, sorted, and examined using qualitative media analysis. Our analysis confirms that the issue of police legitimacy generates dissensus and polarisation. It demonstrates that public perceptions of the legitimacy of the police clearance are strongly tied to the legitimacy of the encampment itself, and more broadly to moral judgements about the groups targeted by the police. Our findings also reveal that French police are more often perceived as violent than their Canadian counterparts.

‘When will you go back to “real” police work?’ The liminal nature of victim support police officers

ABSTRACT Victim support police work involves a wide range of relations within a police force, including expectations that set this occupation as a hybrid or liminal position, between what’s commonly considered classic policing and social work. Between victims’ and other police officers’ expectations, their experience is dramatically affected by liminality, with deep effects regarding group identity, satisfaction, and wellbeing. Drawing from qualitative research among victim support officers from Catalonia’s Mossos d’Esquadra corps, this article analyses how victim support officers find themselves between specific police fields and expectations, and how this defines them as liminars or subjects of liminal positions, roles, and actions. This, in turn, we argue, makes them an uneasy object and subject for victims, other officers, and for their institutions.

Intersectional Making of the ‘Sri Lankan Case’: The Racialization of Domestic Violence in the Swiss Police Force

Abstract This article uses an intersectional lens to ethnographically analyze police treatment of domestic violence in Switzerland. The analysis suggests three interlinked explanatory factors to understand the differential treatment of domestic violence for white Swiss/European nationals on the one hand, and racialized non-European migrants on the other. These factors are (1) prevailing generalized representations of the racialization of violence against women in Switzerland, (2) the police professional logic used to categorize sections of the public, and (3) the specific police institutional memory of two emblematic cases of domestic violence involving families of Sri Lankan nationality. The article discusses the implications of this differential treatment not only for racialized non-Europeans but also for Swiss and white European women subjected to domestic violence.

Child sexual exploitation and the adoption of public health approaches to prevention: critical reflections on evolving processes and practices

In recent years, the use of public health approaches to address complex social problems has gained popularity. In England and Wales, the rise in low-volume, high-harm crime has accelerated this shift, with calls for public health interventions to tackle knife-crime, extremism and sexual violence made by politicians, policy-makers, welfare workers and the police service. Notwithstanding such appeals, how public health approaches are both operationalised and impact remain largely unknown. Drawing on findings from a qualitative study focused on the implementation of a specific initiative in the UK designed to reduce the risk of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) amongst young people, this article attempts to address tangible gaps in these two key areas of knowledge. Although generally supportive of a public health approach to CSE, an analysis of in-depth interviews with members of a multi-agency team reveals a number of quandaries and thorny issues when implemented within a specific policing and criminal justice context.

UK Metropolitan police: reverse mentoring in a small pilot programme aiming to build community trust

Research methodology The case was written from secondary materials. Case overview/synopsis This case is designed to support learning objectives in a Human Relations class of a university management course. The case explores how the UK Metropolitan police, working with the Girls’ Network, piloted a reverse mentoring programme for six months in 2021. Three senior officers were mentored by a trio of teenage girls from disadvantaged London boroughs. The aim of the programme was to address falling trust in the police by creating more understanding and empathy in the mentees for the issues facing the communities where the mentors lived, and to give the mentors more confidence from the experience of representing their communities. Each mentor–mentee pair focused on a specific policing issue that was relevant to the mentor’s neighbourhood: knife crime, domestic abuse or social inequality. Through the process, the senior Met police officers gained a deeper understanding of the challenges in the communities they served. Now that the pilot had been completed, the Met faced a decision point. Should the programme be spread further through the Met?Through reading and discussing the case, students are expected to explore the importance of empathy in the workplace and how reverse mentoring, when having the right support and overall intent, could be used in organisations. Complexity academic level This case is appropriate for university management courses. This case has a difficulty level appropriate for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This case could be incorporated into a unit on human behaviour, leadership or coaching.

Citizen Willingness to Hold a Police Officer Criminally Responsible for the Use of Deadly Force: Examining the Correlates of Finding Guilt

Despite increased public attention on police killings of citizens and police accountability in recent years, few studies have specifically examined the support for convicting and incarcerating a specific police officer who was accused of wrongfully killing a citizen. The current study examines the attitudes of undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university about a case involving a white police officer who worked for the university police department and recently shot and killed an unarmed Black citizen during a traffic stop. Specifically, it examines support for convicting and incarcerating this officer, who was charged but ultimately went unpunished, and the factors that are related to support for, opposition to, or neutrality towards holding the officer criminally responsible. The findings indicate that respondents who perceive police officers as soldiers in a war on crime and hold symbolically racist attitudes were more likely to oppose or be neutral about the officer being held responsible. White respondents, while not more likely to oppose the conviction and incarceration of the officer, were more likely to be neutral toward the outcome of the case, indicating that white indifference might be a major barrier to holding police officers accountable for their improper use of deadly force.

Qualifying deportation: How police translation of 'dangerous foreign criminals' led to expansive deportation practices in Spain.

In 2009, in a move to improve the situation regarding the deportability of illegalized migrants in Spain, a left-wing government led by the Socialist Workers' Party drafted a new policy aimed at focusing police efforts exclusively on the deportation of 'foreign criminals'. Ethnographically tracing the enforcement of deportation by a central police unit in Madrid, this article shows how the practical implementation of a policy that seemingly sought to limit the use of deportation in fact allowed for continuous and even reinvigorated deportation practices aimed at all categories of illegalized migrants. Operating under the idea that they were now fighting 'dangerous criminals', many police agents felt increasingly motivated about carrying out deportations and reassured about the morality of doing so. Rather than focusing on illegalized migrants who had been indicted for serious crimes, most police agents considered anyone with a police record to fit their target group. As a result of the specific police interpretation of the new policy, the deportability of illegalized migrants in Spain was not only increased but also left to be enforced according to the racialized and racist ideas of police agents. The article argues for the need to scrutinize all new deportation policies within Western liberal states in terms of their effect on deportability by highlighting entrenched and institutionalized forms of racism against illegalized migrants within the police force.

How Often and Why Do Guilty and Innocent Suspects Confess, Deny, or Remain Silent in Police Interviews?

This study examines how often and why suspects who have reported being either guilty or innocent remain silent, confess, or deny accusations in police interview situations. Convicted offenders under current probation or parole in Germany (N = 280) completed a questionnaire about their perceptions of up to six specific police interview situations they had experienced in their lifetime. As predicted, more suspects reported having confessed truthfully (64.3%) compared to falsely (4.1%) at least once in their lifetime; and more suspects reported having remained silent in guilty interview situations (58.4%) compared to innocent interview situations (18.4%). Unexpectedly, approximately an equal number of suspects reported having denied truthfully (39.8%) and falsely (40.2%) at least once in their lifetime. The main reasons reported for these statement types were that evidence seemed to indicate guilt (true confessions), suspects desired to end the uncomfortable interview situation or protect the real perpetrator/another person (false confessions), evidence seemed weak (false denials), suspects felt innocent (true denials), they desired to protect themselves (silence while being interviewed when guilty), and they followed their attorneys’ advice (silence while being interviewed when innocent). Findings are discussed in the context of the police and psychological research and practice.

“There's really almost nobody there who's trying to make sense of it”

“There's really almost nobody there who's trying to make sense of it”

The Greentown Project: Building Evidence to inform Intervention Design for Juveniles Caught-up in Local Criminal Networks.

A small minority of juveniles are responsible for the majority of detected juvenile crime in Ireland. This situation presents significant policy concerns. The current paper, based on findings from a comparative analysis builds on a multi-step research design process to provide evidence-based knowledge to inform the design of a new targeted intervention. An initial social network analysis of national crime and intelligence data produced localized basic criminal network maps illustrating co-offending and intelligence relationships between adults and juveniles in specific Police sub-districts (Part 1). These network maps then provided an enquiry frame for interviews with members of the police forces in three case study locations (Part 2). A comparative analysis of the three studies (Part 3) identified diversity in network structure and inherent resilience. The analysis also identifies core similarities in juveniles' vulnerabilities and risks to recruitment. These factors are important considerations for an intervention seeking to disrupt networks and create safe "exit" environments for juveniles.

Constitution of police sciences in the Slovak Republic

Constitution of police sciences in the Slovak Republic

Policing and Punishing Illegal Gun Behavior: An Examination of Jail Detainee Experiences with Gun Law Enforcement In Los Angeles

Abstract Drawing upon 140 interviews with individuals detained on gun-related charges, this article examines how participants’ experiences with gun-related policing and punishment shaped their beliefs and behaviors surrounding guns and gun violence. Findings suggest that respondents characterized many of their gun-related experiences as unjust. They argue that their policing encounters reinforced discriminatory practices and stereotypes, undermining a key feature of procedural and distributive justice – impartiality. Respondents’ experiences with police harassment and neglect attenuated their willingness to seek out and cooperate with the police by communicating that the law was not designed to serve marginalized groups, who often are treated as suspects first and victims second. By contrast, gang enhancements were key in shaping respondents’ perceptions of unjust punishment, as these severe penalties also revealed inequities by race/ethnicity, class, and other social characteristics. The legitimacy erosion and sense of failed protection by the state produced by these encounters ultimately helped to create a context whereby illegal gun carry was positioned as a necessary strategy. Findings from this study extend existing scholarship on justice perceptions by demonstrating how specific policing, punishment, and criminalization processes can damage the law’s legitimacy and inadvertently encourage the violence that the law was designed to deter.

PROTOCOL: Police stops to reduce crime: A systematic review.

PROTOCOL: Police stops to reduce crime: A systematic review.

In the Search for the Golden Mean: Students` Satisfaction with Face-to-Face, Blended and Distance Learning

At the present time, digital educational technologies are gradually being introduced into the sectors of education aimed at the complex competencies that combine psychomotor skills and soft skills. Particularly, special tactical police training is aimed at the formation of specific police skills of tactical progression, disposition, communication, as well as decision-making and problem-solving skills. Considering the prevailing tendency in post-Soviet countries to use traditional apprenticeship in police special tactical training, the most justified is the implementation of the concept of cognitive apprenticeship. This concept, on the one hand, allows to create such complex police skills for an unpredictable, chaotic workplace environment, as decision-making and problem-solving, and on the other hand, is based on the teaching experience accumulated by instructors. The important outcome of the orientation of police training on soft skills by the above approaches is the satisfaction of students. In this regard, the study examines the levels of academic satisfaction from traditional, blended, and distance learning. Distance learning was implemented during quarantine due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The study found a higher degree of the students` satisfaction with blended learning than satisfaction with face-to-face and satisfaction with distance learning.

Police Tactics and Their Effects on Democracy

Scholars have long wondered whether the intersection of crime, justice, and local elections are correlated. Recently, multiple deaths of African-American citizens during encounters with police have become highly-publicized and have consequently catalyzed discussions around police misconduct and police reform. Based on the increased exposure of police misconduct, this study explores how contact with the criminal justice system and perceptions of police legitimacy shape political behavior in the modern era, with specific emphasis on the aggressiveness of police tactics and voting behavior in local elections. This study has attempted to control for neighborhood context by using the municipalities with similar ecological factors to highlight the correlation between specific police tactics and voting behavior in local elections. This study also will look at how specific police tactics either promote or obstruct the requirements of a participatory democracy set forth by Robert Dahl. Those requirements are as follows: meaningful and extensive competition, sufficient inclusiveness in national and local elections, and a high level of civil and political liberties. Due to this study’s focus on voting behavior in local election, the analysis will concentrate on the second requirement of participatory democracy. The results of this study show that perceptions of police legitimacy through the use of specific policing tactics are likely to be highly influential in the prediction of candidate selection as well as the likelihood of a citizen’s participation in local elections. Municipalities that have less aggressive police tactics turn out to have a higher voter turnout, as well are to be more likely to vote for a Democratic candidate, while those municipalities that institute more aggressive police tactics will have a lower voter turnout and will also more likely vote for a Democratic candidate but will have larger amount or residents vote for a Republican or Independent candidate.

МЕТОДИ ОЦІНЮВАННЯ ЕФЕКТИВНОСТІ ПОЛІЦЕЙСЬКОЇ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ

The article analyzes the existing methods of evaluating the effectiveness of policing. It is proved that the modern system of methods for evaluating the effectiveness of policing should consist of traditional methods specific to policing and non-traditional methods introduced from other areas. It is concluded that the current issue is the use in assessing the effectiveness of policing methods (techniques) used in the private sector to assess the effectiveness of various institutions, enterprises, organizations, as well as methods of evaluating staff, successfully tested and implemented in management, non-governmental structures, which are quite diverse. Today, the performance of the police is a necessary tool in the management industry. We see the application of benchmarking in the system of evaluating the effectiveness of police activities as promising, and the biographical method for personnel evaluation; the method of a given score; ranking; method of pairwise comparisons; standard method; graphic profile method; method by results; method «360о certification»; assessment center method; human resources analysis; goal management method; method of evaluation of key performance indicators. The authors emphasize that the use of these methods requires special knowledge of the subjects who use them, which is why one of the main tasks of the modern management system of the National Police should be to train managers capable of using modern methods of personnel evaluation. It is worth emphasizing that the departmental evaluation of efficiency of police activity can be carried out in relation to specific police officers. As for methods for evaluation of efficiency of police activity of individual police officers, they are significantly different from the methods of general assessment. It is concluded that there are no universal methods of evaluation, they, as well as criteria, evaluation should be carried out comprehensively taking into account various circumstances: the type of evaluation, its purpose, the object of evaluation, the subjects involved in evaluation, and their skills in the application of specific methods, available resources, etc.

The Intersection of Policy and Practice: Two Cases of English Language Programs in Southeast Asian Law Enforcement Academies

The emergence of English as a lingua franca in Southeast Asia has meant that government officials are increasingly required to use English. Law enforcement officers are no exception; police interact with international tourists, communicate across borders, attend international conferences, and participate in deployments overseas. The practical need for English is accompanied by national policies prioritizing English instruction across educational and governmental institutions. As a result, law enforcement academies increasingly prioritize English language programs to support the English proficiency of their cadets. This article describes case studies of English language programs at two law enforcement academies in Vietnam and Indonesia. Data was originally collected and analyzed as separate needs assessment evaluations designed for each institution. Findings were later compared and reinterpreted through a language policy and planning lens. Common to both cases was the demand to prepare cadets for the dual challenge of conducting specific police duties in English and of achieving high scores on academic English exams. Recommendations are provided for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in the field of Language for Specific Purposes.

A Three-Pillar Approach to Achieving Trustworthy Use of AI and Emerging Technology in Policing in England and Wales: Lessons From the West Midlands Model

Policing technology innovation and the required investment of public funds must be based solidly on the boundaries of the law and good science. Although not a substitute, ethical consideration and debate can help to establish the moral underpinning for the use of new technologies, bringing to the surface underlying inequalities or difficult choices between particular aims or values. The big themes underpinning the proceedings of the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner and West Midlands Police data ethics committee (the first of its kind in UK policing) demonstrate the operationalisation of many of the key factors that must be considered in the human rights necessity test. The technical and statistical aspects of policing AI cannot, and should not, be isolated from the legal, contextual, operational and ethical considerations, as each will influence the other, and thus how technology is evaluated. It is important however that laws applicable to specific policing activities are not overlooked, such as those relating to stop-and-search and its application to algorithmic tools. A three-pillar approach could contribute to achieving trustworthy and accountable use of emerging technologies in UK policing: first, governing law plus guidance and policy interpreted for the relevant context; secondly, standards, both ethical standards attached to personal responsibility and scientific standards; and thirdly, people at every levels within policing who are committed to accountability; all of which should be subject to rolling independent oversight. In order to ensure a stable three-pillar approach however, there needs to be fewer generalisations and more specifics as regards the application of relevant law to the deployment of emerging technologies, recognising the importance of a human rights based approach, combined with agreed scientific standards to help us decide whether things ‘work’ in the policing context. The West Midlands committee has provided additional and transparent positive pressure on the force to improve – productive challenge - as well as a certain level of validation for the projects that have progressed. A national model based on the West Midlands prototype could contribute to necessary assurance and monitoring and the development of specific policy, provided that the status, resourcing and operational challenges identified are addressed and subject to linkage with appropriate regulation and enforcement.

The Wellbeing of UK Police: A Study of Recorded Absences from Work of UK Police Employees Due to Psychological Illness and Stress Using Freedom of Information Act Data

AbstractPolicing is undoubtedly a dangerous occupation whereby officers are routinely exposed to dangerous and potentially traumatic events, such as attending road traffic collisions, informing people of the death of a loved one, and ensuring public safety at football matches. Frontline policing is of course not the only place whereby constant exposure to dangerous and distressing incidents can increase the risk of police employees developing emotional and psychological complaints that have serious effects on their ‘wellbeing’, with previous research identifying specific policing areas such as homicide investigation as likely to have negative effects on those doing the investigating. Although to date, research has focused on the wellbeing effects of ‘routine policing’, criminal investigation, and specific events, as yet little is known about the effect on UK police employees wellbeing of ‘doing the job’ in terms of the number of days recorded as absent due to psychological illness, trauma, and stress. This study seeks to redress this gap by analysing sickness absence data recorded for 20 UK Police services for the past 10 years, obtained under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. The data set represents some 57% of UK police personnel, and findings suggest that police employee absence due to psychological ill health, trauma, and stress had nearly doubled in the past 10 years to an absence rate of 8.82%. Furthermore, this study found that 39% of those who take a first leave of absence due to mental ill health go on to take further absences from work.

Conceptions of Gender and Competencies among Police Recruits in Scandinavia

Conceptions of gender and competencies may be of importance for the gendered allocation of tasks and may help explain gender segregation in the labor market and within organizations. Drawing on survey panel data from Scandinavian police recruits in the male-dominated police profession, this article explores and discusses the prevalence of conceptions of gender and different police competencies. A substantial portion of the police recruits disagree that men are more competent at specific police tasks (handling violence) and women at others (care and communication). However, quite a large minority have more stereotypical conceptions of gender and competencies. Male police recruits generally report more gender-stereotypical conceptions than female and this tendency increases over time after entering the police. Furthermore, the Danish police recruits report the most gender-stereotypical conceptions, while the Swedish recruits more often dismiss the idea that men and women are suited for different police tasks.