3.1 Flashcards
What are the aims and objectives of the police
-keep the peace and maintain order
-protect life and property
- prevent, detect and investigate crime
- bring offenders to justice
-reduce crime
(Police seek to achieve these aims using the powers stated under PACE)
What is the philosophy of the police (summed by Sir Robert Peel 1829)
-Basic mission is to prevent crime and disorder
-their ability to perform their duties depends on the public’s cooperation and approval
-physical force is the last resort
-to impartially serve the law
-the police are the public and the public are the police. The police are just citizens in uniform, paid to do full-time what all citizens must do, uphold the law
Peel’s principles are embedded in the Police Code of Ethics. What does the Police Code of Ethics stress?
Stresses that the police are public servants who need to maintain the respect and support of the public in order to perform their duty
What does the police code of ethics include?
Honesty and integrity
Authority, respect and courtesy
Equality and diversity
What is the police’s funding? (statistics)
In 2018/19 the total police budget was £12.3 billion.
In 2022/23 £16.9 billion
Where does police funding come from?
3 sources:
- 2/3 from central government
- most of the rest comes from local council tax
- A small amount comes from charging for services such as policing football matches
What has happened to police funding in recent years ? What did this lead to?
Police funding has fallen in recent years E.g. between 2010 and 2018, it fell by 19%.
This led to a fall in police numbers of 20,000
Police working practices:
What are the types of criminality and offender do the police deal with?
The police deal with virtually all types of offences, although some specialist law enforcement agencies do deal with certain crimes and criminals.
Police working practices:
Explain the police’s national and local reach
In the uk today there are:
-43 regional police forces in England and Wales, 4 in Wales e.g. the Metropolitan Police, South Wales police
-One police force in Scotland and One in Northern Ireland
- There are also specialist police organisations with Uk-wide reach such as the National Crime agency, the British Transport police and the border force
What are the aims and objectives of the CPS
- to advise the police in their investigation about lines of inquiry and the evidence needed to build a case
- independently assess evidence submitted by the police
- keep cases under continuous review
- decide whether to prosecute and what charges should be brought
- prepare the prosecution case
- present the case in court with their own lawyers
- Assists, informs and supports victims and prosecution witnesses
What is the philosophy and values of the CPS
- independence and fairness
- honesty and openness
- treating everyone with respect
- behaving professionally and striving for excellence
- equality and inclusion
CPS funding:
What is the CPS’s budget
Around £557 million per year
CPS funding:
Where does the CPS’s funding come from?
Most income comes from the central government. Additionally, the CPS can recover some of their costs when they win cases
CPS funding:
How has CPS’s funding changed over the years and what is the impact of this ?
40% budget cut in 2010, then between 2010 and 2019 there was an average cut of 25%. Then increased by £85 million in 2019.
Impact:
-5,000 people awaiting trial at Crown Court
-CPS staff went from 80,000 in 2010 reduced to 5,500 in 2018 (hired 562 in 2022)
So less social control as less criminals convicted and only certain crimes/cases will be prioritised (so crimes not prioritised may be committed more)
CPS Working practices:
What is used for decisions to prosecute
Full code test + threshold test
Full code test:
1- Evidential test- is there enough to secure a realistic prospect of conviction
2- The public interest test- is the prosecution required in the public interest
Threshold test:
Used when it wouldn’t be appropriate to release the suspect, but the full code test has not been met
CPS Working practices:
What type of criminality and offender do CPS deal with?
Deal with all crimes except very minor offences. They take responsibility for serious offences.
CPS Working practices :
What is the national and local reach of the CPS?
- national body for England and Wales
- 14 regional areas
- Each one has a Chief Crown Prosecutor
- Works closely with local police forces and Criminal Justice partners
- Also direct a 15th ‘virtual’ area- giving charging decisions nationwide, 24/7 365 days a year
CPS working practices:
Who is the head of CPS?
Max Hill (DPP=director of public prosecutions= in charge of all chief Crown prosecutors)
What are the prisons aims and objectives?
- to protect the public from harm
- to help people who have been convicted of offences to rehabilitate so they can contribute positively to society
- to hold prisoners securely and implement the sentences and orders of the court
Prisons philosophy:
What is the HM Prison and Probation service (government agency responsible for UK prisons) philosophy/purpose ?
Their purpose is ‘preventing victims by changing the lives of offenders’
Prison funding:
What is the prison funding and where does it come from?
- In 2022 the total budget was just over £6 billion
- paid for by the government out of general taxation
Prison funding:
How has prison funding changed over the years?
What is the UK prison population?
What impact does this all have?
- 2010-2018 austerity cuts 40% decrease
- 2018 increases by 20% (20% decline overall)
- 2019 onwards- in real terms 5% increase since 2010
- 15% budget reduction between 2015-2020 despite a 20% rise in prison population. Increased from 2022
- budget cut has resulted in staffing cuts- 15% fall in prison officers from 2010-2018
- Prison population uk= 95,500 (highest it’s ever been and more than doubled since 1993)
- impact- overcrowding, low quality food, lack of hot water (lack of resources), less rehabilitation programmes
Prison funding:
What is the average cost of a prison place in the Uk?
£46,696 (2022)
What is the issue with private prisons?
They are private business so they’re about making money and so will cut staffing costs, electricity, food, rehabilitation programmes, etc as focused on making a profit. This leads to higher reoffending rates and violence within private prisons
(E.g. Birmingham prison riot 2016)
Prisons working practices:
How many prisons are in England and Wales?
How many does the HM prison service run?
What companies run prisons privately?
- 122 prisons in England and Wales
- HM prison service runs 105
- Serco, Sodexo, G4S run prisons privately
Prisons working practices:
Describe a catergory A prison
- High security
- Prisoners are those that would pose the most threat to the public, the police or national security should they escape. Prison staff think they will harm someone outside prison/might try escape
- Example: Manchester prison
- Run by: HM prison service