AC3.4 Evaluate the effectiveness of agencies in achieving social control(police) Flashcards
What are the police mainly responsible for?
Detecting, investigating, and preventing crime.
Why are police not always effective with offences of public concern?
• Arrest rates are falling
• Bail not used properly to protect victims
• Delays due to staff shortages
• Bodycams not always used for evidence
Which other agencies also investigate crimes?
• HMRC – tax evasion
• DWP – benefit fraud
• Border Force – immigration
• British Transport Police
• Civil Nuclear Constabulary
Example of police failure: Macpherson Report?
Showed police failings in Stephen Lawrence’s case; justice delayed for 20 years.
What happened to crime rates between 2016–2021?
Rose from 4.5m (2016) to 6.08m (2019)
Dropped to 5.44m in 2020–21 (likely due to COVID-19)
What has happened to clear-up rates?
Fell from 15.5% in 2015 to 7.8% in 2019
What is a concern with dropped cases?
Some serious cases get dropped—e.g. Met Police dropped 1/3 of 2.2m reported crimes (2014–16)
How have police improved in domestic abuse cases?
More victims report and cases are recorded
2017: 2/3 of domestic abuse workers said police had improved
Why are more crimes recorded now?
Police are better at recording crimes since 2014 criticism
Why might police stats not be fully reliable?
PRC data only covers certain crimes—should be used with caution
What does the CSEW( crime survey for England and Wales) show about crime trends?
Crime was falling until 2017 and stayed level in 2018—but it tracks different crimes from police stats
How do financial issues affect police work?
• Budget cuts
• Fewer officers
• Investigations dropped or delayed
How has racism affected police effectiveness?
Macpherson Report: Met Police are institutionally racist
Concerns remain: tasers, stop & search, lack of diverse recruits
How does media influence police image?
Police work closely with media to seem effective—criticised in Sir Cliff Richard case
