lecture 5.1 policing and crime control

Question 1

why was the establishment of the metropolitan police justified? what year was this?

Answer 1

• 1829
• justified in relation to growing concerns about crime and disorder

Question 2

what did the ‘new police’ initially focus on? OMPP

Answer 2

focused on:
- order maintenance
- patrol and
- prevention

Question 3

why were the police a key gateway to the formal criminal justice institution?

Answer 3

• via the location detection and prosecution of offenders who would then be punished by the courts

Question 4

what remained general bedrock of police crime control activities?

Answer 4

the general scarecrow function of uniformed patrol remained bedrock of police crime control activities

Question 5

when was the specialist detective squad established?

Answer 5

• not until late 19th century
  1877 metropolitan police CID

Question 6

what was a key feature from the foundation of modern police services?

Answer 6

popular and political association of the police with crime control was a key feature from foundation of modern police services

Question 7

myth of police crime control: findings from empirical research 1960-1990s

Answer 7

• majority of police time spent on non-crime matters
  -most crime not reported to police
• majority of crime control is actually achieved via network of informal/ community controls
• a very small proportion of those crimes that do come to police attention result in detection/ prosecution
• majority of ‘solved’ cases are down to info provided by public, or are self solving rather than through traditioanl detective methods

Question 8

majority of police crime is spent on …. matters

Answer 8

non crime

Question 9

majority of crime control is actually achieved via…

Answer 9

network of informal/ community controls

Question 10

what proportion of crime that does come to police attention results in detection/ prosecution

Answer 10

very small proportion

Question 11

majority of solved cases are down to info provided by…

Answer 11

provided by the public or are self solving rather than through traditional detective methods

Question 12

classic research studes emphasised limited effectivnesss of ….

Answer 12

traditional policing in reducing crime

Question 13

what percentage of attrition in criminal process is committed

Answer 13

100%

Question 14

what percentage of attrition in criminal process is reported

Answer 14

42%

Question 15

4 non crime police functions

Answer 15

1. breadth of the police mandate
2. order maintenance
3. emergency response
4. general social service functions

Question 16

what is order maintenance police functions

Answer 16

• keeping the peace in small (neighbour disputes)
• keeping peace in large scale situations (mass public disorder)

Question 17

what emergency responses are non-crime police functions

Answer 17

• traffic accidents
• natural disasters
• citizens in trouble

Question 18

what general social service functions do police do?

Answer 18

• reassurance
  -problem solving
• helping public
• giving directions
• dealing with missing persons
• supporting vulnerable people

Question 19

police as …. public service

Answer 19

omnibus

Question 20

how do police fit into culture of control

Answer 20

1. political definition of police as crime fighters
2. policing innovations
3. the police as CJS gatekeepers

Question 21

what 3 political definitions of police as crime fighters

Answer 21

• conservative reforms from 1990s on to increase police effectiveness in reducing crime
• tough on crime, tough on causes of crime - new labour position presented police as key to crime reduction
• the main job of the police is to catch criminals - home office 2010

Question 22

3 types of policing innovations

Answer 22

• zero tolerance/ broken windows policing - vigorous policing of minor crimes/ disorders leading to falls in more serious crime
• smart policing -hotspots, crime pattern analysis, directing limited police resources to key places and times where crimes occur
• saturation policing following terrorist incidents - impact on general crime rates

Question 23

what is zero tolerance/ broken windows policing?

Answer 23

vigorous policing of minor crimes/ disorders leading to falls in more serious crime

Question 24

what is smart policing?

Answer 24

• hotspots
• crime pattern analysis
• directing limited police resources to key places and times where crime occur

Question 25

what impact does saturation policing have following terrorist incidents

Answer 25

-impact on general crime rates

Question 26

the police as CJS gatekeepers

Answer 26

• almost all prosecuted crime comes to courts via police
• policing polices and police discretion play vital part in shaping official picture of crime
• most serious crimes do come to the attention of the police and have much higher rates of detection
• growing police powers and rebalancing of criminal justice process
• despite dark figure of unreported/ unrecorded crime and low overal detection rates, the police remain an enduring symbol of states commitment to crime control

Question 27

what conditions are far more important than the police in shaping crime rates/ trends?

Answer 27

• broader social-structural conditions

Question 28

who views police as key crime control agency

Answer 28

public
political
frontline police

Question 29

what importance remains high in the uk

Answer 29

symbolic importance of police remains high in uk making them potent political symbol in politics of crime control