Innovative policing strategies

Innovative policing strategies

1. HARD COP

   • Assumes that political correctness gets in the way of police effectiveness by restraining use of force and vigorious tactics (Hitchens, 2003). Epitimoised in 1990's and early 2000s- media, politicans and olice chiefs all hailed the effectiveness of this approach. Particually in New York in which it was held responsible for the crime drop (See other mindmap).
     • 1970's - aggressive patrol (James Q Wilson, 1978), identified that police aggressiveness could produce high chance of arresting and lower rates of robbery though deterreance. Wilson and Boland ( 1978)
       • Critiqued by Jacob and Rich (1981) who stated that robbery rates actually increased and it cost more money
         • Wilson and Bowland, 1981 responded in saying it was a structural characterstic of a departmental style
           • Jacob and Rich (1981) stated that this then was NOT a readily adoptable tactic, but a structural elements of an organisational style which can only, if it can be, altered with other socio-political change.
           • Some studies have stated that this 'aggressive' focus on hot spots could be successful, however only when combined with another problem solving approach.
             • Substanial petty offences can be found through stop and search (Waddington, 1999) HOWEVER hit rate is usually 1 in 10 and it can alienate the public- particually young black men.
               • Operation Swamp (aggressively aimed at reducing robbery) is a prime example of the way in which populations and cross sections of society can be alienated (This was partially to blame for the Brixon riots- identified in Scarman (1981)- reinforced by Macpherson, 1999)
               • From this it has been suggested that any marginal gains of such aggressive tactics are not worth causing public alientation
                 • However, focus on law and order of the 1990s and terrorism, 2000s has resulted in an expansion of stop and search powers and tactics
   • See Other mindmap on Implemenation in New York

2. GOOD COP

   • Community policing " Police departments in th western world can only remain legitimate if they genuflect before the alter of community policing.
     • no clear definition but focused on correcting the ills of contemporary policing which declines public consent and cooperation.- restores legitimacy and public support to enchance crime control though public copoperation.
       • Community became central POST- SCARMAN (1981)
         • Team policing in the US 1970s were produces of such approach however they never really tried. Since US police chiefs mostly in the 1980s identifid notable success stories after adopting such approach however effects are uncertain.
           • Unclear in the UK as to whether community policing is effective. Many have positive in house observtions however this is usually from strong supporters of community policing and they predict happy endings.
             • However out of house research has identified that there is 'nothing works' (chatterson and rogers, 1989). focused patrol, neighbourhood watch, sector policing.
               • Problems lie in the programme failure, difficulties in implementing the schemes as intended and it is far from established that community style responses or tactics like neighbourhood watch cannot work otherwise.
                 • Difficult to measure the effectiveness of such innovations, by recorded crime, victimisations which are impacted by many broad factors bar from just policing initiatives, experimental research designs are hard to arrange.
                   • The Kirhold Bulgrarly prevention project, which used cocoon neighourhood watch, also combined 'Smart elements. (See Next innovation).
                     • Difficult to evaluate effectiveness as there is an absence of reliable and valid measures of police performance (Reiner, 1998). Effectiveness, some academics state can be only measured in reference to specific areas of policing and even then were still inescapably politica (Horton, 1989).
                       • since the 1980's, due to the value for money motif, more searching has been done to produce more accurate ways of measuring effectiveness (Audit Commission 1990). And the HM Inspectorate of constabulary have produced indiactors too.
                         • However unlikely that these will have overcome the problems surrounding effectiveness.

3. SMART COP

   • KIRKHOLT EXPERIMENT: 'Smart policing supporters use this experiment to state its success'.
     • Crime reduction and detection through Proactive, problem orientated and intelligence led policing (Maguire, 2008; Williamson, 2008; Tilley, 2008).
       • Smart policing hopes that analysing crime- target prevention and detection efforts to protect most likely victims and apprehend offenders.
         • Potential for unethical practices and infridgment against peoples civil liberties.- intrusive forms of surveillance, abuse of informers and other undercover tactics- Greer, 1995; Goold, 2004.
           • However increasingly used because of government pressures for results.

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