Policing Changes

Policing Changes in the 20th Century

1. Weapons

   • Ordinary policemen are not armed; police can be issued with firearms when necessary
   • Police now have access to extensive riot gear
   • New style of truncheon introduced in 1990s and police have access to portable CS gas canisters

2. Transport

   • 1930s - access to cars and motorbikes improve pace and effectiveness of the police
   • 1970s - cars become more important; development of rapid response police teams
   • Reintroduction of foot and some horse patrols in order to reassure the public of security in the streets
   • 1909 - police obtained bicycles to pursue criminal offenders more swiftly

3. Crime Detection

   • 1901 - first national register of fingerprints helped in identifying suspects
   • 1901 - discovery of blood types allowed chemical analysis of blood samples to be carried out
   • Most recent, DNA has been utilised as evidence, alongside modern methods of video recording
   • 1988 - the first murder conviction on the basis of DNA samples occurred
   • 1995 - National Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) and National DNA Database set up

4. Training and Recruitment

   • Women first joined the force in 1920, they have taken on a similar role to their male counterparts
   • National Police Training College opens in 1947
   • High-quality candidates needed, the force offers good pay
   • Officers train for 14 weeks before starting work; local forces have specialists and provide more training

5. Communication

   • Morse code transmitters installed in police telephone boxes
   • Radio: allowed for quicker reporting of crimes and calling for reinforcement. Radios were first used in 1910 and still are today.
   • 1920s - Morse Code transmitters were installed in police vehicles
   • First murderer caught due to radio communication was in 1910, Dr Crippen
   • Development in technologies altered police methodology
   • 1930s - the 999 telephone number is introduced

6. Organisation

   • March 1988 - number of police officers was 126,856
   • 1998 - number of separate forces was cut from 200 to 41
   • Single, national police force regularly opposed
   • Single police force seen as too great a power in the hands of the government that might enforce unpopular measures

7. Labour

   • Public still view the police as a force to catch thieves
   • 1933 - one survey illustrated 18% of calls to the police were crime related
   • Mainly responsible for maintaining public order during disputes

8. Computers and Surveillance

   • 1980 - Police National Computer is introduced; contains records on 25 million people
   • Alerts police to people who have been previously convicted of criminal offences
   • Police can foil terrorist plots through monitoring emails and websites
   • Police can view behaviour of people in the streets with CCTV
   • CCTV cameras were utilised for the first time in the Irish Republican Army bombings in the 1970s
   • CCTV records information at the time and can enable the capturing of criminals in the future

9. Specialisation

   • Police work is so varied it is difficult for them to cope with changing circumstances
   • 1945 - special squads were established to deal with specific crime prevention
     • 1947 - Fraud Squad
     • 1971 - Anti-Terrorist Squad
     • 1965 - Special Patrol Group, later named Metropolitan Patrol Group (1987) - deals with inner city riots and public disorder

10. Police Agency

    • Powers of the police changed little during the 20th century
      • Questioning - a police official can ask a suspect to come to the police station for questioning. Cannot force this without making an arrest.
        • Arrest - can arrest if they believe the suspect is committing a criminal offence
          • Report - cannot arrest for minor offences e.g. speeding - but can choose to fine someone for them
            • Search - need the warrant of a magistrate to search private property