Chapter 8 Crime & the Police

Xiao HuiyunNovember, 2005

English Faculty, GDUFS

A 1 Introduction Definition of crime --Crime is behaviour that breaks th

ose rules of a society which are codified in the criminal law. (p131)

Crimes are defined and punished by statutes and by the common law .

In a changing society the opportunities for people to commit crimes also change .

Changes in patterns of work, in unemployment and in the increased amount of leisure time may all be reflected in the patterns of crime found in Britain. E.g. car-stealing for joy-rides, computor fraud, drunk drive , etc.

A 2 Crime in Britain Today Most of the crimes committed in Britain

(90%) are crimes against property i.e. theft, handling stolen goods, fraud, forgery and criminal damage .

A large number of these crimes involve cars.

Offences recorded by the police in England & Wales (in thousands) (P132)

A 2 Crime in Britain Today (cont.) British crime levels are soaring. “ ….But now, like the US, the UK has a crime

problem and, believe it or not, except for murder, theirs is worse than ours." (Dan Rather, 2000)

US newsman says Britain is riddled with crime." Tony Harnden. Telegraph. June 29, 2000

A 3 Victims & Offenders Fear of being a victim varies according to

age and sex. What are the main patterns that you notice from the table on p133?

How do these fears relate to the numbers of offences recorded? (Look back at the table on p132)

Who are the offenders? 80% of offenders are male Many offences are committed by

companies

A 4 The Causes of Crime

Which of these factors, in your view, are the main causes of crime inBritain today?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Lack of discipline by parents

Drugs

Alcohol

Too lenient sentencing

Unemployment

Lack of discipline at school

Poverty

Television

Poor policing

National newspapers

A 4 The Causes of Crime (cont.) Older people tend to

blame … parents,… too lenient sentencing,… lack of school discipline

Middle-class people tend to blame … parents

Women tend to blame too lenient sentencing

Younger people tend to blame … unemployment,… poverty,… drugs

Working-class people tend to blame too lenient sentencing

Men tend to blame… lack of school discipline

A 4 the Causes of Crime (cont.) The young differed substantially from their elders on s

chool discipline. Only 39% of the youngest age group gave lack of school discipline as a main cause of crime, against 62% of the over 55s.

A Sociological Interpretation of Juvenile Crime Marital discord, poor parental supervision and erratic

child-rearing behaviour have been identified as important causes of juvenile delinquency, and it has been suggested that parent training might reduce their children’s offending.

A 5 Victim Support (by

govern.) Key facts  Victim Support offers help to more

than one million victims of crime and to more than 120,000 witnesses each year. 

Young people, particularly young men, are most prone to being the victim of violence. People aged 65 and over have the lowest risk. 

Overall, people were less worried about crime. The proportion of people very worried about crime fell from 22% to 19% for burglary, 19% to 18% for mugging, and 25% to 21% for theft of cars. 

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority received 75,030 applications during 1996/97 (their first year of operation).

A 5 Victim Support Victim Support Groups has grown

substantially. These are an association of local,

independent charitable schemes providing advice and assistance to victims of crime, involving more than 16,000 voluntary workers.

There are now more than 1 million people referred to such groups each year.

A 5 Victim Support (cont.) The Criminal Injuries Compensation

Authority (CICA) It makes monetary compensation awards

to victims. Victims can apply to the CICA who will look

at their case and decide if an award is justified .

In 1999/2000 over 78,000 applications led to 40,000 people receiving payments amounting in total to £116 million.

A 6 The Police The Metropolitan Police Force – 1828 by Sir

Robert Peel. Headquarters at Scotland Yard. Bobby, nickname for a British policeman.

Home Secretary responsible for the Met. The Metropolitan Police Force is the main law-

enforcement agency in the Capital and the biggest police force in the country, employing over 35,000 people.

There are other police forces in London - the City of London Police, the British Transport Police and the Royal Parks Constabulary - but the Met is the main player

The Met Police & the City of London Police headed by Commissioner

A 6 The Police What are their responsibilities? The Met Police are responsible for policing the

majority of Greater London. The basic street-level policing of London is carried out by Borough Operational Command Units (BOCUs), which Londoners will recognise as their local police force. The Met also undertakes many national tasks, like protection of royalty and the Capital's diplomatic community, as well as having certain counter-terrorism duties.

A 6 The Police Two cops Policeman (London)

A 6 The Police Bobby

A 6 the Police Wesminster guards Policeman (metro)

A 6 The Police (cont.) There is some variation in the organisation of the regional forces

within the British Isles. The service is financed by local and central government. In England and Wales local police committees are formed from c

ouncilors and magistrates (see chapter 9) and the committee is responsible for the appointment of the Chief Constable and for maintaining the force. The local forces are inspected by inspectors of constabulary who report to central government.

In Scotland regional and islands councils run their own police forces, also subject to government inspection.

In Northern Ireland the police force is responsible to a body appointed by the government. They also have a reserve force of part-time and full-time paid reserves for special duties.

There are 52 regional police forces, each headed by the Chief Counstable

A 6 The Police The local Chief Constables are in charge of

their forces and are responsible for the appointment, promotion and discipline of all ranks below them, except for the assistant chief constables. They present their local police committee with an annual report and are responsible to them for the efficiency of their force.

The Two Branches of the Local Police The uniformed branch w

ho patrol on foot or by car and whose uniform is easily recognised; navy-blue suits and distinctive shaped helmets

The plainclothes police, who investigate serious crime, and are known as the CID (Criminal Investigation Department)

A 6 The Police The Role of the Police The police may be seen as having two roles in society,

each with a different emphasis and image. Maintenance of order - where the police provides a ser

vice to the community. A Service This is known as community policing and requires the

cooperation of the local community and favours an image of the local ‘bobby on the beat’ who is known and recognised by the public in a particular area.).

Law enforcement - where the police are considered as a force with a primary function of enforcing the criminal law. A Force

A 6 The Police Police Powers & Limitations Police officers are normally unarmed, but they do carry a trunche

on (short thick club). In Northern Ireland police officers carry firearms for their protection, but this is seen as unusual circumstances.

can stop and search people on the street if they suspect a person is carrying stolen goods or offensive weapons which may be used for burglary or other offences.

can arrest suspects with a warrant from the local magistrate and for serious offences such as murder or kidnapping a suspect can be arrested without a warrant.

Suspects rights are protected in various ways –(p138)

A 6 The Police Rights of the suspect to have someone outside the police station told of

his/her arrest to consult a solicitor to see a copy of PACE Code Moreover, a suspect in custody should not be forced to answer questions — they have the

right to remain silent (N.B. Recent changes in the law have meant that silence under police questioning may be interpreted negatively by a jury, i.e. as a sign of guilt.)

be forced to make a statement against their will be induced to make a statement by means of

threats or by being promised something, such as bail, for instance.

A 6 The Police Code of Practice. Citizens are allowed to complain about the conduct

of any police officer and any wrongful treatment they may have had from the action of the police

To ensure a thorough and independent investigation of any such complaint the Independent Police Complaints Authority supervises any such inquiry.

Police officers breaking the law in the course of their duty can be prosecuted and even dismissed from the force

The discipline codes are designed to prevent abuse of power and to maintain public confidence in police impartiality.

A 6 The Police Public Faith in the Police How much confidence does the ordinary citizen have in the polic

e force and are the aims of the police as law enforcers and providers of a service fulfilled? A poll showed that although there was support for the police there was a lack of confidence in the court system.

59% of the public expressed confidence in their local police. 81% thought that the police were handicapped in their fight agai

nst crime by the legal ystem. 29% expressed confidence in the legal system whereas 54% disa

greed. Those that disagreed were concerned that the system fails to convict the guilty, not that the innocent are convicted. The legal system is the topic of the next chapter.

A 6 The Police As a police officer, they need to possess

many qualities/qualifications (both mental and physical). Among many others, they

— should be able to (with respect to qualities)

accept discipline accept responsibility show a willingness to learn show a personal integrity have both intelligence and common sense be tolerant of people from many different

backgrounds work as part of a team

A 6 The Police — and should be (with respect to

qualifications) prepared to work shifts prepared to spend at least two years as a

constable in uniform a British citizen, a Commonwealth citizen

whose stay in the United Kingdom is not subject to restrictions, or a citizen of the Irish Republic

at least 5’8’’ tall for a man; at least 5’4’’ tall for a woman

physically fit with good eyesight