Chapter 8 Crime & the
Police
Xiao Huiyun
November,2005
English Faculty,GDUFS
A 1 Introduction
? Definition of crime --Crime is behaviour that
breaks those 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
W h i c h o f t h e s e fa c t o r s,i n y o u r v i e w,a r e t h e m a i n c a u s e s o f c r i m e i n
B r i t a i n t o d a y?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
L a c k o f d i s c i p l i n e b y p a r e n t s
D r u g s
A l c o h o l
T o o l e n i e n t s e n t e n c i n g
U n e m p l o y m e n t
L a c k o f d i s c i p l i n e a t s c h o o l
P o v e r t y
T e l e v i s i o n
P o o r p o l i c i n g
N a t i o n a l n e w s p a p e r s
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 school 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 councilors 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
who 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 service 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
truncheon (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
police 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
against crime by the legal ystem.
? 29% expressed confidence in the legal system whereas
54% disagreed,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
Police
Xiao Huiyun
November,2005
English Faculty,GDUFS
A 1 Introduction
? Definition of crime --Crime is behaviour that
breaks those 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
W h i c h o f t h e s e fa c t o r s,i n y o u r v i e w,a r e t h e m a i n c a u s e s o f c r i m e i n
B r i t a i n t o d a y?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
L a c k o f d i s c i p l i n e b y p a r e n t s
D r u g s
A l c o h o l
T o o l e n i e n t s e n t e n c i n g
U n e m p l o y m e n t
L a c k o f d i s c i p l i n e a t s c h o o l
P o v e r t y
T e l e v i s i o n
P o o r p o l i c i n g
N a t i o n a l n e w s p a p e r s
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 school 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 councilors 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
who 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 service 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
truncheon (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
police 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
against crime by the legal ystem.
? 29% expressed confidence in the legal system whereas
54% disagreed,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
