police Flashcards
(30 cards)
what is the police’s philosophy?
-to keep society safe and cut levels of crime
-they make targets to be tough on crime
-they aim to not discriminate, be ethical and treat everyone fairly
-they try to remain professional at all times, show integrity, courage and compassion to vulnerable people
what are the aims and objectives of the police?
-protect the public and society
-bring safety and put people at ease on the streets
-deter crime and reduce the crime rate level within society
-uphold the law fairly and firmly
-provide external social control to encourage conformity to social rules
-protect life and property, preservation of the peace and detection of criminal offences
-support of victims
how are the police funded?
-majority of funding comes from central government grants
-a third of police funding comes from their share in council tax
-the previous government set a total settlement for 2024-25 up to £18.4 billion
->£10.7 billion of this was given to mayors or police and crime commissioners to allocate to their constabularies
what are the polices working practices?
-police are divided into 43 constabularies across england and wales
-there are currently 148,886 police officers
-certain roles in the police are shared across constabularies, such as geographical profilers
-police work directly with offenders as they are responsible for enforcing the law, from minor to major crimes
-they have various jobs including responding to emergencies and non-emergencies from the public
-there are various divisions for dealing with different crimes including SOCO’s, forensic specialists, armed response teams, detective etc.
how much money did the previous government allocate to police for 2024-25 and where was this distributed?
£18.4 billion
£10.7 billion of this is given to regional mayors or police and crime commissioners to allocate to their constabularies
how many constabularies are there across england and wales?
43
how many police officers are there in england and wales?
148,886
what is the police’s relationship with the government?
police enforce the laws set by the government
police are overseen by the home office
what is the police’s relationship with the CPS?
CPS advise police on what evidence is needed
CPS decide charges based on evidence the police have collected
the CPS inform the police of decisions to administer charges
what is the police’s relationships with the court and tribunal service?
police arrange the safe transport of prisoners between the court and prison
police can give evidence in court
what is the police’s relationship with the probation service?
police help manage people on probation in the community
if an offender commits and offence on probation or breached terms of release, police will arrest them and return them to prison
what is the police’s relationship with the judiciary?
judiciary will issue warrants for police to carry out
judiciary allows police to grant bail, extend detention times etc.
what is the police’s relationship with the prison service?
police arrange safe transport of prisoners between courts and prisons
police arrest any offenders who violate probation and return them to prison
how do police enforce the external social control of coercion?
police can literally detain people against their will - handcuff, arrest, place in custody
police can use reasonable force - such as pepper spray, taser, baton
how do police enforce external social control of fear of punishment?
people are aware the police are on the street and can arrest you and detain you if you commit an offence
police have the authority to apply reasonable force
how does finance and budget cuts limit police’s ability to achieve social control (positives and negatives)?
+ the home office announced £100 million extra for neighbourhood policing
+ the home office pledged to recruit 13,000 extra officers into neighbourhood roles
- several forces say despite additional funding, they will have to make cuts to existing officers this year
- national police chiefs council says forces face an estimated gap of £1.3 billion in overall finances over the next two years
- essex police say it planned to make all 99 of its PCSO’s redundant in response to a £5.3 million shortfall in budget
how much money did the home office announce for extra neighbourhood policing?
£100 million
how many extra neighbourhood officers did the home office pledge to recruit?
13,000
what is the estimated gap in finances over the next two years for the national police chiefs council?
£1.3 billion
what was essex police’s shortfall in budget and how many PCSO’s have they had to make redundant?
£5.3 million
99 PCSO’S
how do policies limit police’s ability to achieve social control?
reduction in knife crime policies
- means police have an increased focus on knife crime, which could lead to a loss of focus on other crimes, which could lead to an increase in these crime
early release from prison due to overcrowding
-means recidivism rates will increase which puts more strain on police to make arrests
police, crime, sentencing and courts act 2022 (focus on protests)
- focussing on protests leads to a loss of focus on other crimes
how do environmental factors limit police’s ability to achieve social control?
when offenders return to their old environments and commit crime, this increases pressure on police resources
what was westminister’s overall crime rate, and theft rate, and related this to environment as a limitation.
overall crime rate = 440 crimes per 1000 people
more than 69% being theft related
puts more strain on police forces in the area
how can civil liberties be a limitation for police in achieving social control?
the rwandan scheme was blocked as a violation of human rights
so the prevention of deportation of illegal immigrants put more strain on police to arrest these people when they commit crime
