Management and retention of police information: how long should the police retain information about individuals?

The NCPE MoPI Guidance (NCPE, 2006) advises on temporal periods for the review, retention and disposal of police information that is about individuals. There is concern that these temporal periods are not supported by a scientific evidence-base that provides the justification for these periods, based on the necessary purposes of this information for policing. Alongside this necessity of purpose for policing is the need to balance legislation that applies in the UK, in particular the Human Rights Act 2000 and the Data Protection Act 1998. This research has examined the existing literature and consulted with a small but representative selection of key stakeholders on the rationale behind the lengths of the periods that should be applied to the review of police information to ensure they meet the principle condition of being ‘necessary’. This research has primarily drawn from the research on recidivism and desistance to identify the key factors that influence the future risk of offending. This research project has identified that age rather than offence type has a stronger and more consistent influence on when an offender may re-offend. It has also identified what is considered to be a useful method for determining when the risk posed by a person who has previously offended returns to a ‘normal’ level i.e., the same as for the general population, or more stringently the non-arrest population. This has shown the importance of age and recency of the last offence in influencing the risk of future offending, and that age appears to be a clear, more consistent and stronger influencing variable to recidivism (and desistance) than offence type. The age at which the offending population was considered to be statistically similar (in significance terms) showed variation in relation to the offence type, but that age was more consistent and clearer in determining the point at which the individual had become ‘redeemed’ and the length of ‘clear periods’ that should be set. This indicated that if reviews of information were to be purely based on recidivism and desistance research that has been published, then 3 – 8 year terms, depending on the age of the offender and offence type, may well be sufficient. However, these need to be balanced with legislation, so the minimum retention period for all police information should be 6 years due to certain conditions in the Limitation Act that influence police information. It is shown that this balance between legislation and scientific evidence can be balanced, but that more scientific evidence needs to be developed in order to provide a good degree of justification and rationale behind the review periods that are applied and that inform the decision on whether to retain or dispose of information that can not be contested

An Institutional Perspective to Understand Latin America’s High Levels of Homicide

Numerous studies have suggested that socio-economic structural factors offer the main reasons for international variations in homicide levels—where socio-economic conditions are better, lower levels of homicide are observed. In countries in Latin America, social and economic conditions have improved, yet high levels of homicide have remained. In this article, we examine a new line of reasoning, hypothesizing that the effectiveness of institutions (such as government justice agencies and the police) and poor controls for corruption are key factors for explaining the high levels of homicide in Latin America. We apply a random effects panel regression using a sample of 54 countries from Latin America and other parts of the world, and data for a 13-year period (2005–2017). We examine the relationships between homicide, government effectiveness, corruption and several structural variables to determine if the relationships between these variables are more apparent for countries in the Latin American region. We find that structural factors play less of a role in explaining the international variation in homicide levels, and that government effectiveness and corruption are significantly related to the high levels of homicide experienced in the Latin America region

A realistic approach to policy formulation: the adapted EMMIE framework

Policy formulation is a crucial stage of the policy cycle, where social problems and demands are addressed, and transformed into government policies. This stage is complex and is one of the least analytically developed stages of the policy making process. In this article, we propose an adaptation of the EMMIE framework (created to review and rate the quality of evidence on crime reduction initiatives) as a practical means of encouraging an evidence based, systematic way of formulating policies. We argue that the five components of EMMIE (i.e. Effect, Mechanisms, Moderators, Implementation and Economics) provide useful dimensions that policy makers can apply to understand, plan and formulate successful policies. We suggest the application of the adapted EMMIE framework can improve policy formulation and in turn increase the likelihood of effective policy implementation and evaluation

Guía de bolsillo POP. Cómo resolver la delincuencia local y los problemas de seguridad ciudadana

La guía está diseñada para actuar como una referencia práctica para ayudar a apoyar POP. La guía está organizada en las cuatro etapas del método de resolución de problemas: Búsqueda—Análisis—Solución—Evaluación Al final de cada etapa, se proporciona una lista de verificación para ayudarlo a revisar si se han completado las partes clave. Cuadros de información adicional complementan cada etapa. Al final se proporcionan recursos adicionales sobre POP

A Method for Organized Crime Harm Assessment: Connecting Associated Crimes

The increasing call for harm-focused approaches warrants a method for assessing the harm of organized crime. A harm assessment of organized crime can be of use to law enforcement agencies for prioritizing efforts and designing policies that aim to counter organized crimes based on the harm they cause. It can also be used by other institutions that can intervene and support law enforcement indirectly in preventing and counteracting organized crime. However, assessing the harm of organized crime entails dealing with the complex structure of intertwined criminal activities and addressing the fact that organized crime groups commit other crimes to support their main criminal activity. This research introduces a novel method for Organized Crime Harm Assessment (OCHA method) and demonstrates it with the application to the case of heroin trade into and within England and Wales. The challenges of applying the OCHA method are identified and discussed, as well as its limitations, contributions, and opportunities for future research

The Influence of Government Effectiveness and Corruption on the High Levels of Homicide in Latin America

“Most research that has examined the international variation in homicide levels has focused on structural variables, with the suggestion that socio-economic development operates as a cure for violence. In Latin America, development has occurred, but high homicide levels remain, suggesting the involvement of other influencing factors. We posit that government effectiveness and corruption control may contribute to explaining the variation in homicide levels, and in particular in the Latin America region. Our results show that social and economic structural variables are useful but are not conclusive in explaining the variation in homicide levels and that the relationship between homicide, government effectiveness, and corruption control was significant and highly pronounced for countries in the Latin American region. The findings highlight the importance of supporting institutions in improving their effectiveness in Latin America so that reductions in homicide (and improvements in citizen security in general) can be achieved

An evaluation of a hot spot policing programme in four Argentinian cities

In 2017, hot spot policing interventions were implemented in four cities in Argentina: La Plata, Morón, Santa Fe and Tres de Febrero. Each intervention was similarly designed, organized and implemented. Results differed between cities. La Plata experienced the largest decreases, including a significant 31% decrease in robbery (while controlling for geographic displacement), whereas in other cities, a mix of non-significant decreases and increases in robbery and theft were observed. No displacement was observed to assaults or vehicle crime. The differences in impact between cities were likely to be associated with differences in the project management of each intervention

Shaping Priority Services for UK Victims of Honour-Based Violence/Abuse, Forced Marriage, and Female Genital Mutilation

Victims of honour-based violence/abuse (HBV/A), forced marriage (FM), and female genital mutilation (FGM) are now defined as ‘priority groups’ in the UK's Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (commonly known as the Victims’ Code of Practice or VCOP). These groups encompass: those who are affected by the most serious forms of crime; those persistently targeted by crime; those vulnerable by age or physical or mental health; and those classified as intimidated victims. The Code recommends that these victims receive a ‘priority service’ that includes rapid needs assessment and enhanced support. This article draws upon research commissioned by a county police force in southern England which wanted to develop its provision for ‘priority service’ victims. It analyses data gathered from interviews with victims and multi-agency practitioners and explores four dimensions of victim and practitioner experience: recording and locating victims; initiating a case; modes of protecting victims; and closing a case. It also discusses future directions and challenges for priority victim work in England and elsewhere, and identifies the many challenges experienced by practitioners working to support the victims of HBV/A, FM, and FGM. It argues that the voices of both victims and practitioners must be considered in the co-creation of future priority services in this field

POP Pocket Guide

POP Pocket Guide: How to solve crime and community safety problem