Beliefs and attitudes of citizens in the UK towards smart surveillance and privacy

This document presents the UK results of a qualitative study undertaken as part of the SMART project – “Scalable Measures for Automated Recognition Technologies” (SMART; G.A. 261727). The analysis and results are based on a set of 3 focus group discussions comprising of 23 participants from different age groups, which were held in order to examine the awareness, understanding, beliefs and attitudes of citizens towards smart surveillance and privacy. The focus group discussions were conducted in line with a discussion guide consisting of different scenarios aimed at stimulating a discussion among participants. While some scenarios dealt with surveillance in everyday contexts likely to be encountered by the participants, other scenarios were hypothetical in nature and their aim was to elicit the participants’ feelings, beliefs and attitudes in relation to dataveillance, the massive integration of data from different sources and the “security versus privacy” trade-off.Scalable Measures for Automated Recognition Technologies (G.A. 267127). The project was co-financed by the European Union within the Seventh Framework Programme (2007-2013).peer-reviewe

The citizens’ perspective : awareness, feelings and acceptance of surveillance and surveillance systems for fighting crime in the UK. A quantitative study

This document presents the results for the United Kingdom within the framework of a larger study undertaken as part of the RESPECT project – “Rules, Expectations and Security through Privacy-enhanced Convenient Technologies” (RESPECT; G.A. 285582) – which was co-financed by the European Commission within the Seventh Framework Programme (2007-2013). Analyses are based on a survey regarding the perceptions, feelings, attitudes and behaviours of citizens towards surveillance for the purpose of fighting crime, carried out amongst a quota sample that is representative of the population in the UK for age and gender. Responses were gathered, predominantly, through an online survey supplemented by a number of questionnaires administered in face to face interviews, in order to fulfil the quota and also reach those citizens who do not use the internet. The questionnaire consisted of 50 questions and was available online in all languages of the European Union between November 2013 and March 2014. The face to face interviews were carried out between January and March 2014. The UK sample is based on the responses from 250 individuals who indicated the UK as their country of residence in the online survey or were administered the questionnaire face to face. As a result, the UK respondents indicated a strongly felt lack of trust in the protection of, and control over, personal information gathered via surveillance. Further, the majority of respondents feel more unhappy than happy with the different types of surveillance (except CCTV), and they feel also unhappy about surveillance taking place without them knowing about it. Additionally, there is a link between feeling happy, or unhappy, about surveillance and feeling secure or insecure through the presence of surveillance. UK respondents appear to have two distinct, and very different, reactions to surveillance. Some people feel secure in the presence of surveillance, but in others surveillance produces feelings of insecurity. However, analyses also indicate that increasing the perceived effectiveness of surveillance measures and increasing the perceived effectiveness of laws regarding the protection of personal data gathered via surveillance may make citizens feel more secure. More research is needed to disentangle the relationships and effects between surveillance measures, feelings of security or insecurity, and citizens’ general quality of life feelings.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 285582.peer-reviewe

DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE, TRUST AND POSITIVE INTERFACE: A DIALOGICAL APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF PRISON OFFICERS IN FEMALE AND MALE LOCAL PRISONS

This study explores the role and experiences of prison officers working in local prisons: with prisoners primarily - but not exclusively - during the first forty- eight hours of custody. It addresses the moral and care aspects of their work and the legislative, risk and organisational frameworks within which they operate. The Field data are drawn from semi-structured interviews with the twenty four officer participants from across five local prisons. A significant feature of this study is posited in its dialogical approach to analysis and discussion of the findings and their relation to existing theoretical knowledge of the emergent and key issues. This approach emphasises the importance of the concept of duality, which significantly contrasts the dualism or dichotomy reflected in traditional approaches to prison studies. The study establishes a concept of dialogical interface: that comprises an embodied or enfleshed and unique encounter - between officer and prisoner - which is grounded in the daily, lived relations occurring within a prison. Both officer and prisoner retain a relational responsibility and right to answerability within each unique encounter, which are not eclipsed by differences: in status, role, power or individual and socio-cultural features such as gender, age or race. It is - cumulatively - through recurring encounters and the repetition of events that the relationships between individuals, the normative climate of the organisation and socio-cultural life are constituted. This research highlights the significance - for prison relations in particular - of moral agency, discretion, discernment, respect, power, confidence, experience, gender relations, practical and emotional care, emotional work, trust and uncertainty. It establishes the importance of the emotional dimension to prison work and the duality of officer experience: as both providers and recipients of care; powerful and powerless; and free to (discretion) and free from (risk and threat). For officers to meet and be met - reasonably and proportionately - with a duty of care, they need to experience - clearly and appropriately - the ability and effectiveness, support and worth necessary if the core features of confidence, trust and positive interface are to determine their credible and meaningful encounters with prisoners

Evidence-Based Initiatives for Organizational Change and Development

This reflective case-history presents the findings of a 12-week pilot study of a collaborative organizational change project which oversaw the implementation of predictive policing technology (PPT) into a territorial police force in the North of England. Based on the first year of a two-year initiative, the reflections consider the impact on the future of the project and their potential future application and cultural embeddedness, beyond the organizational and time-bound specifics of this case