Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

The vulnerability of police in policing the vulnerable community of Macquarie Field

This chapter, through the lived experiences of police officers, examines the vulnerability of police performing duties in the socially disadvantaged community of Macquarie Fields, a suburb in south-western Sydney, Australia. Interviews conducted with 27 street police and three police managers revealed work-related vulnerabilities. These arose from negative interactions between police and those community members with whom they had the most contact; unemployed youth from the local housing estates. The vulnerabilities which police experienced included initial shock when commencing duties for the first time at Macquarie Fields. These consisted of officers being shocked by disrespect and physical abuse exhibited by community members towards police as well as vast perceptions of lifestyle and moral differences held by police towards those community members. In addition, police participants lacked a sense of community belonging and felt unappreciated, used and frustrated in their attempts to assist these community members. Police also perceived vast degrees of otherness between themselves and those community members with whom they came in contact. These perceptions of difference included: ambition; care of children; morals and values; drug use; education; employment; hygiene; motivation and respect for authority and family. In discovering ways to assist police overcome such vulnerabilities, the chapter explores the enhancement of Macquarie Fields and implementation of practical policing strategies

The incorporation of multidisciplinary approaches to enhance police communication strategies

Effective communication skills are an essential tool for the policing practitioner. Police communicate with people of all ages, social classes and cultural and social backgrounds on a daily basis. Police also deal with individuals who can be victims, witnesses, persons of interest and offenders, and predominantly achieve their work activities through speaking to people. In addition, police need to be effective communicators when appearing in court to give evidence, working with colleagues and supervisors and liaising with members from other emergency services. In fact, it can be argued that effective communication is the most valued skill in policing, as it assists police in keeping the peace, restoring order and enhancing community cooperation. Policing is a complex profession and, at times, it would appear to consist of competing demands. On one hand, there are organisational requirements for police to provide high levels of customer service whilst on the other, there is a demand for police to reduce crime and its associated fear. Effective communication skills are essential for all these roles. However, evidence suggests a need for the enhancement of police communication skills. This is due to a spiralling trend of customer service complaints against police, as well as difficulties encountered by younger, inexperienced police working within disadvantaged communities and attempting to communicate effectively with community members, particularly youth. It is contended that contributing factors to these problematic community interactions include police not being able to effectively establish rapport with community members, as well as difficulties communicating with young people. This chapter explores enhancements to police communication training in which multidisciplinary communication skills from such disciplines as teaching, medicine and social work are incorporated

Submission to the NSW Legislative Standing Committee on Social Issues Inquiry into Assaults on Members of NSW Police Force

The vulnerability of certain groups within the criminal justice system has become a critical issue for policing organisations. Stanford (2012, p.20) observes that in terms of vulnerability, individuals “are at risk in some way” due to personal, experiential or environmental factors. Regarding police, it is argued that they themselves are vulnerable and in terms of the occupational environment, it has long been recognised that many factors associated with the policing role can impact adversely upon police levels of stress, attitudes and subsequent work performance. Such occupational factors include; attending critical incidents (Paton, 2006); attending domestic disturbances (Korre, Farioli, Varvarigou, Dato & Kales, 2014); interactions with suspects and offenders (Prenzler, 1997); performing duties within socially disorganised communities (Lee, Jang, Yun, Lim & Tushaus, 2010) as well as a range of organisational issues including working conditions, levels of support, lack of trust, and perceived risk of a work-related injury or illness (Jakubauskas & Wright, 2012)

A machine learning analysis of serious misconduct among Australian police

Fairness in policing, driven by the effective and transparent investigation and remediation of police misconduct, is vital to maintaining the legitimacy of policing agencies, and the capacity for police to function within society. Research into police misconduct in Australia has traditionally been performed on an ad-hoc basis, with limited access to law enforcement data. This research seeks to identify the antecedents of serious police misconduct, resulting in the dismissal or criminal charge of officers, among a large police misconduct dataset. Demographic and misconduct data were sourced for a sample of 600 officers who have committed instances of serious misconduct, and a matched sample of 600 comparison officers across a 13-year period. A machine learning analysis, random forest, was utilised to produce a robust predictive model, with Partial Dependence Plots employed to demonstrate within variable interaction with serious misconduct. Prior instances of serious misconduct were particularly predictive of further serious misconduct, while misconduct was most prominent around mid-career. Secondary employment, and performance issues were important predictors, while demographic variables typically outperformed complaint variables. This research suggests that serious misconduct is similarly prevalent among experienced officers, as it is junior officers, while secondary employment is an important indicator of misconduct risk. Findings provide guidance for misconduct prevention policy among policing agencies

Restoring public confidence : perceptions of community police officers

Community policing has often been viewed by many as a panacea for solving community-based problems. In particular, following instances of riot or other public disorder, police agencies have instigated this type of approach with a view to regaining support from within communities and restoring public confidence whilst reducing acts of criminality. Inherent within this approach is a focus upon the involvement of community members and their perceptions in order for this approach to succeed. However, such approaches appear to ignore the perceptions of front-line police officers, who are generally considered to be homogenous in their views and attitudes. This article suggests that the success of such community policing initiatives is reliant upon their acceptance by street police, those who have most contact with the public. Utilising the example of the disorders witnessed at Macquarie Fields, Sydney, Australia, the problems associated with this lack of understanding are explored, and discussed with a view to providing insights for police managers and community leaders alike

The incorporation of obedience to authority into New South Wales police force recruit training

This article draws on a longitudinal study of Australian (New South Wales) (n=286), Canadian (n=116) and Chinese (n=91) police recruits to discuss participants understandings of the concept of obedience to authority. Results for this study, which was conducted within the early stages of the recruits’ training, indicate a significant degree of uncertainty amongst participants from all three jurisdictions when faced with varying situations involving obedience to authority issues. Policing researchers have long observed that recruits enter training with noble intentions and this is enhanced through elements of academy training, such as ethics education. In contrast, however, other researchers have found that once recruits commence their policing roles the negative aspects of police culture can impact adversely upon ethical decision making. In addition, the hierarchical nature of policing coupled with the authoritarian nature of academy training can instil in recruits obedience to authority attributes which can also erode ethical decisions. It is contended that understanding the perceptions of recruits and, in particular, those from New South Wales (NSW), concerning obedience to authority issues, may have implications for recruit training. By incorporating an understanding of obedience to authority along with associated practical scenarios within the academy training curriculum, inexperienced officers when faced with obedience to authority dilemmas in the field may be assisted

Restoring public confidence : perceptions of community police officers

Community policing has often been viewed by many as a panacea for solving community-based problems. In particular, following instances of riot or other public disorder, police agencies have instigated this type of approach with a view to regaining support from within communities and restoring public confidence whilst reducing acts of criminality. Inherent within this approach is a focus upon the involvement of community members and their perceptions in order for this approach to succeed. However, such approaches appear to ignore the perceptions of front-line police officers, who are generally considered to be homogenous in their views and attitudes. This article suggests that the success of such community policing initiatives is reliant upon their acceptance by street police, those who have most contact with the public. Utilising the example of the disorders witnessed at Macquarie Fields, Sydney, Australia, the problems associated with this lack of understanding are explored, and discussed with a view to providing insights for police managers and community leaders alike

Policing students’ understanding of obedience to authority

This article reports on a research project prompted by the question ‘how might policing students’ learning about professional ethics contribute to a robust understanding of ways to synthesise the apparently competing obligations to report colleagues’ misconduct and to obey orders?’ The project canvassed students at three distinct stages of their study, focussing on their understanding of obedience to authority, their perspectives on the advantages and disadvantages of obedience to authority in a policing context, and their reactions to a series of hypothetical cases. This article refers only to students’ understanding of the concept of obedience to authority. The authors conclude that any teaching about the limits of obedience to authority needs to be resilient to the students’ experiences of enculturation into the command and control model of policing; or, conversely, that the command and control model itself should be modified or otherwise inculcated in students

A predictive model for serious police misconduct by variation of the theory of planned behaviour

Purpose – Misconduct and deviance amongst police officers are substantial issues in policing around the world. This study aims to propose a prediction model for serious police misconduct by variation of the theory of planned behaviour. Design/methodology/approach – Using two data sets, one quantitative and one qualitative, provided by an Australian policing agency, a random forest analysis and a qualitative content analysis was performed. Results were used to inform and extend the framework of the theory of planned behaviour. The traditional and extended theory of planned behaviour models were then tested for predictive utility. Findings – Each model demonstrated noteworthy predictive power, however, the extended model performed particularly well. Prior instances of minor misconduct amongst officers appeared important in this rate of prediction, suggesting that remediation of problematic behaviour was a substantial issue amongst misconduct prone officers. Practical implications – It is an important implication for policing agencies that prior misconduct was predictive of further misconduct. A robust complaint investigation and remediation process are pivotal to anticipating, remediating and limiting police misconduct, however, early intervention models should not be viewed as the panacea for police misconduct. Originality/value – This research constitutes the first behavioural model for police misconduct produced in Australia. This research seeks to contribute to the field of behavioural prediction amongst deviant police officers, and offer an alternative methodology for understanding these behaviours