Recruitment,selection and promotion of visible‐minority and aboriginal police officers in selected Canadian police services

Abstract: The demographic composition of the Canadian police services in major cities generally does not reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, especially with respect to the representation of visible minorities and aboriginal peoples. As many commissions and inquiries on race relations issues in policing have reported, this lack of representation may be a factor that is hindering the effectiveness of police work in major urban centres across Canada. Hence, many commentators have called for increased representation of visible minorities and aboriginal people in the police services through effective recruitment, selection and promotion strategies. In this article, through the use of both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, the authors identify and assess the various staffing and promotional policies and practices of thirteen police services across Canada. Results suggest that there has been some progress in the representation of visible minorities and aboriginal people in policing over the fifteen‐year period of this study. However there is still room for considerable improvement in the policies, practices and culture of police services if they are to become more representative of the diversity of the communities they serve. Sommaire: La composition démographique des corps de police canadiens dans les grandes villes ne reflète généralement pas la diversité des communautés desservies, particulièrement en ce qui concerne la représentation des minorités visibles et des Autochtones. Tel que signalé par de nombreuses commissions et enquêtes sur les questions de relations inter‐raciales se rapportant à la police, ce manque de représentation est peut‐être un facteur qui nuit à l'efficacité du travail de la police dans les grands centres urbains du Canada. De nombreux observateurs ont donc préconisé une plus forte représentation des minorités visibles et des Autochtones au sein des corps de police grâce à de bonnes stratégies de recrutement, de sélection et de promotion. En suivant une méthodologie de recherche à la fois quantitative et qualitative, nous identifions et évaluons dans cet article les diverses politiques et pratiques de dotation et de promotion de treize corps policiers à travers le Canada. D'après les résultats, la représentation des minorités visibles et des Autochtones dans les corps de police aurait connu un certain progrès au cows des quinze années étudiées. Cependant, il reste encore du chemin à faire en ce qui concerne les politiques, les pratiques et la culture des corps de police pour mieux représenter la diversité des communautés qu'ils desservent.     

Forensic characterization of HDPE pipes by DSC

The melting behavior of 28 high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe samples manufactured and supplied by 13 different manufacturers in India was examined by 'differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)' to find out if this parameter could be used in differentiating between these HDPE pipe samples which are chemically the same and being manufactured by different manufacturer. The results indicate that the melting temperature may serve as the useful criteria for differentiating HDPE (i) pipe samples from different sources and (ii) samples of different diameter from the same source.     

Some notes on the nocturnal larviposition by two species of Sarcophaga (Diptera: Sarcophagidae)

Experiments in the month of September 2005 were performed to study nocturnal larviposition by the flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). Two species namely Sarcophaga albiceps Meigen and Sarcophaga hirtipes Wiedemann were observed to deposit their larvae during night time as well. Therefore, possibility of night larviposition by flesh flies should always be taken into consideration while determining age of maggots.     

India＇s Look East Policy and north-eastern states： An overview

To become an economic developed country, every country needs to look for its trade and commerce because it is one of the most prominent factors. Hence, the present study is an endeavor to highlight ＂India＇s Look East Policy and its northeastern states＂. The methodology adopted here is mainly based on secondary data and information, the sources of which have been compiled from different national and international journals and related books, etc.. India＇s involvement in the enterprises of ASEAN （Association of South East Asian Nations） for economic corporation was initiated in the year 1991 with the function of ＂Look East Policy＂. ASEAN countries have emerged as significant entities among India＇s most dynamic trade partners. Undoubtedly, north-east India has the potential to become gateway to the east, which can help trade and commerce with ASEAN countries to flourish.     

The implementation of the Nagoya ABS Protocol for the research sector: experience and challenges

Over the years, researchers in public institutions and universities have accessed genetic materials from a variety of sources, freely exchanged them with fellow researchers and institutions and shared their research results with foreign and local collaborators. The 2010 Nagoya Protocol regulating access to genetic resources is set to change this scenario. This treaty requires country parties to put in place enhanced ABS measures regulating access to their genetic resources and to provide for the sharing of benefits arising from their utilization. These measures include minimum access standards, mandatory prior informed consent of indigenous and local communities, compliance with the domestic laws or requirements of the provider country and monitoring the utilization of genetic resources. This is aimed at commercial research. Non-commercial public research which contributes to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity is encouraged, particularly in developing countries, through simplified measures. There are undoubtedly practical challenges in operationalizing this provision without impeding research in the sector most potentially affected by ABS measures. This article presents the results of a survey of the practices of such researchers in one developing country, namely Malaysia. It examines the potential implications for the national implementation of the Protocol. Given country specificities, this study highlights and shows the importance of increasing knowledge about existing practices for an efficient design and implementation by developing countries of a complex legislation such as the Nagoya ABS Protocol.     

Differentiation of Cosmetic Foundation Creams Using Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy: A Rapid and NonDestructive Approach in Trace Evidence Analysis

Cosmetic foundation creams are encountered as evidentiary material in criminal investigations, particularly in cases related to sexual and physical assault against women. Analyzing foundation cream exhibit is a challenging task as the exhibit is recovered in trace quantity with similar hue. In the present study, ATR FTIR spectroscopy which is a rapid, nondestructive, sensitive, reliable, and safe alternative to other analytical techniques has been used to differentiate 31 cosmetic foundation creams belonging to 23 different brands supported by chemometric methods such as principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The discriminating power of visual analysis is found to be 98.0%, while PCA and LDA further increased the discriminating power to 99.3% and 100%, respectively. The blind test is conducted with three unknown samples (pretended to be unknown to the analyst), which were correctly linked with their respective source. Further, the effect of substrate such as tissue paper (dry and wet) and white cotton cloth during sample analysis are also examined to simulate the actual forensic casework conditions. The stains on substrates could be identified and linked to its parent product as well. The reported method provides significant results for the differentiation of cosmetic foundation creams.     

Differentiating winners: How elections affect satisfaction with democracy

Previous research indicates that supporting a winning party in an election boosts satisfaction with democracy, but does not fully or adequately test the mechanisms behind this relationship. Using original survey data, we make a contribution on three fronts. First, we inquire what winning (or losing) an election really means in terms of the performance of one’s preferred party. Second, we employ panel data, which helps to determine whether an election outcome truly impacts satisfaction levels. Third, we examine the breadth of electoral victory, testing whether the satisfaction boost from a regional victory extends to the national and supranational levels. Findings indicate that the inclusion of one’s selected party in government is the most important factor for satisfaction with democracy, which attests to the importance of policy considerations in engendering satisfaction. In addition, winning a regional election strengthens satisfaction beyond the regional level, which indicates that the mere experience of being a “winner” also works to increase satisfaction.     

Single-metal deposition (SMD) as a latent fingermark enhancement technique: an alternative to multimetal deposition (MMD)

This paper proposes an alternative solution to multimetal deposition (MMD) for the development of latent fingermarks on non-porous and porous surfaces. MMD offers a good sensitivity, however it is very time-consuming and requires many reagents to be carried out. Single-metal deposition (SMD) replaces the silver enhancement of the gold colloids by a gold enhancement procedure. This reduces the number of baths by one as well as the number of reagents and their cost, utilizes reagents with a longer shelf life, and most importantly reduces the labor-intensity of the procedure. It offers quasi-identical results to MMD and thus makes a very attractive alternative.