The Implications of Community Policing for Police–Citizen Relationships

Abstract

This article deals with the quality of the Dutch police and its relationship with the authority of the police. During the previous decade, the concept of community policing was introduced as a quality impulse for the Dutch police. The implementation of community policing was assumed to have far‐reaching consequences for the relationship between police and citizens and with that for the authority of the police. However, this article illustrates that community policing did not fully reach its goals, as, despite the fact that community policing may have contributed to the actual safety in neighborhoods, citizens remain dissatisfied with the most important ground of police authority: the effectiveness of the police.     

International communication: shifting paradigms,theories and foci of interest

Abstract

This article aims to be a stock-taking exercise of the development of paradigms and foci of interest, in attempts to theorise the vast developments and far-reaching changes as well as the impact and effects of global communication in the world of today. Attention is firstly given to the current nature, impact and implications of global communication in the first decade of the 21^st century, as well as to a shift in emphases in the (sub)discipline of international communication. A critical overview is then given of discourses on the free flow of information, modernisation theory, dependency theory, the structural theory of imperialism, world system theory, hegemony, political economy, critical theory, the public sphere, cultural studies, the information society and globalisation. Since many of these paradigms have been borrowed or taken over from media studies, international relations or other (sub)disciplines, attention is given specifically to their application in theorising international communication. The article concludes with a critical overview of the current ‘state of the art’ with regard to the body of theory in international communication.     

激光共聚焦拉曼光谱技术在烟火药检验中的应用

目的建立微量烟火药的无损检验方法。方法利用激光共聚焦拉曼光谱技术对烟火药进行检验。结果烟火药的不同组分具有不同的拉曼特征散射峰。结论利用激光共聚焦拉曼光谱技术可以对烟火药中的不同组分进行检验,通过成像技术可得到不同组分的分布信息,该方法具有检验灵敏度高、无需样品制备、无损检材等优点。     

建国以来警政文本的叙事话语及其实践析评——以20次全国公安会议为视角

透过文本、话语实践和社会实践三个向度,我们发现建国以来20次全国公安会议警政文本的核心话语经历了革命→治安→服务→稳定的发展演变过程,其演进是建国后三代政治精英治国理政话语的基本反映和重要支持。警政话语及其实践的发展流变始终围绕着政治合法性展开,而决定政治合法性建构的核心因素是经济社会变迁,因此,自觉地吻合、满足经济社会需要是警政话语及其实践的首要规定性。     

Justice as active peace

This essay argues for a more formal relationship between policing and mindful practice as taught by the Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh. The paper explores the value of Nhat Hanh’s teachings for improving the daily implementation of police services by individual officers, and the transformation of the suffering witnessed and experienced by those officers. Practical tools for the cultivation of mindfulness for officers are provided.     

Shifts in police–informant negotiations

This paper examines the impact of increasing criminal cooperation programmes for police handler–informant relationships. Over the last two decades, many countries have introduced policies to regulate the use of criminal informants and defendants who agree to provide information or testimony in exchange for financial incentives, protection, and leniency. Many researchers assume this trend has no bearing on the relationship between the handler and the informant. Following this assumption, they maintain that agreements made with criminal trade participants are still informally negotiated and unsupervised. I investigate this oversight, drawing on data obtained from in-depth interviews with handlers and informants. Findings from this fieldwork illustrate that, in order to compensate for weakening of their discretionary power, police officers are developing new deceptive tactics in dealing with informants. Furthermore, the increasingly institutionalised use of informants has given handlers a false sense of security. Informants gain skills and knowledge from their relationship with handlers, which they can use to undermine the handler's authority.     

Protecting Global Cities: New York,London and the Internationalization of Municipal Policing for Counter Terrorism

Policing counter terrorism is increasingly seen as key task for police forces spanning the entire spectrum of size and capability. However, in the case of many police forces, resource limitations, low threat levels and coordination with national level law enforcement have combined to limit the expansion of their counter terrorism efforts to things like minor increases in training and heightened awareness. There are however, at the other end of the spectrum, some city police forces that have drastically reorganized and reoriented their day-to-day operations in response to heightened threats. Relying on their unique access to resources, political autonomy and unique threat levels, New York City and London have internationalized their policing efforts in an unprecedented way. This article explores the similarities, differences and dynamics of this phenomenon.     

Risk assessment for intimate partner violence: how can the police assess risk?

ABSTRACT

The use of risk assessment tools by frontline police for intimate partner violence has the potential to make a difference to policing. In this paper, the key aspects of intimate partner violence risk assessment are outlined critically with a particular emphasis on how they can be used in practice. Two, evidence-based, exemplars are reviewed. These are the Ontario Domestic Abuse Risk Assessment (ODARA), an example of the actuarial approach, and the Brief Spousal Assault Form for the Evaluation of Risk (B-SAFER), an example of the structured professional judgement approach. In addition, the victim giving his or her own appraisal of risk is discussed. All three approaches have some validity when administered properly but practical factors reduce this validity. The content of the risk assessment tools are outlined and practical concerns such as training, time to administer, reliability, validity, and the overlap of intimate partner violence with other forms of offending are discussed. A balanced overview of the strengths, weaknesses and future potential of intimate partner violence risk assessment is provided.     

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing for offence-related trauma in a mentally disordered sexual offender

Abstract

Research demonstrates a high incidence of offence-related trauma in mentally disordered offenders convicted of violent and sexual offences. The adaptive information processing (AIP) model offers a theoretical framework for understanding the hypothesised relationship between offence-related trauma and reoffending. Evidence suggests that for a sub-population of offenders presenting with offence-related trauma: (1) therapy may retraumatise them, and (2) unresolved trauma severely blocks the positive benefits of talking therapies. Thus, it is postulated that traumatised violent and sexual offenders may be released into the community when they are still at risk of reoffending. A single case study is presented, which describes the application of eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) for a sexual offender presenting with offence-related trauma, whose offences occurred in the context of serious mental disorder. The identification of offence-related trauma and subsequent resolution of trauma symptomatology are discussed in regard to effective offender rehabilitation. Furthermore, the idiosyncratic nature of offence-related trauma and the application of the standard EMDR protocol for a single traumatic event are considered.     

The utility of sex offender registration: a research note†

ABSTRACT

Sex offender registries are one of the more hotly debated and polarising topics in criminology. Registries are generally perceived as valuable by the public, legislators, and law enforcement. However, academics and treatment providers have largely remained critical, arguing registries are costly and ineffective. Continued support despite these claims has led some scholars to suggest that proponents are unaware of evidence, indifferent to science, and perhaps driven by emotions. Yet this conclusion denies important facts. First, statistical evidence shows that registrants are at far higher risk of committing a sex crime than the general public. Second, high-quality empirical research suggests that enacting registries is associated with significant decreases in sex offences. Third, there is prima facie evidence that registration has assisted in police investigations and prevented sexual crimes. Recognising these arguments is likely an important step towards improving the quality of debate, science, and policy on registration.