NCJ Number
211785
Date Published
2005
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This chapter examines how the British police have evolved to accommodate the change from being "law enforcers" to "problem solvers."
Abstract
Until the middle of the 20th century, the police followed a traditional philosophy of intervening only to deal with crimes or situations reported to them by citizens or which the police themselves directly observed. The Royal Commission of 1962 determined that this policing style was inefficient and ineffective. To help improve police effectiveness, the Commission recommended the creation of a central government Police Research and Planning Branch that could analyze crime problems and develop new methods of policing that would improve efficiency in addressing the increasing crime problem. This chapter describes and assesses the impact of the policing strategies that have been forged in Great Britain since that time, noting the professionalization of the police, political and social influences, police marginalization, and police as a multiagency provider. Other sections of the chapter consider crime prevention models and policing as one component of a multiagency approach to solving crime problems that includes consultation with and participation by the community. Some of these partnership initiatives in Great Britain are described. By 1990, many agencies were engaged in partnership activity, but the lack of monitoring and evaluation meant the impact was unknown. When multiagency performance was finally assessed in the early 1990s, resulting in the Morgan Report, it was clear that multiagency objectives were rarely achieved, because separate agencies often performed under their own agendas rather than the goals set under multiagency deliberations. The Morgan report recommended greater community involvement, increased partnership activity, and better leadership toward locally supported comprehensive crime solutions. Many of Morgan's recommendations emerged later in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. 65 references