Criminology
Criminal investigation is a key capacity of the police, so it could be supposed that a high value would be placed on the investigative competence of those in leadership, management, and supervisory roles. However, such competence is not tested during the promotion process, and the limited evidence shows that failures in criminal investigation are often attributed to those performing such roles.
Investigative competence is important for police managers for two reasons. First, the police service is still a formally bureaucratic organization where senior ranks can directly influence operational outcomes.
Second, unlike other occupations where technical competence is defined (and often regulated) independently of employers, police leaders define both the technical competence of investigators and service delivery standards.
Therefore, they are in a uniquely powerful position to shape both investigative practice and the service’s capacity to investigate crime.
This article explores the relationship between police managers’ competence in criminal investigation and outcomes.
It then reports on a National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) initiative aimed at improving the support that is available to them in this area.
http://policing.oxfordjournals.org/content/5/1/15.abstract
We looked for hard evidence of improper practices (such as dishonest
manipulation) in crime-recording as a result of performance pressure. We approached those who told us that it was going on, but relatively little was found.
However, during and since the inspection, a number of forces accepted that undue performance pressure had adversely affected crime recording in the past and that the culture of chasing targets as ends in themselves had distorted crime recording decisions.
Our online survey of officers and staff produced many assertions and allegations, but no one came forward with firm evidence. Forces today are making considerable efforts to change the culture in which these practices prevailed, but changing ingrained instincts bred of a past regime takes time.
The failures we have found are attributable mainly to lapses in leadership and supervision of officers and staff and poor knowledge of and, therefore, adherence to crime-recording rules. In some forces, inappropriate use of the rules allows crime-recording decisions to be delayed.
In some cases, the rules have simply been broken. In a few forces, crime registrars have insufficient authority, and some lack the necessary knowledge of the rules to enable them to make sound decisions.
The topic of leadership has been considered one of the oldest areas of research in the social sciences, yet perhaps one of the most complicated. A shared definition of leadership has proven difficult to find, as it may seem there are just as many definitions of leadership as there are perspectives on the subject. Northouse (2004), however, defined leadership as “a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (p. 5).
Historically, leadership theory and research can be divided into four major stages: the trait approach, the style approach, the contingency approach, and the new leadership approach (Bryman, 1996).
The trait approach seeks to determine the personal qualities of leaders, stating that individual traits distinguished good leaders from bad leaders (Judge, Bono, Ilies& Gerhardt, 2002). With the style approach the focus shifted to their behaviour as leaders, with the concepts of Consideration and Initiating Structure (see Judge, Piccolo &Ilies, 2004; Korman, 1966) being notable examples.
The contingency approach is concerned with the situational factors that moderate effectiveness of leadership (Bryman, 1996). The term ‘New Leadership’ has been used to describe the paradigm shift that started 6 during the 1980s with the introduction of Burns and Bass’ theories on transformational leadership (Bryman, 1996).
The transformational approach to leadership stresses the importance of a leader’s ability to influence the attitudes of his or her followers, building commitment to the organization’s mission and strategy.
In comparison to the earlier research that essentially examined transactional models, which were based on the way followers and leaders exchanged with each other, this type of leadership seeks to empower and elevate followers (Avolio, Walumbwa& Weber, 2009).
This new view inspired a number of different approaches to leadership and led to researchers incorporating transformational and transactional elements into conventional models to create more holistic theories of leadership (Van Wart, 2003).
Recently, it has been stated that the previous century’s hierarchical leadership models may not fully capture the dynamic leadership of today’s knowledge-intensive, globalized economy (Avolio et al., 2009). Integrative approaches take all aspects of leadership – the leader, the follower and the context – into account, and may be a better way of addressing leadership questions (Avolio, 2007).
Therefore, an integrative approach to leadership is needed to fully understand leadership in today’s organizations (Van Wart, 2003).
Management of a crime scene is the process of ensuring the orderly, accurate, and effective collection and preservation of physical evidence so that it can be used to take legal action. The police’s forensic laboratory may become responsible for further scientific analysis of evidence.
According to McCartney, ‘forensic science can be considered broadly as the application of natural and physical sciences to the resolution of legal conflicts’.1 The anonymous detective said there was a ‘critical shortage of police officers across the entire Brighton and Hove division. ‘
He added: ‘Officers are having to be drafted in from other departments with almost no notice and with many of these officers not even having passed the detectives exam – a national requirement – and with little or no additional training to prepare them for dealing with the serious crimes investigated by CID.
‘It is not uncommon to see my colleagues on the verge of tears because they are under so much pressure and stress and have more work than they can cope with.
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‘This is nothing short of scandalous and not only puts the public at increased risk but the officers themselves.’
A spokesman for Sussex Police admitted there were officers working in CID without the relevant qualifications but insisted they were all ‘experienced investigators.’
The spokesman also admitted the department was not operating at a 100 per cent staffing level.
Superintendent Steve Whitton, of Sussex Police, said: ‘Policing, by its very nature, requires a flexible approach.
‘Often this means moving officers, all of whom are trained and competent to investigate crime, into different departments.
‘This is why we have recently temporarily moved a number of people into our CID to ensure that we can continue to respond effectively to crimes such as rape and sexual assault.
‘We are going through challenging times at the moment and having to make some difficult decisions regarding our resources but, as with all our decision making, the needs of the public always come first.’
Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said she would investigate and public safety remains her highest priority.
She added: ‘Should I find any evidence that officer and staff resilience is affecting police performance I will hold the Chief Constable to account for this on behalf of Sussex residents.’
Sussex Police came under fire by inspectors last year after axing frontline officers in a bid to meet government-imposed cuts of £50million between 2011 and 2015.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2631311/Shortage-detectives-means-unqualified-constables-investigating-crimes-including-murders-rapes.html
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