Andy Bain

Perceptions of Policing: Improving Communication in Local Communities

Public perceptions of policing have provided a good deal of concern in recent years. However, there is also a growing body of evidence that suggests that part of the issue for policing local communities may stem from an ability to communicate effectively with the local populace. This article discusses the role of public perception and identifies a number of key factors implicit to the experience of policing. These include fairness in policing, media representation and the use of new (social) media in order to recognise and support the changing demographic in a local population. Among our conclusions, we suggest that further investment is needed in new media in order to provide for a positive front-facing service, aimed at engaging younger — often at-risk — populations, that become the future consumers of service.

Calling the police The use of non-emergency 101 in England and Wales

Many calls for assistance received by the police are issues of non-emergency, and with public spending cuts ever-present, there is need to revisit the uses of a single non-emergency number (SNEN) as a way to reduce the non-emergency call volume. This paper is a review of one local service in England. We examine the need and development of SNEN, report the findings of our own research, and conclude that a service such as SNEN is a worthwhile approach that helps reduce the number of inappropriate calls to the police, increases access to services and reduces fear regarding low-level disorder.

The positive perception of reduced gang violence through a public safety initiative

Gang violence poses a significant concern for the police and the public. In response, in 2008 policing agencies in British Columbia introduced Restaurant Watch, a targeted strategy aiming to deter unwanted gang-involved patrons from attending participating restaurants. In response to a lack of research, the present study examines the perceived success of the programme, through semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders participating in the programme. The findings suggest the programme has value based on three important themes: (1) impact on public safety; (2) importance of partnership and open dialogue; and (3) ability to deter inadmissible patrons from participating establishments.

Horses and Horsepower, Fingerprints and Forensics: The Development of Technology and Law Enforcement

The significance of technology in the development of the policing role cannot be denied, and nor can it be overstated, for it provides the tools needed to better understand the criminal act, and to better protect the community in the future. This chapter provides an indication of the technologies, and an appraisal of those same technologies. The chapter situates its argument – for the main part – in the innovation of the nineteenth century, which continued throughout much of the twentieth century. The chapter will conclude with the introduction of DNA analysis. This is done in order to provide for some contextualization of the role technology has played in the last 200 years, as well as to set the ground for what is yet to come in the future.

Technology and the Future of Policing

In this final chapter the authors have come together to present a brief discussion of the future of technology, its use by law enforcement officers/officials, and its potential concern. The technology under development today will soon reach the “street” tomorrow and the timeframe from development to common usage is becoming shorter in this digital age. This final chapter is, without doubt, an extremely important discussion to have. As the introduction to this text stated, the pace of change that takes place in technology today has never been seen before, and to maintain our knowledge and understanding, we need to be forward thinking and innovative in our own use of technology.

Positive Policing: Communication and the Public

Communication is perhaps one of the most important aspects of law enforcement, yet it is also perhaps one which is neglected more often than others as being secondary to the important role of the police as crime fighters and law enforcers. However, communication is something that is ignored at an individual’s (officer) or agency’s peril. This chapter discusses the important role of communication between officers, departments, agencies, and most definitely the importance of good communication with the general public. It will also address some suggestions for how this can be tackled and successfully achieved, thereby providing for a more positive image of the police and in this manner creating a culture of support in the community.

Policing Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs — the ‘One Percenters’

This chapter reviews the current policing strategies that underpin both tactical and strategic responses to the threat posed by OMCGs in Australia, Canada and the United States. It shows that a whole-of-government approach is necessary in order to reduce the incidence of biker-related crime in our communities. Pivotal to any successful strategy is the ongoing need for timely and accurate intelligence- sharing amongst participating organizations. The chapter highlights the transnational and organized nature of OMCGs and their propensity for violence and the increasing need for national and international cooperation on the part of law enforcement agencies with various levels of government as well as the private sector.

Gang Theory and Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs

The desire to understand gangs, their formation and their membership has lasted almost as long as the gangs themselves. Theory often attempts to pigeon-hole the gangs, explaining away their difference, through our current understanding of street gangs, youth gangs and/or prison gangs. However, little academic discussion has been undertaken to understand how or why membership of OMCGs may be attractive to individuals from a range of socio-economic, and educational backgrounds. This chapter seeks to reverse that trend, and fill the gaps in our knowledge and understanding previously highlighted by Barker and Human in 2009. In contrast to the selection of a single grand narrative to explain away membership and behaviour, this chapter provides for a hybrid of theories to explain the phenomena of OMCGs.

History of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs

Chapter 2 provides an important discussion of the history of the OMCGs and their development as local, national and international organizations. However, where other authors have discussed the rise of the outlaw motorcycle clubs and gangs, what is often missing from this is an examination of the social context at the time, and how this may have impacted individual behaviour and decisions. In this way, it is possible to also consider the implication of labelling these groups as deviant and outlaw, and how that grew from meaning non-conforming, into (organized) criminal groups. This helps to set the scene for each of the chapters to come, considering the social, the political, the policing and the membership of these groups.

Book Review: Rehabilitation

This comprehensive text provides, in the first place, an informed discussion of two major theories in the rehabilitation of offenders: the Risk-Need-Responsivity model and the Good Lives model. It provides clear analysis and discussion of what each of these models is able to offer to the field of study and how they relate to the work currently undertaken with an offending population, before asking of each—do they work as a model of rehabilitation?