Philip Rawlings

The Idea of Policing: A History

Policing has, typically, been seen as the work which the police do. Only comparatively recently have the parts played by individuals, communities and commercial organizations been recognized. Yet right up to the nineteenth century they were expected to play the central role in policing. To an important extent the shift in the definition of policing was initiated by the activities of the Henry and John Fielding at Bow Street in London: principally their skilful use of publicity and their ability to exploit fears created by a mid‐eighteenth‐century crime panic. The implication of their work was that policing (both law enforcement and order maintenance) should be left to skilled practitioners using apolitical, scientific and bureaucratic techniques. This allowed less room for popular involvement in the formal processes of the criminal justice system.

Ombudsman schemes in the United Kingdom's financial sector: The insurance ombudsman, the banking ombudsman, and the building societies ombudsman

The problems facing consumers in pursuing complaints against suppliers through the courts are well known and have given rise to the development of alternative strategies. This paper considers the development and use of one such strategy — the ombudsman — in dealing with the complaints of consumers against insurers, banks and building societies. The decisions to create these schemes can be seen against a background of the radical changes in the financial markets during the 1980s. However, the practice of the different ombudsmen is also influenced by the history, rules, practices and commercial contexts of their respective industries. It is argued, for instance, that the ombudsmen have developed standards of fairness which enable them to step outside established law and practice. However, the extent to which each is willing to do this may depend on the history and legal context of the relationships which a particular sector has had with its customers.ZusammenfassungDie Schwierigkeiten, die Konsumenten haben, wenn sie Beschwerden gegen Anbieter auf gerichtlichem Wege klären lassen wollen, sind gut bekannt und waren Anla\ für die Entwicklung alternativer Strategien. Der Beitrag behandelt eine dieser Alternativen — den Ombudsmann — bei der Behandlung von Verbraucherbeschwerden gegenüber Versicherern, Banken und Wohnbaugenossen-schaften. Die Entscheidungen, die zur Schaffung dieser Regelung geführt haben, sind vor allem vor dem Hintergrund der starken Veränderungen auf den Finanzmärkten in den 80er Jahren zu sehen. Dabei wird das praktische Vorgehen der Ombudspersonen von der Entstehungsgeschichte, von Gewohnheiten und Praktiken und vom wirtschaftlichen Zusammenhang ihrer jeweiligen Branche beeinflu\t. So haben die Ombudspersonen zum Beispiel Richtlinien für Fairne\ entwickelt, die ihnen auch Möglichkeiten au\erhalb der etablierten Bereiche des Rechts und der Praxis eröffnen. Allerdings hängt die Bereitschaft des einzelnen Ombudsmannes, solche Möglichkeiten zu ergreifen, von der Geschichte und dem rechtlichen Kontext der Beziehungen ab, die seine Branche mit ihren Kunden gehabt hat.

Insurance Fraud and the Role of the Civil Law

Two UK Supreme Court decisions have considered insurance fraud. The first, Versloot Dredging BV v HDI-Gerling Industries Versicherung (The DC Merwestone), concerned the use of a fraudulent device being harnessed to support a legitimate claim which, in the view of the majority, was an area of insurance law in need of re-evaluation. The second, Haywood v Zurich Insurance Co, concerned the use of fraud to increase the settlement paid by the insurer and whether an insurer, which suspects fraud but has nevertheless chosen to settle a claim, is entitled to set aside the settlement under the tort of deceit where it subsequently discovers proof that it was in fact fraudulent. This case note examines not only the legal implications of the decisions and their likely impact on industry practice, it also focuses on the broader issue of the proper province of the civil law and whether general deterrence can be justified as a proper objective where the criminal law is deficient in punishing fraud because of its higher standard of proof.

PACE: Entry Search and Seizure

The traditional response to any question concerning the sanctity of the home under the law in England and Wales will normally be the words of Coke which require us to place the modern semi-detached residence on the same footing as its more noble and more private ancestor, the castle. Apart from the architectural and planning inadequacies of modern mass produced housing, there are other factors which operate to make private premises more open to the authorities than the traditional approach would lead us to believe. Whilst the interposition of the judicial branch of the state between the searchers and the searched has always been regarded by some as a guarantee against arbitrary power, in reality the courts and Parliament have gradually reduced the efficacy of this supposed safeguard. In this article, it will be argued that PACE has continued this trend.