Colossal Changes in Criminology - Essay Example

Running Head: Criminology Criminology [Institute’s Criminology Over the past few decades, the world has experienced colossal changes in every sphere of life that has influenced every subject of human existence incorporating the social, economic, political, technological, environmental, and even the cultural aspects. Besides, the globalisation has also left a radical impact on to the systems of dominances, supremacy, authoritarianism and the control that encompass the nations. Besides, the escalating events of terrorism has also proliferated the strategies of policing regarding the counteracting to crime, but also the structure and organisation of policing has undergone radical changes. Pertaining to the subject of domination and control, policing is a term that has been into existence since centuries that portrayed the process and means to control crime and activities related to misdemeanor. However, according to the Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, the term policing states that it is “to supervise the operation, execution, or administration of to prevent or detect and prosecute violations of rules and regulations” and “to exercise such supervision over the policies and activities of” (Merriam-Webster, Inc, 2003, pp. 959). Policing on a broad-spectrum is an organised and structured form of an organisation that performs the tasks of maintaining peacekeeping, order preservation, crime investigation, law and order enforcement, and other forms inquiries. It is the police due to which all the members of the societies can live a peaceful life. This is because they are the major contributors for preventing the crime in the society. In fact, the prime concentration and focus of the police force is towards the maintenance, preservation and upholding of law and order and the detection of offences that can lead to maintain peace within the society or community (Villiers, 2009, pp. 15-17). Policing with reference to organisation and structure is unique and diverse in different countries of the world. Nevertheless, the organisation and structure of policing that would come under focus would highlight the UK and other mainland European countries. Studies also demonstrate the fact that the differences in policing: structure and organisation is also dependent upon various characteristics that include the population size, number of police officers and many more (Villiers, 2009, pp. 15-17). The UK police service on a universal platform is responsible for administering and dealing with an assortment of issues on a local basis that ranges from community policing to corporate development; from crime information to domestic violence; from extortion to human rights; and from road policing to search and rescue (Smith and Henry, 2007, pp. 51-54). Whilst giving a glance at the historical substantiation of the policing of UK, it has come under observation that the development of police forces in the UK had exposed much slower results in comparison to the entire region of Europe, including the mainland Europe. Over the period, records also exhibit the piece of information that mass media including the television and movies have altered the perspectives and viewpoints about the British police and thus created a misconception and fallacy against them. It has even come under notice that UK consists of more than one policing systems (Godfrey, Lawrence and Williams, 2008, pp. 55-58). The intelligence-led policing model patterns has derived from the UK in which the police officers spent mainstream of their time in just responding to the crime, and thus overlooked and did not took into account in targeting the offenders. This is because the original expression of intelligence-led policing stated that it is meant for reducing the crime by using the crime analysis and criminal intelligence simultaneously that can help establish crime reduction approaches. With the development of this tactics, they wanted to concentrate in a much better way on to the enforcement and prevention of criminal offender activity (Wakefield and Fleming, 2009, pp. 176-178). The hierarchical nature of the UK policing states that it has top-down operational structure. This structure also states that the senior officers and personnel possess lower ranks when accountability for crime levels comes under consideration (Wakefield and Fleming, 2009, pp. 176-178). The structure of UK policing clearly demonstrate that UK comes under division into several imperative types of law enforcement agencies that are predominantly responsible for policing the general public and their activities. The first type of agency is the territorial police force that performs the major proportion of policing activities. The special police force handles and administers the tasks on national basis that have specific and non-regional jurisdiction (Smith and Henry, 2007, pp. 51-54). Accountability in policing is another substantial aspect that comes under prime importance in the UK. Accountability for all levels in UK policing is central and priority. In addition, the accountability comes under provision through the hierarchical rank structure. This accountability leads the officers to have a disciplined and liable service (Wakefield and Fleming, 2009, pp. 176-178). The term policing referred by Europe express that it is an association of armed individuals that has the primary duty to maintain and uphold peace within the society (Tupman and Tupman, 1999, pp. 107-109). Historical evidences represent the verity that police organisations were under a central control authority by continental European countries until the World War II. Until this time, the structure and organisation of policing frequently came under distribution into two divisions. One division was for policing the capital and other large cities and the other group referred as national service was particularly for policing smaller towns and rural areas. These police organisations also received supplementary help and assistance from the military natured police that were more heavily armed security police at few times (Fijnaut, 2004, pp. 11-14). Concerning the duties performed by the mainland Europe, this matter of subject is in continuous arguments, quarrels and disputes that what should be the primary responsibilities of the police. Whether they should come under involvement for preserving the nation’s independence and dominion against the threats of all sorts or should engage themselves in providing security to the society (Hoogenboom, 1997, pp. 1-3). The states of other mainland Europe policing come under high accountability system as they are subject to come under quite a few methods. Apart from being accountable to their own hierarchies, they are also liable in front of the courts, few national commissions, and the parliament (Hoogenboom, 1997, pp. 1-3). With regard to the police agencies in several states of Europe, it has been an understanding that different realms have diverse policies of policing agencies. This means that in few countries, there is a single national police force controlling the entire policing of the nation. Whilst, it has also come under observation that in few of the states of Europe, quite a few police agencies are existing. Likewise, studies also reveal the information that the bodies of accountability to which the police is answerable and liable for their actions is also diverse and dissimilar for different nations (European Committee on Crime Problems and Council of Europe, 2000, pp. 25-28). European policing also exhibit the fact police bodies have come under multiple divisions with respect to its functions. However, some of the police bodies operate in urban areas and manage the matters of heterogeneous aspects including the trafficking, managing, and controlling the crowds and several others. In contrast, few of the police bodies have their prime focus on managing and directing the matters of the rural regions (European Committee on Crime Problems and Council of Europe, 2000, pp. 25-28). The structure of mainland Europe represents that the states themselves were primarily responsible for originating the policing structure and developing the police forces. In addition, the intelligence service concerning securities of the states was one of the crucial aspects of the police force. These intelligence services functioned in quite a similar way to that of security agencies representing on the national levels autonomously (Tupman and Tupman, 1999, pp. 107-109). Continental Europe is a realm that is quite big with respect to its geographical area, which makes the organization of policing a very large one in its size. This means that they have enough resources in terms of money and humans to have specific, unique, and specialized units. These specialized units have particular and exclusive jobs of looking into the public affairs and matters. This is due to the reason that constitutional rights given to the citizens such as freedom of speech and freedom of action has shown evidences from the history that makes it an ancient tradition. These mass expressions have been a danger to the peace situation within the state at all times, which initiated the needs of the specialized units (Tupman and Tupman, 1999, pp. 107-109). While having a glance at the comparison of the differences between policing: structure and organisation of UK and the other mainland Europe, it has come to analysis that the European policing system is very much similar to the UK policing system, which means that the structure of European policing also consists on multiple police agencies. In addition, it also articulates that other mainland European countries also have high levels of centralisation in the police force. In other words, the concept of centralisation signifies that the top level is the primary, essential, and single source from which all the officers receive the commands (Anderson and Bort, 1998, pp. 165-168). According to some schools of thoughts, it has also come under strong observation that most of the other mainland European countries followed and exercised the ancient policing system that dates back to Napoleon times. While looking at the other end of the spectrum, the UK followed and is still following the decentralized systems. The independence and sovereignty in decision-making, staffing of the police and in accountability of the police all defined the decentralized system that came under exercise by the UK policing (Tupman and Tupman, 1999, pp. 12-15). Numerous sources of information also exhibit the idea that the topography of a country including the streets, layout of cities also plays an important role for policing. Because of such topography with narrow streets and irregular blueprint, for both UK and other mainland Europe becomes a necessity to have policing that is distinct in terms of random car patrols and high-speed car chases that cannot be a part of tactics personalized by them (Anderson and Bort, 1998, pp. 165-168). A vital aspect has come under notice with regard to the practicing of policing by the UK that one of their principal and crucial roles in policing was to keep the queen’s peace, which is still in practice until the present day. However, in contrary, the other mainland countries of Europe did never bring this activity into practice, as their primary role was just to maintain peace of the society on a wide-ranging continuum (Tupman and Tupman, 1999, pp. 12-15). Studies also expose the fact that the UK policing structure differed from that of other mainland European countries in a way that UK did not have representative bodies for secluded officer class for employment of police personnel. Indeed, their recruitment officers did not even have wide-ranging acquaintance concerning the policing. While on the other hand, the other mainland countries of Europe have competent and experienced personnel to make such recruitment for the officers’ class with not only a vast academic background but with comprehensive knowledge about policing (Villiers, 2009, pp. 15-17). Extensive studies have also brought a point in focus that in the other mainland countries of Europe, the role of police as military representatives out shadows their part as civilians. In contrast, the UK police has a fundamental role is quite opposite, which states that instead of military the UK police are more significantly accepted as civilians. In addition, the UK police had to perform their jobs and roles as civilians, even if they were in uniforms. This altered the image of the UK police in the eyes of the government. Consequently, their role in the wartime became secondary rather than primary, as is the case in the other European countries (Villiers, 2009, pp. 15-17). To put the entire thesis succinctly, it can come under articulation that the activities that enforce and put the criminal law into effect comes under reference as policing. Moreover, every nation has its defined set of laws with related to policing that can ensure peace within the society and keeps the populace away from criminal activities. Additionally, the police system of each country is also unique and different with respect to its administration. However, while making a comparison between the structure and organisation of policing of UK and those encountered in either mainland Europe, it can come to expression that both the realms have more or less the same policing regarding their organisation and structure. Although, they have a number of differences, yet, more or less both the UK and other European nations share similar ideas about policing and maintaining peace in the country. References Anderson, Malcolm and Bort, Eberhard. 1998. The frontiers of Europe. Continuum International Publishing Group. European Committee on Crime Problems and Council of Europe. 2000. Police powers and accountability in a democratic society: proceedings, reports presented to the 12th Criminological Colloquium. Council of Europe. Fanjet, Cyrille. 2004. The impact of World War II on policing in north-west Europe. Leuven University Press. Godfrey, Barry S., Lawrence, Paul, and Williams, Chris A. 2008. History and Crime. SAGE Publications Ltd. Hoogenboom, Abraham Bob. 1997. Policing the future: 13th European Policing Executive Conference, International Association of Chiefs of Police. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. Merriam-Webster, Inc. 2003. Merriam-Websters collegiate dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Smith, David J. and Henry, Alistair. 2007. Transformations of policing. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Tupman, Bill and Tupman, Alison. 1999. Policing in Europe: uniform in diversity. Intellect Books. Villiers, Peters. 2009. Police and Policing: An Introduction. Waterside Press. Wakefield, Alison and Fleming, Jenny. 2009. The SAGE dictionary of policing. SAGE Publications Ltd. Read More