Can research discover the true cost-effectiveness of new technologies in policing, such as automatic license plate readers (ALPR)? We review the findings of many impact tests of introducing ALPR readers in predominantly US police agencies. We place the data in the context of the two key police mandates: public safety and public confidence. We then apply the logic of linking findings specific to the new technology with the two broad mandates. The effect of any technology on police outcomes depends heavily on how it is implemented in the larger context of organizational systems and culture. The effect is also conditioned by a broad body of evidence that the key mandates depend on far broader foundations than on any specific technology. Evidence-based policing cannot be built from isolated findings, such as marginal changes in outputs or outcomes associated with new technologies. Linking new technologies to joined-up systems of targeting, testing, and tracking is required before we can ask whether the technologies are cost-effective.
Did specialist investigators trained in advanced trauma informed practices within the two-week Queensland Police Service (QPS) Investigating Sexual Assault, Corroborating and Understanding Relationship Evidence (ISACURE) course solve more sexual offence cases and have fewer withdrawn, unfounded and unsolved sexual offence cases than control investigators who had not received the ISACURE training? Were the training impacts short-lived or sustained? This paper explores whether advanced specialist sexual offence training within the ISACURE course resulted in quantifiable changes in investigative practice. We compared official case outcomes (cases solved, withdrawn and unfounded) of 227 ISACURE course participants with an equivalent sample (gender, age, length of service, role, sexual offence case load) of 125 investigators across a four-year period to explore training impacts and whether these were short lived or sustained. ISACURE investigators had a significantly (14.8
Test the impact of mobile application-targeted patrols of Joint Operations Unit officers at hotspots of violent crime on levels of patrol conducted, and levels of violence in those locations. Crossover-randomized experiment, with hotspots (n = 45) randomly allocated using a mobile phone-based tasking application, with half allocated each day. Impact on levels of patrol and of violent crime were examined using t and chi-squared tests. Tasking via app led to dramatically increased officer time in hotspots. An 8.74
Sexual Risk Orders (SRO) have been advocated as a means to prevent Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). This is despite significant detriment to the fundamental rights of the legally innocent and a lack of empirical assessment that can speak to preventative efficacy. This study asks; do SROs serve to prevent sexual-harm? The Police National Computer (PNC) was used to identify two samples of SRO subjects. Legal Services’ data from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) was used to construct a counterfactual group, for whom SRO was considered but not obtained. PNC was used to identify arrests as a proxy for offending and a harm index applied. Before-after and between-group comparisons are used, along with an interrupted-time-series analysis, to assess the relationship between SRO and sexual-harm prevention. Rank-ordering of harm caused by alleged sexual-offenders in London enables an estimate of how precisely SROs are used against the highest-harm offenders. SROs are associated with a significant 84.5
This paper examines the multi-agency identification of risk and harm in extra-familial child exploitation (CE). It explores several data prediction methods to effectively target and prevent harm. It provides a taxonomy analysis of repeat victimisation and cumulative victim harm. It also examines the relationship between age and harm and, finally, the conditional probability of repeat victimisation in exploited children. Research Question Are the most harmed exploited children referred to Multi-Agency Child Exploitation (MACE) Panels, and what other methods exist to identify and prevent high harm in child exploitation? Methods This is a descriptive quantitative statistical analysis using a whole population of children in a Northern English county, aged between 10 and 17 who were recorded in police data as either victims, offenders or MACE referrals between January 2017 and June 2018, encompassing 12,457 children. It utilises an 18-month study window, an 18-month follow-up and 18-month prior time censored period using data between 2015 and 2019 inclusive. This data identifies CE victims using CE flagging and additionally, offence classification with familial abuse and familial exploitation cases removed. It identifies repeat victims and those children referred to MACE for tailored multi-agency intervention. Application of Sherman et al.’s (Policing (Oxford) 10:171–183, 2016) Cambridge Crime Harm Index (CCHI) provided an analysis of harm in victimisation and offending. Findings Exploited repeat victims (90.7%) were not referred to MACE, and there was no significant difference in the harm they sustained in the 18 months following a repeat victimisation compared to exploited children subject to MACE. The most harmed CE victim (Victim-CCHI 15,330) in the 18-month study window was not referred to MACE, nor was the highest frequency CE victim within 18 months (31 victimisations). Exploited victims, victim offenders and MACE children are re-victimised at a significantly higher rate than other children. Exploited victims (73.4%) will not suffer a repeat victimisation of any kind. Forty-two percent of exploited repeat victims will have a third victimisation given a second, and this will attract additional mean victim harm of 464 (for comparison, penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 16 by an Offender 18 or over has a CCHI harm score of 365). Conclusion Whilst MACE provides a forum to share multi-agency information, it only does so for 9.3% of exploited repeat victims. This has implications for the role and focus of MACE. Whilst several quantitative methods were explored to predict harm in CE, this research favours the use of conditional probability and harm association. By using this method, 90.7% of missed repeat victims become visible to professionals. This is essential in providing the opportunity to minimise the risk of further victimisation and increased harm that 42% of this group will have within an 18-month period. This research provides a predictive and evidence-based framework to identify exploited children at risk of further harm and victimisation.
