Policing in England and Wales is under more scrutiny than ever, following high-profile criminal and disciplinary cases involving police officers, low charging and detection rates (not least for rape and sexual offences cases), and persistent concerns that racist, misogynist and corrupt attitudes and behaviours are reinforced at an institutional level.
At the heart of the matter are questions of (inadequate or excessive) police powers, (a lack of) accountability and (a toxic) organisational culture.
For this assignment, we seek your views – as students of policing – on the following issues:
what a modern police service, fit for our times, should look like; and where it should set its priorities;
whether police forces need the powers they have; and/or have the powers they need;
what steps can be taken to make policing accountable to the communities it serves;
what can be done to improve the organisational culture in police forces;
what police forces, and specifically the Metropolitan Police Service, must do to increase trust and confidence.
Your briefing must address one or several issues as set out above, but please note that submissions do not have to address topics in isolation; you may use and summarise research that cuts across more than one point. Just be clear which question(s) you are addressing. Given the word count it is likely to be difficult to address all of the topics.
You will need to read a range of academic material, including and beyond that which we discuss in weekly seminars. The briefing needs to be fully referenced, following academic conventions. You need to demonstrate your ability to understand and succinctly summarise the key points of what you have learned.
This assessment relates to the following module learning outcomes:
LO1: Explore a range of arguments about the nature and development of the police and policing in contemporary society.
LO3: Appraise recent issues, developments and controversies in policing practice and policy.
