Assessment 2 policing - Sir Robert Peel PDF

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Essay on Sir Robert Peel and his historical ideas that influenced current policing...

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2) Sir Robert Peel attempted to outline what he thought the role of the police was by creating nine principles in 1829 and these, even relevant today, help to assess how well the police services/forces work with the public. Also, they act as guidelines when dealing with big situations such as the London Riots in 2011 which were triggered due to the police shooting of Mark Duggan. It was estimated from the Communities and Victims Panel (2012) that around 15,000 people took part in the riots all over England (Newburn 2017). All in all, the principles outline the purpose of policing so that forces do not lose sight of why they exist. The first principle that Peel set was regarding the basic purpose or goal that the police hold to prevent crime and disorder (The Crime Prevention 2017). During the London riots it is evident that many crimes were broken such as arson, theft, vandalism, some severe injuries and even deaths which had left communities in fear. For example, 5 people died and this all started in Tottenham. Therefore, by conforming to these principles, the police are meeting the main purpose of their role which is to protect the public by reducing crime. However, it is argued that the Metropolitan Police did not respond quickly enough as reported in the BBC news 2011. Despite this, the Metropolitan Police made thousands of arrests and reached their goal of stopping the riots to protect the public and reinforce the law. The second principle relied mainly on the public’s approval of police actions and for this to happen the police must perform their duties efficiently. Or in other words, the police must fulfil their functions on their ability to secure public respect. During the London riots, there were accusations made against the police because the public reported to BBC News 2011 that officers either stood watching people loot of that there were no police cars on the streets. As a result, the public’s relationship with the police grew apart as their main duty which was to protect the public and prevent crime, was not being met. However, under the circumstance of having few police officers on patrol in comparison to the number of rioters, some argue that the delayed response of the police was justified. This is because in the end, the situation was controlled and the actions of the police were successful. Thirdly, to maintain the respect of the public the police must secure their willing co-operation in voluntary observance (Jerath 2017). Co-operation can be difficult because when many individuals are involved in crime the conformity rate decreases – defiance is increased and harder control. This lack of control, shown from the historic event of the London riots, was because of the uproar after the shooting of Mark Duggan. At first in Tottenham, a peaceful protest broke out and friends and family demanded explanations for his death. Due to a slow or no response the protest turned violent. Some would argue that the police’s attempt at gaining and maintaining respect of the public spiralled downhill, they just weren’t fulfilling their purpose. But, the riots lasted 5 days only, before police took control again. Police must use necessary force only which is accounted for depending on the public co-operation. This means that a certain amount of warnings should be given to a person and if all has been breached then methods such as PAVA spray and physical force to restrict are used. Also linking to Peel’s seventh principle which is that if warnings have been given and they are insufficient, then the police have the power to use necessary, physical force to ensure that laws are not further broken. There are general principles to be followed, from the College of Policing 2018. The first question considered is whether the force has a lawful objective, for example prevention of crime or injury to another. Next, are there any means? And lastly how proportionate the force is because if it is excessive then police could face problems. The rights and freedoms are contained within the ECHR under The Criminal Law Act 1967, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Common Law and the

Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. For example, during the London riots, a broadcast was released on The Guardian News 2011 which stated that police will use baton rounds if necessary (although these are plastic or rubber bullets, it has been known that this weapon can cause death). This was due to the amount of force and danger that rioters made people fear. Also, over 16,000 officers took to the streets to manage the situation. This response is justified because the rioters damaged and stole £100m worth of trade/housing. However, by sending out more officers to the rioting areas and have they co-ordinated more efficiently, this event could have been controlled quicker. The police are persistent when reinforcing the law and they do this by demonstrating “absolute impartial service” (Jerath 2017) which means they don’t follow the opinions of the public. This is important because there would be bias amongst the way the police treat individuals. It is to be followed that the service given, rules out no individual based on their wealth, status, etc. A method used to disperse the crowd of rioters was the ‘forward backwards’ tactic or short shield advances, as trained to do so. However, the police could only go so far along streets due to cross roads, junctions and turnings. The crowd realised the drawback of the police having to stand still which put the officers in danger of physical attack. However, the metropolitan police continued to try and this is where they showed “absolute impartial service”. The police are members of the public whose role it is to guard communities to ensure that the law is enforced and unbroken. So that the public don’t forget that officers are normal people a relationship must be maintained between both - this gives the reality to historic tradition. This is reinforced through the media. During the London riots, there were constant news updates and after the moral panic, documentaries were realised, more specifically from the point of view of the Police (BBC TWO 2011), with the intention for the public to understand that the police are humans and that it was not their goal to shoot Duggan – merely a mistake. The eighth principle sets out that the police should always direct their action strictly towards their functions and never appear to misuse the powers of the judiciary. From BBC NEWS 2014, a report established from many witnesses that Mark Duggan was simply holding his mobile phone and not a hand gun that the police reported he’d brought 15 minutes before hand. Therefore, did the police offer direct his actions strictly towards his functions or did he misuse his power? Was it more like an execution? A gun was later found that belonged to Mr Duggan, but it was 6m away from the scene, hence the uproar of this event in social media. In the eyes of Peelian’s Principles it could be argued that the police did not take the appropriate actions as warnings should have been issued before gun fires. Although, in defence of the officer he shot to protect himself. In conclusion, the overall police response was justified and mandatory to stop the rioters. The riots ended up breaking out into 22 London Boroughs and many other major cities in England (BBC TWO 2011). However, just within 5 days communities started working together again and in 2012 2,700 people appeared in courts, relating to the riots that had taken place (Newburn 2017). Therefore, the Police did manage the situation the best they could under the limited resources, communication and force that was available. To test police efficiency, it is not the visible evidence of police actions in dealing with a crime but it is the absence of crime and disorder in the community. So lastly, the police forces in England, specifically London, have continued to grow in knowledge to prevent further shootings and furthermore, there have been little to no riots as large scale as this one.

Bibliography: BBC, news (2011) ‘London riots: Metropolitan Police response report’ published 24/10/11 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15433404 (Assessed on 03/01/18) BBC, news (2014) ‘Mark Duggan inquest: Q&A’ published 08/01/14 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk24099368 (Assessed on 07/01/18) BBC, two (2011) ‘The Riots: In their own words’ published 12/08/12 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01l3zcj (Assessed on 05/01/18) College of Policing 2018 https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/public-order/coreprinciples-and-legislation/police-use-of-force/ (Assessed on 03/01/18) Guardian, the (2011) ‘UK riots: the key facts and figures’ published 19/08/11 https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/aug/09/uk-riots-data-figures (Assessed on 03/01/18) Jerath, K. (2017) History of Policing. London Metropolitan University Lecture on 12/10/17. Newburn, T. (2017) Criminology, Third edition. Routledge. The Crime Prevention 2017 https://thecrimepreventionwebsite.com/police-crime-preventionservice---a-short-history/744/the-peelian-principles/ (Assessed on 30/12/17)...