Policing Changes in the 20th Century

Weapons
1. Ordinary policemen are not armed; police can be issued with firearms when necessary
2. Police now have access to extensive riot gear
3. New style of truncheon introduced in 1990s and police have access to portable CS gas canisters
Transport
1. 1930s - access to cars and motorbikes improve pace and effectiveness of the police
2. 1970s - cars become more important; development of rapid response police teams
3. Reintroduction of foot and some horse patrols in order to reassure the public of security in the streets
4. 1909 - police obtained bicycles to pursue criminal offenders more swiftly
Crime Detection
1. 1901 - first national register of fingerprints helped in identifying suspects
2. 1901 - discovery of blood types allowed chemical analysis of blood samples to be carried out
3. Most recent, DNA has been utilised as evidence, alongside modern methods of video recording
4. 1988 - the first murder conviction on the basis of DNA samples occurred
5. 1995 - National Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) and National DNA Database set up
Training and Recruitment
1. Women first joined the force in 1920, they have taken on a similar role to their male counterparts
2. National Police Training College opens in 1947
3. High-quality candidates needed, the force offers good pay
4. Officers train for 14 weeks before starting work; local forces have specialists and provide more training
Communication
1. Morse code transmitters installed in police telephone boxes
2. Radio: allowed for quicker reporting of crimes and calling for reinforcement. Radios were first used in 1910 and still are today.
3. 1920s - Morse Code transmitters were installed in police vehicles
4. First murderer caught due to radio communication was in 1910, Dr Crippen
5. Development in technologies altered police methodology
6. 1930s - the 999 telephone number is introduced
Organisation
1. March 1988 - number of police officers was 126,856
2. 1998 - number of separate forces was cut from 200 to 41
3. Single, national police force regularly opposed
4. Single police force seen as too great a power in the hands of the government that might enforce unpopular measures
Labour
1. Public still view the police as a force to catch thieves
2. 1933 - one survey illustrated 18% of calls to the police were crime related
3. Mainly responsible for maintaining public order during disputes
Computers and Surveillance
1. 1980 - Police National Computer is introduced; contains records on 25 million people
2. Alerts police to people who have been previously convicted of criminal offences
3. Police can foil terrorist plots through monitoring emails and websites
4. Police can view behaviour of people in the streets with CCTV
5. CCTV cameras were utilised for the first time in the Irish Republican Army bombings in the 1970s
6. CCTV records information at the time and can enable the capturing of criminals in the future
Specialisation
1. Police work is so varied it is difficult for them to cope with changing circumstances
2. 1945 - special squads were established to deal with specific crime prevention
  1. 1947 - Fraud Squad
  2. 1971 - Anti-Terrorist Squad
  3. 1965 - Special Patrol Group, later named Metropolitan Patrol Group (1987) - deals with inner city riots and public disorder
Police Agency
1. Powers of the police changed little during the 20th century
  1. Questioning - a police official can ask a suspect to come to the police station for questioning. Cannot force this without making an arrest.
    1. Arrest - can arrest if they believe the suspect is committing a criminal offence
      1. Report - cannot arrest for minor offences e.g. speeding - but can choose to fine someone for them
        Search - need the warrant of a magistrate to search private property

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Policing Changes in the 20th Century

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	Created by Andrew Burke over 7 years ago