POP Conference scheduled for August 7-9

The 31st International Problem-Oriented Policing Conference will be held August 7-9 in Boulder, Colorado in the U.S. As always, finalists for the Herman Goldstein Award will present their exceptional POP projects and a variety of related workshops on CPTED, problem analysis, place management, quality policing, and other topics will be offered. Conference information is available on the POP Center website here.

Venezuela proposes police reform

The Venezuelan president has announced a plan to incease the national police from 44,000 to 100,000 in order to boost territorial policing and establish “peace quadrants,” as reported here. The police are to coordinate with the military and be guided by “a humanist concept.” However, current police complain of having to join the ruling party in order to be hired, and senior officials have talked about the importance of “ideologizing” the police. Police salaries are already low and there are “persistent accusations of being responsible for politically motivated human rights abuses, including extrajudicial executions, detention, and torture.” One view is that “the most likely outcome for plans to double the police force would be a huge increase in badly trained, poorly equipped police officials whose principal options for earning a living wage lie with corruption or colluding with organized crime.”

Armed police in Northern Ireland

Unlike in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, all police in Northern Ireland carry firearms while on patrol, due at least in part to “the troubles” experienced there over several decades. However, as reported here, the PSNI’s Policing Board, noting that officers have fired shots only 5 times since 2012, has recommended that the police service consider shifting to the model followed by its neighbors, in which most officers are unarmed but supported by specialist armed units. The Police Federation opposes the suggestion on the grounds that the terrorist threat is still rated “substantial” and that “daily, both on and off duty, our officers are being targeted and they must have the ability to defend themselves.”

E-bike mayhem in Amsterdam

Souped-up e-bikes are becoming a big concern in bicycle-friendly Amsterdam, as reported here. Standard e-bikes don’t seem to be problematic, but ones that are set for higher speeds yet operated in bicycle lanes have been involved in crashes with regular bicycles as well as pedestrians. Netherlands already has legislation banning people from boosting factory-programmed e-bike speeds. Additional suggested remedies include “obligatory helmets for people on e-bikes, manufacturer geofencing so you can’t go faster than 15kph, a maximum speed on the cycling lanes, and for e-bikes to go on the roads.”

Philippines police leaders submitting courtesy resignations

Generals and full colonels in the Philippines police have been asked to submit courtesy resignations in order to purge the national agency of leaders with ties to illegal drug trafficking, as reported here. The move was recommended to the Interior Secetary by the national police chief, who is also submitting his resignation letter. According to the Interior Secretary, “It appears there are generals and colonels involved in drugs. We need to clean our ranks. We need the trust of the people.” A committee will review the records of the 300 top officials, and “those who are not involved have nothing to worry about.”

The City of Light

This short blog post indicates that Paris became “The City of Light” in 1667 as a crime prevention measure. The then-head of the Paris police, Gabriel Nicolas de la Reynie, is credited with promoting the idea in response to increased crime and civil unrest. The blogger weaves in some recent evidence of the impact of lighting on crime to illustrate “the timelessness of some common-sense solutions to crime, but also how we should value instinct and professional judgment in our public safety practitioners.”

New reports from the National Academies of Sciences

The US-based National Academies of Sciences has recently published 4 reports aimed at guiding international police assistance efforts. The reports were produced by expert committees that reviewed and assessed existing research and evidence. The reports are available at the links below for free download.

• Policing to Promote the Rule of Law and Protect the Population — presents an overview of the state of research and highlights promising areas to guide policing reform and interventions.
• Police Training to Promote the Rule of Law and Protect the Population — focuses on training, which is often a key component of foreign police assistance.
• Developing Police Practices That Build Legitimacy — focuses on the important objective of improving communities’ trust of their police.
• Police Strategies to Control High-Level Corruption — focuses on one of the most significant impediments to democratization and rule of law.

English police finding it difficult to meet crime investigation standards

Ongoing reviews by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) have so far found 14 of 29 English forces rating as inadequate or requiring improvement in relation to crime investigation standards, as reported here. Only 7 have been rated good. Problems that have been cited include failing to record crimes and lengthy delays in responding and initiating investigations. The findings coincide with falling charge rates for crimes such as robbery, burglary, and theft. Critics of the government claim that “failed policies have left policing overstretched and undermined, with still 6,000 fewer neighbourhood police, shortages of detectives, and record low charging rates, so more criminals are being let off, while victims and communities are let down.”

Declining significance of Interpol

This article argues that Interpol’s significance in countering international terrorism has declined in recent years. One set of reasons is external to Interpol itself, as regional associations such as Europol and police in individual countries have become more capable and less dependent on Interpol when they need cooperation from other countries. Other reasons are internal, due to conflicts over the abuse of Interpol notices and political struggles over Interpol leadership positions.

Gallup 2022 Global Law & Order Report

Gallup’s 2022 Global Law & Order Report is available here. It reports on an index comprised of 4 survey items including confidence in police, feelings of safety, and recent property and personal crime victimization. Twelve countries scored 90 or higher on the 100 point scale — Singapore, Tajikistan, Norway, Switzerland, Indonesia, Egypt, UAE, Finland, Iceland, Portugal, Denmark, and Slovenia. Seven countries scored 60 or lower — Afghanistan, Gabon, Venezuela, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Uganda. By region, confidence in police was highest in East Asia and lowest Latin America and the Caribbean.