AC 1.1 - Evaluate the effectiveness of the roles of personnel involved in
criminal investigations
- THE VAST MAJORITY OF criminal cases go smoothly, in over 2/3rds of
cases the suspect pleads guilty indicating the personnel involved in
the case did a good job.
- That said, things do go wrong and there will always be limitations to
the work of personnel involved.
POLICE
Police officers are the first to arrive at the crime scene and will secure it
for investigation to ensure evidence is preserved.
The police carry out multiple essential roles.
- Detect and investigate crime – gather evidence, interview witnesses
and make arrests. The ‘golden hour’ is the hour after a crime has
been committed, this is when police officers must quickly make sure
the scene is preserved --> as this is when evidence is most fresh
and uncontaminated. --> also necessary to take witness statements
during the golden hour as the events will still be fresh in the
witnesses’ mind.
- Protect the public – respond to emergencies, manage public events
and provide support during crises
- Maintain Public order – control crowds, protests, and large
gatherings to ensure safety and legality
- Enforce the law – ensure individuals follow laws and take actions
when laws are broken
- Work with other agencies – collaborate with social services,
probation, cps and local councils. E.g. police detectives manage a
plethora of criminal investigations, specifically those in complex
crimes. They work with specialist departments such as Child
Protection Department, and drugs and firearm squads.
- Support victims and witnesses – provide protection, guidance and
information throughout the justice process
POLICE FUNDING – The police are funded through
- Central government grants, local funding council tax percept, and
other income like charging for services e.g. policing events such as
football matches or concerts.
, - from 2010(19.3B) and 2017(16.3B), the funding for police went
reduced by 3 billion british pounds. This was because the new David
Cameron’s conservative government followed an economic policy
Austerity (cut backs)
- Furthermore, expenditure on the police dropped by 19% during
2010-2019
- The police lost 20,000 police offers due to this, in turn this means
response time increases.
- In 2010 there were 172,000 police officers, in 2018 this number
decreased to 105,000. Even until this day the number of police
officers is still below the pre-2010 numbers.
- The officers that retired early due to the expenditure tended to be
experienced, therefore expertise inside of the police force was lost.
- There are now fewer senior full-time police officers than in 2010
- The number of inspectors is down 14 % to 6,245. The number of
superintendents and sergeants has also fallen.
- Currently a third of all police officers in England and Wales have
fewer than 5 years' experience where the length of service is
known, this is more than double the number six years ago
- However, funding has increased to £25.29 billion British pounds in
2023. This is the highest amount in recorded history. This is
effective for the police force as it allows for more police officers to
be recruited, which can decrease response time.
- Contradictory, after 2018, when the police started to re-recruit, they
were hiring inexperienced officers.
- The public accounts committee has linked falling levels of
experience with the governments drive to recruit more officers
- Therefore, the lack of experienced officers inside of a police force is
ineffective as this may cause more mistakes when dealing with
crime, and how police should act.
- For example, the Inquest in 2016 showed that police can act
inappropriately in criminal investigations. David Duckenfield lied
about Liverpool fans opening the gates which subsequently caused
the crushing.
- However, it was Duckenfield himself who ordered the gates to be
opened.
In regards to availability,
, - The police are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365
days a year
- They can be contacted via telephone, 999 or 111, email, social
media and in person.
- New data has revealed the average response time for officers
dealing with the most 999 calls has almost doubled in seven years.
In 2018, police took nearly 12.5 minutes to respond to grade one-
rated calls in comparison to under 6.5 minutes in 2012.
- An increase in recorded crime and a reduction in officers had been
linked to the rise in response time.
- Figures obtained by the BBC also revealed an increase in response
times for grade two-rated calls from around 48 minutes in 2011 to
an average of 7.5 hours in 2017/2018
- The longer response time have been attributed to;
- Higher demand and rising 999 call volumes
- Fewer officers on the frontline, despite recent recruitment surges
- Resource strain and increasing complexity of incidents (e.g. liam
allen case)
- Furthermore, more than 700 police stations closed down between
2010-2018.
This is ineffective of the police force as victims in dangerous
situations may get seriously injured if the police do not arrive in
time, a suspect may get away, or the crime may become unsolved.
- Multiple statistics of crime statistics show this happening.
- In 2010-11 the metropolitan police's burglary solve rate was 11%
(led to a charge, caution or other formal sanction)
- In 2024 the burglary solve rate decreased to 4.3%
- Sexual assault -
- Rape conviction rate in 2011 – 6.5%
- Rape conviction rate in 2023 – 1.6%
However, some crime solve rates have increased, showing that in some
areas the police have become more effective.
- Homicide outcomes – homicide solve rate in 2010-11 – 85%
- Homicide solve rate in 2015-16 – 90%
in 2015, 14% of crimes were solved with a charge/summons, in 2024 just
5.7% of crimes were solved with a charge/summons. --> this can be due
to availability, expertise and funding are intertwined.
, 13 out of every 14 crimes are not being solved – offenders are still at large
and able to commit further offences, fuelling the steady rise in crimes
such as robbery.
The police have a large range of expertise
- Neighbourhood officer – builds relationships in local communities,
prevents and detects crime locally
- Response officer – responds to emergency and routine calls from the
public
- Search and marine units – conducts searches in challenging
environments such as underwater or in rural terrain
- Investigative & Specialist detective - investigates serious crimes
such as murder, assault and fraud
Strengths of expertise
- In 2022, the conviction rate was 83.6% for the magistrates' court
and 77.9% for the crown court, showing that the police were
effective in conducting an investigation which resulted in a
prosecution.
- Fatal police shootings in 2022: 4. much lower than other countries.
- Increased use of technology.
- Metropolitan police conviction rate with bodycam footage (2021):
93% (domestic abuse cases).
- South Wales police used facial recognition tech to identify
suspects.
Additionally, the police’s expertise and how many crimes they are
able to solve effects trust in the Police.
- Crime survey for England and Wales (2023): 68% confidence
- Policing and society journal (2023): 40% trust
criminal investigations
- THE VAST MAJORITY OF criminal cases go smoothly, in over 2/3rds of
cases the suspect pleads guilty indicating the personnel involved in
the case did a good job.
- That said, things do go wrong and there will always be limitations to
the work of personnel involved.
POLICE
Police officers are the first to arrive at the crime scene and will secure it
for investigation to ensure evidence is preserved.
The police carry out multiple essential roles.
- Detect and investigate crime – gather evidence, interview witnesses
and make arrests. The ‘golden hour’ is the hour after a crime has
been committed, this is when police officers must quickly make sure
the scene is preserved --> as this is when evidence is most fresh
and uncontaminated. --> also necessary to take witness statements
during the golden hour as the events will still be fresh in the
witnesses’ mind.
- Protect the public – respond to emergencies, manage public events
and provide support during crises
- Maintain Public order – control crowds, protests, and large
gatherings to ensure safety and legality
- Enforce the law – ensure individuals follow laws and take actions
when laws are broken
- Work with other agencies – collaborate with social services,
probation, cps and local councils. E.g. police detectives manage a
plethora of criminal investigations, specifically those in complex
crimes. They work with specialist departments such as Child
Protection Department, and drugs and firearm squads.
- Support victims and witnesses – provide protection, guidance and
information throughout the justice process
POLICE FUNDING – The police are funded through
- Central government grants, local funding council tax percept, and
other income like charging for services e.g. policing events such as
football matches or concerts.
, - from 2010(19.3B) and 2017(16.3B), the funding for police went
reduced by 3 billion british pounds. This was because the new David
Cameron’s conservative government followed an economic policy
Austerity (cut backs)
- Furthermore, expenditure on the police dropped by 19% during
2010-2019
- The police lost 20,000 police offers due to this, in turn this means
response time increases.
- In 2010 there were 172,000 police officers, in 2018 this number
decreased to 105,000. Even until this day the number of police
officers is still below the pre-2010 numbers.
- The officers that retired early due to the expenditure tended to be
experienced, therefore expertise inside of the police force was lost.
- There are now fewer senior full-time police officers than in 2010
- The number of inspectors is down 14 % to 6,245. The number of
superintendents and sergeants has also fallen.
- Currently a third of all police officers in England and Wales have
fewer than 5 years' experience where the length of service is
known, this is more than double the number six years ago
- However, funding has increased to £25.29 billion British pounds in
2023. This is the highest amount in recorded history. This is
effective for the police force as it allows for more police officers to
be recruited, which can decrease response time.
- Contradictory, after 2018, when the police started to re-recruit, they
were hiring inexperienced officers.
- The public accounts committee has linked falling levels of
experience with the governments drive to recruit more officers
- Therefore, the lack of experienced officers inside of a police force is
ineffective as this may cause more mistakes when dealing with
crime, and how police should act.
- For example, the Inquest in 2016 showed that police can act
inappropriately in criminal investigations. David Duckenfield lied
about Liverpool fans opening the gates which subsequently caused
the crushing.
- However, it was Duckenfield himself who ordered the gates to be
opened.
In regards to availability,
, - The police are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365
days a year
- They can be contacted via telephone, 999 or 111, email, social
media and in person.
- New data has revealed the average response time for officers
dealing with the most 999 calls has almost doubled in seven years.
In 2018, police took nearly 12.5 minutes to respond to grade one-
rated calls in comparison to under 6.5 minutes in 2012.
- An increase in recorded crime and a reduction in officers had been
linked to the rise in response time.
- Figures obtained by the BBC also revealed an increase in response
times for grade two-rated calls from around 48 minutes in 2011 to
an average of 7.5 hours in 2017/2018
- The longer response time have been attributed to;
- Higher demand and rising 999 call volumes
- Fewer officers on the frontline, despite recent recruitment surges
- Resource strain and increasing complexity of incidents (e.g. liam
allen case)
- Furthermore, more than 700 police stations closed down between
2010-2018.
This is ineffective of the police force as victims in dangerous
situations may get seriously injured if the police do not arrive in
time, a suspect may get away, or the crime may become unsolved.
- Multiple statistics of crime statistics show this happening.
- In 2010-11 the metropolitan police's burglary solve rate was 11%
(led to a charge, caution or other formal sanction)
- In 2024 the burglary solve rate decreased to 4.3%
- Sexual assault -
- Rape conviction rate in 2011 – 6.5%
- Rape conviction rate in 2023 – 1.6%
However, some crime solve rates have increased, showing that in some
areas the police have become more effective.
- Homicide outcomes – homicide solve rate in 2010-11 – 85%
- Homicide solve rate in 2015-16 – 90%
in 2015, 14% of crimes were solved with a charge/summons, in 2024 just
5.7% of crimes were solved with a charge/summons. --> this can be due
to availability, expertise and funding are intertwined.
, 13 out of every 14 crimes are not being solved – offenders are still at large
and able to commit further offences, fuelling the steady rise in crimes
such as robbery.
The police have a large range of expertise
- Neighbourhood officer – builds relationships in local communities,
prevents and detects crime locally
- Response officer – responds to emergency and routine calls from the
public
- Search and marine units – conducts searches in challenging
environments such as underwater or in rural terrain
- Investigative & Specialist detective - investigates serious crimes
such as murder, assault and fraud
Strengths of expertise
- In 2022, the conviction rate was 83.6% for the magistrates' court
and 77.9% for the crown court, showing that the police were
effective in conducting an investigation which resulted in a
prosecution.
- Fatal police shootings in 2022: 4. much lower than other countries.
- Increased use of technology.
- Metropolitan police conviction rate with bodycam footage (2021):
93% (domestic abuse cases).
- South Wales police used facial recognition tech to identify
suspects.
Additionally, the police’s expertise and how many crimes they are
able to solve effects trust in the Police.
- Crime survey for England and Wales (2023): 68% confidence
- Policing and society journal (2023): 40% trust
