Crime and the Law The Police in Scotland

Today we will… Identify recent changes to the police force in Scotland Describe the role and structure of the police Explain why the police are considered both effective and ineffective in their role

Success Criteria Describe the current structure of Police Scotland Describe the role and actions of the police in Scotland Explain the effectiveness of the police

The Police in Scotland What is/are the job(s) of the Scottish police service? You are going to now create a spider diagram of the role of the police force, helping answer a describe Q.

The police have 4 main roles or functions For each of these functions, think of examples of what the police would do in practice. To maintain law and order To detect criminals The Role of the Police Crime prevention Public protection

The police have 4 main roles or functions The police have many powers including to stop and search people they suspect of committing a crime By… having a police presence on the street. Eg/ Potrolling To detect criminals To maintain law and order The Role of the Police Crime prevention Public protection It is the job of the police to keep people safe, they do this by installing CCTV in the local area, doing campaigns to raise awareness. They protect the public by arresting people who they believe to have committed a crime.

The police have 4 main roles or functions Eg/ There is always a Police presence at premiership football matches in Scotland Eg/ 321,322 “Stop and Searches” between 2014-15. The police have many powers including to stop and search people they suspect of committing a crime By… having a police presence on the street. Eg/ Patrolling To detect criminals To maintain law and order The Role of the Police It is the job of the police to keep people safe, they do this by installing CCTV in the local area, doing campaigns to raise awareness. Crime prevention Public protection They protect the public by arresting people who they believe to have committed a crime. Eg/ In 2013 there was a large reduction in Glasgow gangs due to a policed campaign to crackdown on gang related crime. Eg/ In 2016 there were 3,000 serious crime arrests in Scotland.

Homework KU Question ‘The Police have many functions, however their main aim is to protect the public ’. Describe, in detail, two of the functions of the police in Scotland. (6) 8

Divisions of Police Work The work of Police Scotland can be divided into 2 main “branches”: Local Policing Crime and Operational Support

Local Policing Also known as “Community Policing” This is when the police work with the local community to solve problems and issues on the local level. The most common form of local policing is when officers are out on patrol. This also includes the policing of local events such as festivals or public events.

Crime and Operational Support Different departments exist in this branch to deal with different issues/crimes. These departments all operate at a national level so that specialist officers can be sent to where they are needed. On the next slide match the name of each department with the description of what they do!

Match up Major Crimes Public Protection Specialist Support Units Investigates serious incidents such as murders and serious assaults Public Protection Targeting gangs, investigate and support of refugees, border policing for ports and airports, protection of VIPs Specialist Support Units Armed Response Unit; Dog Branch; Underwater Branch; Mounted Branch; Chemical, Biological and Nuclear Response Team Traffic Department Investigate cases involving rape, human trafficking and child protection issues Organised Crime and Counter-Terrorism Attend serious road incidents (fatal crashes etc) and deal with traffic violations. Also assist CID with Organised Crime Groups

Question Task What is the role of Local Policing? Department Drunk Driving   Murder weapon thrown in river Clyde Chemical Weapons attack in Glasgow Protecting Prince William opening a new school Detecting the scent of a missing person Investigating a case of rape Investigating the murder of Karen Buckley Crowd management at Celtic Vs Rangers football games What is the role of Local Policing? What ways can local police get to know the communities they work in? Why does the crime and Operational Support Branch operate at a national level? Copy and complete the table opposite:

Police Powers Arrest a person they see committing a crime. Arrest a person who reliable witnesses have said has committed a crime.

Police Powers Stop and search someone e.g. if the police suspect they are carrying a weapon or illegal drugs.

Police Powers Enter a building without a warrant if they hear sounds of a serious disturbance or if they are pursuing someone who has committed a serious crime

Police Powers Demand the name and address of a witness to a crime

Evaluation of Police The police across Scotland make every effort to achieve their main roles and functions. Over the next few slides you will see some statsitics, which you should put into a table:

Achievements of the police Negative stats and stories Evaluation of Police Achievements of the police Negative stats and stories

Statistic 1 Total number of crimes in Scotland has decreased from 245,243 in 2016 to 238,651 in 2017

Statistic 2 The number of sexual offences has gone up – 10,273 in 2016 to 10,822 in 2017

Statistic 3 15 more people were murdered in 2017 than in 2016 over the same time period. 64 compared to 49.

Statistic 4 More sexually recorded crime could mean the police have a better relationship with communities, which is allowing people to come forward.

Statistic 5 There are fewer housebreakings overall from 2016 to 2017. From 17,583 to 16,299

Statistic 6 Specifically there were 8,810 housebreakings in 2016 compared to 8,169 in 2017.

Statistic 7 Total amount of crimes under Fire-raising classification has overall decreased 54,102 to 52,514

Statistic 8 Within the fire-raising category, fire-raising itself increased – 2,574 in 2016 to 2,787 in 2017. All these statistics came from http://www.scotland.police.uk/assets/pdf/138327/232757/management-information-report-quarter4

Criticisms of Police Scotland https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/16/family-of-m9-crash-victim-lamara-bell-a-step-nearer-the-truth/ Police Scotland has come under fire for several different incidents in recent years – particularly in regards to the length of time it has taken to respond to some crimes. The July 2015 case of Lamara Bell and John Yuill has called into question the reliability of responses from Police Scotland and its current “national” structure. Bell, a mother of two young children, and Yuill, her partner, crashed their car into a ditch on the side of the M9 near Striling. Despite being reported to police, the car was not attended to for 3 days until another member of the public phoned in about the car. Yuill died in the car whilst Lamara died 4 days later in hospital. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIYuckEn1As https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOT9oUNbl28

Criticisms of Police Scotland Many of the recent criticisms stem from the decision by the Scottish Government in 2012 to merge all police forces in Scotland into one. Police Scotland has existed since 1st April 2013 when the following agencies merged: The Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency Plus the 8 regions

Criticisms of Police Scotland Many people believe that Scotland is simply too big and diverse to have one force. This goes against the rational behind the merger which was simplify how different forces co-operated and reduce administration costs. The issues that are dealt with by officers in the Shetland Islands will be very different from those in Edinburgh. There are also significant issues with funding and resources; it has emerged that a funding gap of £200 million by the year 2020/21 https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/police-scotland-in-crisis-amid-200m-funding-gap-1-4350289

Homework Knowledge Questions 1. Describe, in detail, two of the functions of the police in Scotland. (6) 2. Describe, in detail, two powers of the police. (6) 3. Explain, in detail, two reasons why the Scottish Police Service has been accused of being ineffective (6) 31