The policing task and the expansion (and contraction) of British policing

Abstract

Over the past four decades the police service strength in England and Wales grew by nearly a third. This was at a time when the population grew by just 10 per cent. This sustained period of growth came to an end with the 2010 spending review which called for a 20 per cent cut in government funding of the police. In this paper the expansion of the state police is examined, expansion that is all the more remarkable coming at a time of increased competition and -from the mid-1990s onwards -falling levels of recorded crime. But not only did the number of police officers increase, so too their roles and responsibilities, reflective of Simon's (2007) governing through crime meta-narrative and symptomatic of the criminalization of social policy -or more specifically the 'policification' (cf. Kemshall and Maguire, 2001). In this context it is argued that enforced contraction could be a positive opportunity to reappraise what the state police ought to be doing. The policing task is conceptualized as being either wide policing or narrow policing. Examples are given where narrowing may be both possible and beneficial. It is acknowledged that other agencies are facing similar cuts and may not be able pick up tasks left by the police. However, it is argued there are tangible benefits of having a state police that is more focused.

Citizens in policing: the lived reality of being a Police Support Volunteer

“…Following the global financial crisis of 2007/2008 and a record budget deficit, the Conservative-led coalition government's 2010 spending review (HM Treasury, 2010) marked a major shift in fiscal policy and public spending resulting in a period of austerity. The effect on the police was a 20 per cent cut in government funding by 2014-2015 (Millie, 2013). For many forces this led to a freeze in officer recruitment.…”

“…At the same time, the government was actively promoting the assumed benefits of community participation and engagement through various localism and so-called 'Big Society' agendas (Millie and Bullock, 2012;Millie, 2013). According to the then Prime Minister David Cameron (2010) the Big Society is, … where people, in their everyday lives, in their homes, in their neighbourhoods, in their workplace don't always turn to officials, local authorities or central government for answers to the problems they face but instead feel both free and powerful enough to help themselves and their own communities 2 .…”

The beliefs and values of police volunteers

“…Cohen, 1985). There are malign as well as benign effects of social control, including when exerted by the police, and the social control the police exercises tends to be conservative aimed at reproducing the existing social order (Ericson, 1982) as dictated by the value judgements of those with requisite political capital (Millie, 2013;. The involvement of volunteers within policing may be a challenge to this status quo.…”

Introduction: Contemporary policing and non-warranted volunteering

“…According to Simon (2007) such moves were part of a wider push to 'govern through crime', where crime and crime control became defining features of government policy. In the two decades that followed, the state police of England and Wales had greater involvement in wider areas of social policy (Millie 2013); yet at the same time there was greater awareness that the state could not singlehandedly assume responsibility for controlling crime. Alongside increased involvement of partners and volunteers, there were parallel moves towards the privatisation of some traditional police functions such as prison escorting (Millie 2013).…”

“…Citizens were exhorted to take greater responsibility for their own security and safety through a process of responsibilisation (Garland 1996) as reflected by the 2011 Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act, and as discussed in the contribution to this issue by Wells and Millings. The use of volunteers had also specific appeal during the time of austerity that followed the global financial crisis of 2008 (Millie 2013). Volunteers may be called upon to meet the challenges of reduced public-sector budgets; but whether these challenges are met successfully will depend, as Stenning and Shearing (2015, p. 7) have claimed, on the appetite for, and ability of more traditional police providers to take the 'fullest advantages of the opportunities that a pluralised approach can offer'.…”