Policing through the pandemic: lessons learnt in exceptional times
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic began in late 2019 in China and, by early 2020, had spread globally. The United Kingdom, like other countries, faced a health threat on a scale which demanded drastic action across many areas of public policy in a bid to contain...
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
Routledge international handbook of policing crises and emergencies
Year: 2025, Pages: 212-224 |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Summary: | The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic began in late 2019 in China and, by early 2020, had spread globally. The United Kingdom, like other countries, faced a health threat on a scale which demanded drastic action across many areas of public policy in a bid to contain the impact of the virus. Police services faced up to several immediate challenges, including helping enforce lockdown rules; encourage changes to behaviour, such as social distancing; and deal with physical requirements, such mask wearing. Police responses were conditioned by the same constraints felt by other public services, such as the need to strike a balance between the level of service that could be offered and officer safety. Mitigating actions used by certain other public services, such as instructing staff to work from home, had limited potential for the police. The chapter will, by way of comparison with other public services, illuminate the particular challenges for UK police services. The pandemic experience demanded police services reacted quickly to a fluid, rapidly changing operating environment. The chapter examines stresses faced by the police in the United Kingdom in relation to the key principles operational independence and policing by consent. The extent to which the pandemic challenged police powers and the law is also reviewed. The governance system which was used to integrate public services in England, known as local resilience forums (LRFs), receives attention along with the usefulness of the category 1 responders system provided by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. Lessons for future contingency planning are discussed. The effectiveness of the territorial police structure in England is given consideration. Police services and their capacity to cope during the pandemic are considered in the context of historic staffing trends, with lessons to be learnt on new ways of working also discussed. Crime patterns are examined along with the record of police services in respect to charging rates in the circumstances of novel pandemic–associated breaches of the law and suspected criminality. The issuing of fixed penalty notices is another empirical reference point through which to assess the effectiveness of police responses and compare the record of different territorial services. The chapter takes an overview of the political direction police services were given utilising comparisons between the emergent situations in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Much of the chapter draws on contemporary sources, including evidence session records and reports published by the Westminster scrutiny committees for Justice and Home Affairs, along with equivalents in the devolved nations. Reports from other policing-related bodies, such as Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Scotland, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), and the Police College, are also referred to. A number of interviews will be conducted with senior officers located across UK police services. |
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| Item Description: | Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 223-224 |
| ISBN: | 9781032207872 |
