UK policing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

UK policing - Essay Example It shows us that in the present time the police can exploit the technology to seize the criminals (i.e. via DNA Testing, Finger-Prints etc), unlike in the past with no use of technology. (EDWARDS 1994 131-50) Triumphs, achievements, mistakes and failures are what make up the study of history. Studying the history of Policing can be precious in many ways because it gives an insight into way the practices were carried out in the past and why they have changed or emerged over time. To value police history is to appreciate the development of what policing is now. vast example of policing history is protection against Indigenous cultures. Before the governing bodies where introduced after the massacre at Myall Creek, rights and social acceptance towards Aboriginal people were non existent, but dramatically changed after the conviction of 7 men of brutal killing of innocent Aboriginal people. The new rights have given the chance for Indigenous cultures to live as normal of live as possible and feel socially accepted thanks to changes of policing history and the way it differs from when the first fleet stepped foot on Australia's shores. Studying the history of policing allows one to appreciate how and why the police are the way it works today. Studying the history of policing embraces the way policing fits into day's society and highlights how lucky we are in terms of police protection compared to history of policing. I found visiting the museum gave me clear understanding of policing history and why society is the way it works today. In conclusion studying the history of policing was very important and valuable in order to understand how certain rules and laws came about in reference to policing and why they are in place now. (COOK 2001 107-19) What Kinds of Work Do the Police Do Complementing these qualitative studies of policing, are series of more quantitative research projects which aim to establish the relative importance of specific activities that constitute routine police work in urban areas. The somewhat surprising conclusion of many of early studies of this type was that, contrary to air popular image, the police appear to spend relatively little time on law enforcement and crime-related tasks. Sherman's assessment that "the vast majority of police man-hours (sic) are expended in activity having little to do with law enforcement, but much to do with social service and peace keeping was typical of Anglo-American studies of police patrol work carried out in the early 1970s. Indeed, Punch's study of policing in inner-city Amsterdam went as far as describing the police as 'secret social service'. More recent research, however, has questioned this conclusion on both theoretical and empirical grounds. (BENNETT 2001 1-14) The Police and the Control of Urban Crime Given the importance of crime-related tasks, the effectiveness of police in controlling crime is an