Climate change is now considered more than just an environmental issue, with far-reaching effects for society at large. While the exact implications of climate change for policing practice are still unknown, over the past two decades criminologists have anticipated that climate change will have a number of effects that will result in compromised safety and security. This article is informed by the outcome of a co-creation workshop with 16 practitioners and scholars of diverse backgrounds based in The Netherlands, who sought to conceptualize and systematize the existing knowledge on how climate change will most likely impact the professional practice of the Dutch (or any other) police. These challenges, with varying degrees of intensity, are observable at three main levels: the societal, organizational, and individual level. These levels cannot be separated neatly in practice but we use them as a structuring device, and to illustrate how dynamics on one level impact the others. This article aims to establish the precepts necessary to consider when exploring the intersection between climate change and policing. We conclude that much still needs to be done to ensure that the implications of climate change and the subject of policing are better aligned, and that climate change is recognized as an immediate challenge experienced on the ground and not treated as a distant, intangible phenomenon with possible future impacts. This starts with creating awareness about the possible ways in which it is already impacting the functioning of policing organizations, as well as their longer-term repercussions.
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This chapter discusses the artistic project Future Wake (2021) by Ahnjili Zhuparris and Tim van Ommeren that examines predictive policing. By shifting the focus from possible future crime offenders to possible future victims of fatal police encounters, using visual and affective means rather than expert knowledge and statistics, the artwork activates critical reflection on the politics and logics of predictive policing systems. The chapter first situates predictive policing in a context of securitization, and discusses how it enhances structures of discrimination. In the second part, Wevers interviews artist Zhuparris about the aims of Future Wake, discussing the artistic and technical process of creating the project, the politics of data, and the role of art in critical discussion on surveillance and AI.
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Predictive policing mag een veelbelovende ontwikkeling lijken, het is nog te vroeg om te spreken van een effectief middel. De wetenschap uit zich nogal eens kritisch over de effectiviteit en negatieve neveneffecten. Ook agenten die als eindgebruiker van CAS zijn geobserveerd en geïnterviewd in het kader van een masterscriptie, zijn sceptisch over de mate waarin een dergelijk systeem hen kan ondersteunen bij hun diverse werk.
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This document presents the findings of a study into methods that can help counterterrorism professionals make decisions about ethical problems. The study was commissioned by the Research and Documentation Centre (Wetenschappelijk Onderzoeken Documentatiecentrum, WODC) of the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice (Ministerie van Veiligheid en Justitie), on behalf of the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (Nationaal Coördinator Terrorismebestrijding en Veiligheid,NCTV). The research team at RAND Europe was complemented by applied ethics expert Anke van Gorp from the Research Centre for Social Innovation (Kenniscentrum Sociale Innovatie) at Hogeschool Utrecht. The study provides an inventory of methods to support ethical decision-making in counterterrorism, drawing on the experience of other public sectors – healthcare, social work, policing and intelligence – and multiple countries, primarily the Netherlands and the United Kingdom
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The dark web is creating difficulties for traditional policing. Previous studies have focused on users, but very little is known about law enforcement dealing with the core challenge of Anonymity Communication Networks: absent and anonymous suspects whose locations and identities are effectively hidden behind encryption. Based on 14 interviews with Dutch police officers and public prosecutors, enriched with a media analysis of 45 Dutch newspaper articles, we come to a model of Dutch law enforcement dealing with Tor cases. We observe that the police are adapting to the new reality of Tor use. However, they still work within their set framework which does not always match the needs for policing Tor cases. We additionally note a more prominent place for the strategy of disruption which may create the need for additional legal grounds.
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Full text beschikbaar met HU-account. Bespreking van: Barbara van Caem-Posch (2012). Buurtregie met mate. Over spanning tussen nabijheid en distantie in de relatie tussen politie en burgers. De conclusies en aanbevelingen vormen samen een soort ‘cliffhanger’. De lezer vraagt zich af of de verklaring voor de teleurstellende effecten van Amsterdamse buurtregie wellicht ook zijn toe te schrijven aan de weerbarstigheid van het implementeren van community policing in het algemeen. Het was mooi geweest om deze weging van community policing ter afsluiting in het licht van eerdere, empirische bevindingen te plaatsen. Temeer omdat de politiepraktijk blijft hameren op de invoer van community policing, terwijl er in de wetenschap consensus bestaat over de beperkte slagingskans van de implementatie van het concept (p. 24). Door de conclusies in een bredere context te plaatsen hadden wellicht een bredere praktijk en ook de academie nog van een smakelijk toetje kunnen worden voorzien. Want het proefschrift smaakt naar meer. Waar buitenstaanders maar weinig gelegenheid hebben om achter de coulissen van de politiepraktijk te kijken, wijst Van Caem ons in haar proefschrift vakkundig en analytisch de weg. Haar ruime ‘blauwe’ ervaring leidde tot een goed beschreven, academische weging van de Amsterdamse buurtregie op effectiviteit ten aanzien van burgerbetrokkenheid. Het is daarbij bewonderenswaardig hoe zij haar praktische betrokkenheid heeft weten om te zetten in een toegevoegde waarde voor haar academisch speurwerk. Amsterdamse buurtregie blijkt nog fikse moeite te hebben met de beoogde paradigmashift van lawfull policing naar community policing. Maar het resultaat van Van Caems paradigmawisseling naar de wetenschap mag er zijn. Haar proefschrift is voor zowel praktijkmensen als wetenschappers een leerzame studie en een nuttig naslagwerk geworden
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This is the introduction to a special issue on media and transgression, one of early cultural studies’ key terms. It inquires into the uses of transgression as a critical concept to query contemporary media culture which is discussed in six case studies: on political satire, Mukbang, cult drama, the policing of film piracy, media scandals, and online trolls. Transgression points to the energy that fuels the media ecology – from content and content production to audience practices and the policing of content ownership. It is the (conscious) overstepping of moral and legal boundaries, that challenges written and unwritten rules. The frisson of rule breaking and the reward of rule re-establishment (whether by powerful parties or everyday gossip) are transgression’s bookends. Together they support the cyclical rhythm of media culture that maintains not just our interest as viewers but our interests and connectedness as citizens, whether in celebration, outrage or condemnation.
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There are few studies of stalking recidivism and none examining risk factors for recidivistic stalking of the same victim versus a different victim. Data from 70 clients of Dutch community forensic mental health clinics was used to investigate the prevalence of stalking recidivism, risk factors, and any potential protective effect of psychological treatment. Over 50% were again reported to police for stalking over two years, including 21% who stalked a new victim. No risk factors were significantly related to future stalking and psychological treatment was unrelated to recidivism. Possible explanations for these findings and directions for future research are discussed.
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This paper proposes and showcases a methodology to develop an observational behavior assessment instrument to assess psychological competencies of police officers. We outline a step-by-step methodology for police organizations to measure and evaluate behavior in a meaningful way to assess these competencies. We illustrate the proposed methodology with a practical example. We posit that direct behavioral observation can be key in measuring the expression of psychological competence in practice, and that psychological competence in practice is what police organizations should care about. We hope this paper offers police organizations a methodology to perform scientifically informed observational behavior assessment of their police officers’ psychological competencies and inspires additional research efforts into this important area.
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In policing, Virtual Reality scenario-based training (VR SBT) is being explored to complement real-life scenario-based training (RL SBT). We investigated whether relevant training responses in VR SBT, namely heart rate (HR), level of physical activity, mental effort, and perceived stress, resemble those in RL SBT. Utilizing a within-subject study design, we investigated the training responses of 237 police officers of the Dutch National Police. We found that the maximum HR and average level of physical activity were significantly higher in RL SBT, whereas invested mental effort was significantly higher in VR SBT. No significant differences were found in average HR and perceived stress. We also found that perceived stress in VR was predicted by participants’ VR experiences such as engagement with VR and experience of negative effects, but not by participant characteristics. Participants’ mental effort in VR was predicted by their VR experiences and participant characteristics, particularly gaming frequency. In conclusion, VR SBT can elicit perceived stress, mental effort, and average HR that resemble or exceed responses in RL SBT, providing a promising tool to complement police training.
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