HUM 1200 Law Enforcement

Unit rationale, description, and aim
Crime and violence continue to be a major challenge in the Caribbean. The Eastern and Southern Caribbean (ESC) region struggles with high rates of interpersonal crime and violence, with violent crime rates among the highest in the world. Of the top 20 countries in the world with the highest murder rates, 17 are in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). While the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated the global homicide rate at 6.1 per 100,000 in 2017, homicide rates across the Caribbean are significantly higher (USAID, Y-RIE, 2022).

In September 2015, Caribbean countries endorsed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Goal 16 on peaceful, just, and inclusive societies. SDG 16 provides the guidelines for the equitable administration of justice with a specific target of ‘promoting the rule of law at the national and
international levels and ensuring access to justice for all. (United Nations Development Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean, 2020).

Real-world crime problems are tackled through policing. Knowledge and understanding of the historical origins of policing, how these have impacted on contemporary practice and organizational structures of policing, the scientific basis of hotspot policing, and the use of ‘problem-oriented’ policing are needed when considering real-world crime problems.

This course introduces the topic of policing through both a historical and contemporary context. It begins by helping participants build the knowledge and understanding needed to explain how the varying historical origins of policing have impacted contemporary practice and organizational structures of modern policing. This understanding is further elaborated by learning the scientific rationale for modern policing methods such as hotspot policing, Problem-oriented policing (POP), and community-based policing. Students will then develop their ability to apply their understanding to a real-world crime problem.

This course aims to develop participants' understanding of modern policing methods to apply this to real-world crime problems.

Credits: 10 Credit Hours

Prerequisites: Nil

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Describe key themes around the development of modern policing practice and the broader impact that each approach has on crime (GA2, GA5, GA9)

LO2 - Explain approaches to modern police practice (GA2, GA6, GA9)

LO3 - Apply understanding of contemporary policing methods to a real-world crime problem (GA1, GA2, GA6, GA7)

Graduate Attributes
GA1 - Demonstrate respect for the dignity of individual and human diversity

GA2 - Recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment, and society

GA5 - Demonstrate values, knowledge, skills, and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession

GA6 - Solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA7 - Work both autonomously and collaboratively

GA9 - Demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media

Content
Topics will include:

The evolution of policing
Comparative structures and styles of policing
The new plural policing
The standard model of policing
Community policing and Problem Oriented Policing (POP) Policing in Grenada and the Caribbean
Hot spot policing and third-party policing
Investigations
Policing diverse communities
Recruitment, management, and leadership
Accountability and regulation
The future of police practice and policy

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

This course comprises 150 hours of study in total. It will be taught over a 12-week semester, with one 2-hour lecture followed by a 1-hour tutorial each week of SGC Online 10-week asynchronous delivery mode. Other study components might include online webinars, podcasts, readings, discussion forums, etc. The balance of the hours is comprised of self-directed study.

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

1. Online multiple-choice/ short answer exam. Participants will be required to complete a short multiple-choice exam consisting of 20 questions covering the first 4 weeks of course content. This assessment will require them to identify key terms and meanings relating to key concepts presented in the unit.

2. Research Essay. This assessment requires participants to critically evaluate one contemporary approach to policing and its impact on outcomes for crime and the community. The research essay will allow participants to engage in the policing literature more broadly and demonstrate an understanding of policing strategies and evidence.

3. Report. Participants will apply their knowledge of policing practices through developing a policing response to a real-world crime problem. Participants will be required to use online resources to identify a specific crime problem in a geographical and temporal location and apply a suitable crime response.

Representative Texts, References, and Resources
Drew J, & Prenzler T, Contemporary police practice, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 2015.

Allard T, Understanding and preventing Indigenous offending, Indigenous Justice Clearinghouse, Sydney, 2010

Cordner G, & Beibel, Problem-oriented policing in practice. Criminology and Public Policy, 4(2), 155-180, 2005

Mazerolle L, & Ransley J, The case for third-party policing. In D. Weisburd & A. A, Braga (Eds), Police innovation: Contrasting perspectives. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2006

Mazerolle L, Antrobus E, Bennett S, & Tyler T R, Shaping citizen perceptions of police legitimacy: A randomized field trial of procedural justice. Criminology, 51(1), 33-63, 2013

Sutton A, Cherney A, White R, & Clancey G, Crime prevention: principles, perspectives and practices. Cambridge University Press, UK, 2021

Joyce P, Policing: Development & Contemporary Practice, 2011.

Paterson C & Pollock E, Policing and Criminology: Policing Matters Series, 2011.

Reisig M & Kane R, eds., The Oxford Handbook of Police and Policing, 2014.

Bowling B, Reiner R & Sheptycki J, The Politics of the Police, 5th edition, 2019.

Cunneen C, Conflict, Politics & Crime: Aboriginal Communities & the Police, 2001.

McLaughlin J & Muncie J, Controlling Crime, 2nd edition, 2001.

Stinson P, Criminology Explains Police Violence, 2020.

Loftus B, Police Culture in a Changing World, 2010.

Online Resources

The Rise of Evidence-Based Policing: Targeting, Testing, and Tracking

Community Policing