I believe that it is not accurate to describe the work of the police as ‘crime fighting’ because this is a popular “myth” (Reiner) about policing. This has been perpetuated by the portrayal of police in the media, and by what police culture and the public think the work of an officer should entail. Even the Home office in 2010, stated that “Police officers should be crime fighters not form writers” I believe that the work of the police fulfils multiple different functions. Policing is not simply law enforcement; it is also about the maintenance of order in society.
I believe that the work of the police can be better described as “order maintenance” (Reiner) Policing isn’t just about catching the offenders, but instead maintaining order in society so that crimes don’t occur in the first place. Officers respond to where they are needed, and this isn’t necessarily linked to crime. Traffic officers maintain order by enforcing traffic laws to ensure the road safety of drivers. Moreover, in the UK only 20-25% of phone calls are actually about a crime having occurred. (Bayley 1994). A lot of the work that police officers carry out such as, noise complaints and first aid, is arguably fulfilling a social service role. Punch called the police a “secret social service” The scope of police work is seemingly limitless and very little time is actually spent on responding to crime. They’re a listening and counselling service, as well as having their responsibilities regarding crime fighting. Some people just phone the police because they are lonely, and this is arguably a role of the police that could be better fulfilled by social services.
Additionally, a key feature of police work is discretion. Law enforcement is selective, so the police have to prioritise the interpretation of laws and public interest. Instead of being the crime fighters as seen on TV or in the media. They under enforcing the law wherever possible. Officers have the ability to enforce the law and arrest people, but rarely do so. Peaceful methods such as a caution are employed instead. In some instances, even the presence of the police is enough to stop a crime. Gov.UK in 2018/19 found that the overall arrest rate is 16% in the UK and in the USA in 1990, officers only made on average 19 arrests a year. Both figures lower than expected in comparison with the stereotype of the police. The UK Home Office even stated, “The main job of the police is to catch criminals” in 1993. Officers are instead ‘peace officers’ working alongside informal social controls to maintain order. Relatively little of a policeman’s time is spent enforcing the law in the sense of arresting offenders, far more time is spent “keeping the peace” (Punch 1979). However, they still have to be ready to shift into action, which is why a significant amount of police time is spent on patrolling. A study by Bayley in 1994, found that 56% of officers in the UK are assigned to patrol work. While patrol work is considered boring it doesn’t mean it is pointless.
More focus on police work is actually on patrolling rather than ‘crime fighting’ Patrolling isn’t arguably the most effective, but it still helps. In the work of criminologist Estelle Clayton in 2017, she found that police work is predominately stop and search. This is a preventative measure taken. In 2018/19 Gov.UK found a 32% increase in the practice of stop and search, foregrounding that it forms a significant part of police work. There were 370,454 stops and searches conducted by police in England and Wales, but only 58,251 led to an arrest. The data from the Gov.UK also found that overall, stops of BAME individuals have increased by 34%. Therefore, the effectiveness of stop and search is debatable, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups seem to be disproportionately targeted through this preventive measure of crime control.
Additionally, a predominate part of policing is actually administration. Home Office statistics from 2018/19, highlighted an increase by 22% in the amount of time police officers spend on paperwork. Ultimately less time is spent fighting crime with more time on paperwork and patrolling. Again, completely different to the media’s portrayal.
However, with an increasing prison population, something has to be done to stop crime. Ministry of Justice UK found in 2018/19 40% of adult offenders convicted for an indictable offence had long criminal careers. Something has to be done by the police to tackle crime. Therefore, part of their job is ‘crime fighting’. Additionally, a considerable portion of police work is patrolling but this isn’t the most effective. The HMIC in 2010 found that only 11% of police are visibly available to the public at any one time. Officers should be more visible, as their job is to respond to emergencies of the public. On average only 15% of time is devoted to criminal investigation by police around the world. (Audit Commission 1996).
Despite this I believe that while not being crime fighters, the work of the police is still extremely important and beneficial to society, as highlighted through the current situation in the world because of the coronavirus. Society has the ability to become extremely disordered, therefore the role of the police in maintaining the order is crucial. In the UK, the police have shown their ability to adapt, and at the moment their focus is to maintain order and ensure the safety of the public. Officers have wide-ranging powers to enforce lockdown measures, with the ability to fine members of the public, highlighting their role to maintain order and control.