October 2024 - Suspect and Offender Management

ONLINE LEARNING

BEGIN

Suspect and Offender Management

Cohort 10 - October 2024

ONLINE LEARNING

This module must be completed to comply with the Police Constable Entry Programme (PECP) curriculum on the National Graduate Leadership Programme.The module should take around 90 minutes to complete and does not need to completed all at once. You can return to the module as often as you like.Please complete this module by Thursday 28th November 2024.

TRIGGER WARNING

Today we will be learning and talking about suspect and offender management.​ Some of the content may be emotive and for some may cause upset and distress. ​​ Please look after yourselves during this online learning.​​ ​ We are here if you need to talk.

PCEP OBJECTIVES

• Explain how understanding the stages of offending is beneficial to policing practice

• Engage in effective partnership working in relation to offender rehabilitation

• Apply procedures for managing suspects and offenders, and recording significant information

Understanding key terms associated with suspect and offender management

Suspect and offender management

KEY TERMS

Importance of understanding potential theories as to why a person may commit offences

• Motivations for offending
• Psychology of an offender’s use of position of authority to commit offences e.g., sexual offences

Suspect and offender management

POTENTIAL THEORIES

There are various ways to explain the causes of crime and as frontline officers, you are familiar with the concept of crime, defined as an act that violates the law. This section will focus on criminality, which refers to an individual's propensity to engage in criminal behaviour, taking into account a range of factors and influences. A key debate among criminologists centres on whether criminal behaviour is driven by nature (biological factors) or nurture (environmental factors). In this section we will explore these theories in more detail, considering how they may influence your operational role and interactions with suspects and offenders.

• Biological theories
• Behavioural theories
• Psychological theories
• Sociological theories

Suspect and offender management

BIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES

Biological theories suggest that criminal behaviour may stem from brain abnormalities and neurochemical imbalances which can influence aggression, impulsivity, and decision-making. On the other hand, Psychological theories propose that criminal behaviour results from individual psychological factors, such as personality disorders and learned behaviours. Click each of the icons below to find out more.

Brain abnormality

Brain damage

Neurotransmitters

Social learning theory

Mental disorders

Biological

Psychological

Suspect and offender management

Sociological theories suggest that criminal behaviour is influenced by social factors such as culture, environment, and peer relationships. These theories emphasize the role of socioeconomic status, social disorganization, and learned behaviours within communities. They argue that crime arises from societal structures, inequalities, and interactions, rather than individual characteristics alone. Click each of the icons below to find out more.

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES

Social learning theory

Strain theory

Labelling

Suspect and offender management

CASE STUDY: Aaron Hernandez

CASE STUDY: Ian Brady

CASE STUDY: County Lines

We will now explore more explanatory models that specifically apply to policing.

Suspect and offender management

MOTIVATIONS FOR OFFENDING

Rational Choice Theory, suggests that criminals use similar thought processes as non-criminals when making decisions in their everyday lives (Wilson, 1996). According to this theory, crimes are more likely to occur when they are perceived as easy to commit and when the potential rewards are deemed significant enough to outweigh the risks (Cornish and Clarke, 1986).

Routine Activity Theory, (Felson, 2002) suggests that crime occurs when three key elements converge: a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a guardian. Criminal opportunities arise when these components coincide.

Absence of guardian

Motivated offender

Suitable target

Crime

People commit sexual offences for a variety of reasons, often driven by complex psychological, social, and situational factors. Some offenders may have deep-seated issues like distorted sexual fantasies, power and control desires, or unresolved trauma. Sexual offences can be linked to the exploitation of authority when offenders misuse their position of power to manipulate, control, or exploit vulnerable individuals. This dynamic is often seen in cases where perpetrators use their influence over subordinates to coerce or take advantage of them. The imbalance of power gives offenders leverage, making victims more reluctant or unable to resist or report the abuse.

Suspect and offender management

Spotting the behavioural signs of predatory offending in the night-time economy

USE OF AUTHORITY IN SEXUAL CRIME

Suspect and offender management

By understanding these motivations, policing can implement targeted interventions that address the root causes of crime within communities. Click on the images below to see police practice using knowledge of offending motivations.

Turning Point – the street outreach service

BENEFITS FOR POLICING PRACTICE

Altering lighting in an alleyway to reduce anti-social behaviour (ASB)

Question

Question

Question

The stages of offending and their influence on policing practice

Post-offence behaviour

Commission of the offence

Decisionmaking

1

2

3

STAGES OF OFFENDING

4

5

6

Opportunity

Initial motivation

These include personal, social, or environmental influences, such as upbringing, socio-economic status, or peer pressure, which may increase the likelihood of offending.Consider some of the theories we've looked at so far.

The individual develops a desire or reason to commit the crime, influenced by factors like financial need, thrill-seeking, or malicious intent.

A situation presents itself that allows the individual to commit the offence, such as a vulnerable victim or lack of security.At this point there may be a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a guardian (Routine Activities Theory), or an assessment of the risk-reward ratio, and a choice to engage in certain behaviour has taken place.

Background factors

The offender assesses risks, rewards, and consequences before choosing to commit the crime (Rational Choice Theory).

The crime is carried out.

Suspect and offender management

Post-offence behaviour refers to how an individual reacts following the commission of a crime, which may include actions such as:

• fleeing the scene
• concealing evidence
• attempting to justify their actions to themselves or others.

The aftermath of the offence significantly influences the potential for reoffending; depending on the circumstances, the offender may continue to engage in criminal behaviour, seek reform, or face prosecution. In the next topic we will look at strategies to reduce or prevent offending and the importance of partnership working in tackling offending behaviour.

POST OFFENCE BEHAVIOUR

Suspect and offender management

1

2

Action - Police can iinitiate police prevention strategies to interrupt the stages so that future offending can be reduced. The knowledge of how crimes typically unfold helps allocate resources effectively, focusing on high risk areas and times.

3

Profiling and behaviour analysis - it allows the police to create profiles for potential offenders, improving the ability to anticipate and respond to crimes before they occur.

Community engagement - police educating the public about these stages can foster community involvement in crime prevention, encouraging residents to report suspicious behaviours that indicate early stages of offending.

INFLUENCE ON POLICING PRACTICE

Question

Role of the Youth Offender Service and Youth Justice Board and other agencies in diverting young people away from crime

Suspect and offender management

YOUTH JUSTICE BOARD (YJB)

The YJB has a Child First approach which aims to address the offending behaviour of children within the youth justice system as well as preventing offending by those children who are more liekly to enter the system. The Child First apporach means that all youth justice services . . .

Promote a childhood removed from the justice system

Diverting from stigma

Encourage active participantion and social inclusion

Collaborating with children

Promote children's individual strengths

Building pro-social identity

Prioritise the best interests of children

As children

Click here to see YJB Chair Keith Fraser setting out the YJB Strategic Plan 2024 - 2027

Suspect and offender management

YOTs are part of your local council and are separate from the police and the courts. They can help with:

• supporting young people who encounter legal issues
• preventing further criminal behaviour.
• assessing each young person's background to tailor assistance effectively.

YOT activities include running local crime prevention programs, providing support during police arrests, assisting families in court, supervising community service sentences, and maintaining contact with those sentenced to custody.

YOUTH OFFENDING TEAMS (YOTs)

Suspect and offender management

YOUTH OFFENDING TEAMS (YOTs)

Reducing the possibility of offending (including radicalisation), or re-offending

• Identifying repeat patterns/problem solving
• 'What works' in tackling repeat offending, or reducing the reoccurance and/or seriousness of repeat victimisation
• Importance of targeted and effective situational problem solving and preventative policing

Suspect and offender management

PARTNERSHIP WORKING TO IDENTIFY REPEAT OFFENDING AND SOLVE PROBLEMS

Police collaborate with various partners such as:

• community organisations
• local businesses
• local agencies

Collaboration can help to to identify repeat patterns of offending and develop effective problem-solving strategies. This approach can:

• enhance data sharing
• leverage community insights
• foster comprehensive crime prevention initiatives

Suspect and offender management

Suspect and offender management

HOT SPOTS

Using mapping technology to improve briefings about hotspot patrols

When identifying repeat offending, some elements of crime can be classified as "hot," referring to those that frequently occur and warrant attention. Crime is not distributed evenly across space. Hot spots are locations particularly prone to crime, such as railway stations, shopping centres, and cash machines. Eck et al. (2017) describe these crime concentrations as "naturally occurring," reflecting a general tendency for crime to be concentrated in specific areas.Hot offenders are a small number of individuals responsible for a significant portion of criminal activity. Research, including work by Marinez et al. (2017), indicates that crime is highly concentrated among a minority of offenders.

Additionally, studies on repeat victimisation highlight that prolific offenders may contribute disproportionately to repeated crimes against the same target.

The College of Policing's What Works Centre for Crime Reduction and Practice bank can serve as valuable resources for you. These platforms provide evidence-based insights and best practices derived from research and will enable you to implement proven stratgies which can be tailored to your communities.The next few pages will cover strategies to assist with reducing reoffending and repeat victimisation.

Suspect and offender management

'WHAT WORKS' IN TACKLING REPEAT OFFENDING AND REPEAT VICTIMISATION

Suspect and offender management

IOM began as a collaboration between police, probation, and other agencies to address persistent offending. Launched as the Prolific and Persistent Offender (PPO) programme in 2002, it targeted individuals with six or more convictions, aiming to reduce volume crime through rehabilitation. In 2009, PPO was incorporated into IOM, broadening the focus to include offenders at higher risk of serious harm, such as those involved in domestic violence or gang activity.

IOM enhances effectiveness by promoting information sharing, stakeholder engagement, and avoiding duplication of efforts, fostering a unified approach to persistent and serious offending.

INTEGRATED OFFENDER MANAGEMENT (IOM)

Suspect and offender management

Radicalisation involves vulnerable individuals being drawn into extremist ideologies that provide them with a sense of belonging and purpose. Extremist groups often use tactics that emphasize community, family, and a mission for the greater good, making their messages appealing. To combat this, strategies like Prevent serve as early interventions aimed at countering radical ideologies and minimising the risk of terrorism. Click on the video to find out more about how Prevent works.

PREVENT

Suspect and offender management

CSPs, established by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, unite local agencies to develop strategies addressing crime, disorder, and antisocial behaviour. The core responsible authorities within CSPs include the police, fire and rescue services, local authorities, health partners, members of the community, and the Probation Service. CSPs recognise that no single organisation can tackle all the causes of crime and antisocial behaviour. There are over 300 CSPs across England and Wales, operating at district, unitary, or borough levels.

COMMUNITY SAFETY PARTNERSHIPS (CSPs)

Suspect and offender management

COMMUNITY SAFETY PARTNERSHIPS

Each local authority will have priorties related to their area.Click the location markers and read more about them.

Anti-social behaviour in hotspot area of Guildford eradicated by Police Now officer

Suspect and offender management

ACTIVITY

Question

PCEP OBJECTIVES

• Explain how understanding the stages of offending is beneficial to policing practice

• Engage in effective partnership working in relation to offender rehabilitation

• Apply procedures for managing suspects and offenders, and recording significant information

Potential impacts of other interventions and diversions including; reparative, rehabilitative and restorative or punitive justice on reoffending

Suspect and offender management

PUNITIVE JUSTICE

OTHER INTERVENTIONS FOR REOFFENDING

Click here to see an explanation of Restorative Justice

REPARATIVE

REHABILITATIVE

A rehabilitative approach emphasises the reintegration of offenders into society by addressing the root cause of criminal behaviour. This can include practices such as therapy, substance abuse programmes, probation and life skills development.

A reparative apporach to reduce reoffending focuses on repairing the harm caused by the crime rather than solely punshing the offender. This can include practices such as Restorative Justice (RJ), where offenders engage with victims to understand the impact of their actions and take responsibility.

Punitive justice focuses on punishment as a response to crime, emphasisng deterrence and retribution rather than rehabilitation. Examples can include imprisonment and fines and penalties.

PCEP OBJECTIVES

• Explain how understanding the stages of offending is beneficial to policing practice

• Engage in effective partnership working in relation to offender rehabilitation

• Apply procedures for managing suspects and offenders, and recording significant information

Identifying/detaining suspects if still at scene

Suspect and offender management

Trace Interview Eliminate (TIE) originates from major incident investigations, aimed at identifying and eliminating potential suspects. Some police forces may use different terms, such as Trace Implicate Eliminate, but these variations do not alter the core procedures involved in TIE enquiries (for detail, click on each stage of the diagram). The goal is to systematically narrow down suspects in a structured manner to support the investigation.

TRACE INTERVIEW ELIMINATE (TIE) STRATEGY

Conduct TIE enquiries

Establish elimination criteria

Set TIE paramaters for suspects and time

Populate and prioritise a TIE category

Construct a TIE category

Manage not eliminated TIE subjects

Identifying, assessing and managing of perpetrators of offences and risks posed by suspects/ potential abusers

Suspect and offender management

PERPETRATORS OF OFFENCES

Police identify, assess and manage pereprators of offences using structured processes such as:1. Identification - you can gather reports, including crime reports and complaints, investigate and gather intelligence. 2. Assess - you can use risk assessment tools and vulnerability assessments. Make sure to consider the crime type e.g., use of weapons or threats3. Manage - you can use offender management programmes, interventions, monitoring and collaboration with partners.

Processes for managing offenders and suspects, including those who are vulnerable

Suspect and offender management

Police can use several processes to manage suspects and offenders including:

• Arrest and detention

• Charge and bail
• Risk assessment and management e.g., offender monitoring teams and rehabilitation programmmes

• Ongoing monitoring e.g., probation
• Data sharing and intelligence e.g., partnership working to prevent crime and enhance public safety

Click the link to the right to see how PC Morgan managed young perpetrators in her area.

MANAGING SUSPECTS AND OFFENDERS

100% reduction in anti-social behaviour: Brierley Hill police officer nominated for national award

Click here to see how the Metropolitan Police Service use the Violent Harm Assessment to identify and risk assess violent and harmful individuals in London

HOME OFFICE GUIDANCE

Suspect and offender management

MANAGING VULNERABLE PEOPLE

CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Both the Youth Justice Board and Youth Offending Teams take a child centred approach and can be utilised to support young offenders and suspects.

Click the icon above to read the Home office guidance on how to support vulnerable people who encounter the police, including suspects and offenders. This guidance focuses on adults with mental ill-health, learning disabilities or substance misuse problems.

ACTIVITY

Read through one of the profiles below.Identify the vulnerabilities and consider an appropriate intervention.

Frankie Hill

Fiona Shaw

Cameron Wright

ABOUT

Frankie is 15 years old and is the primary carer for his elderly grandmother who struggles to leave their council bungalow. Frankie often misses school and when he does he is repeatedly in trouble with his teachers for acting out in lessons. His teachers have also reported that he often smells like cannabis and is disorientated in class. He spends break times alone, sitting on his phone. This week during history, while learning about sufragettes, he made a derogatory comment about women.

Frankie

Consider Frankie's behaviour and if any interventions can be made.

ABOUT

Fiona is 14 and lives with her mum and four younger siblings who she often looks after while her mum works. This mean she often misses school. She has an older boyfriend (17) who she met through her current group of friends. She has been brought in several times by officers after joining in harassing an elderly man who lives alone, alongside her boyfriend and group of friends. This has included writing "nonce" on his door and posting dog waste through his letterbox.

Fiona

Consider Fiona's behaviour and if any interventions can be made.

ABOUT

Cameron is 13 years old and lives with his mum and dad in Croydon. His dad has recently been made redundant and his mum has taken up two jobs to support the family. His teachers have reported concerns to his parents due to Cameron's repeated abseentism. His friends have confided in the school safeguarding lead that Cameron often visits different places during the week on the train and brags that "all he has to do is drop a bag to a randomer and he gets new stuff".

Cameron

Consider Cameron's behaviour and if any interventions can be made.

Module complete!

Your next online learning topic will be:

• Community Policing and Partnership Working

Social Learning Theory, developed by Albert Bandura, explains criminal behaviour as learned through observation and imitation of others, particularly role models such as family, peers, or media figures. Individuals learn both the techniques of committing crimes and the justifications for such actions by observing those who engage in criminal behaviour. Reinforcement, either direct (e.g., rewards for the crime) or vicarious (e.g., seeing others benefit from crime), strengthens this behaviour.

Social Learning Theory

Neurotransmitters, the brain’s chemical messengers, play a key role in regulating mood, behaviour, and impulse control, influencing criminal behavior. Imbalances in certain neurotransmitters are linked to aggression and antisocial behavior. For example, low serotonin levels are associated with increased impulsivity, aggression, and difficulty controlling emotions, which may lead to violent or criminal acts. Dopamine, involved in the brain's reward system, can drive risk-taking and reward-seeking behaviors, potentially contributing to criminal activity.

Neurotransmitters

H0

H0

The YJB Strategic Plan 2024 - 2027

Adrian Raine et al.'s (1997) research focuses on the biological underpinnings of criminal behaviour, particularly the role of brain abnormalities. Studies have highlighted how structural and functional differences in the brain, especially in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, are associated with increased aggression and impulsivity, key traits in criminal behavior.

Brain abnormality

Ministry of Justice video about Restorative Justice

Brain injuries and tumors can lead to criminal behavior by impairing regions of the brain that regulate emotions, decision-making, and impulse control. Damage to the prefrontal cortex, which governs self-control, judgment, and social behavior, is particularly associated with increased aggression and impulsivity.

Brain Damage

Phineas Gage was a railroad worker who survived a severe brain injury in 1848 when an iron rod pierced his skull, damaging his prefrontal cortex. The injury drastically changed his personality, making him impulsive and aggressive, providing early evidence of the brain's role in regulating behavior and emotions.

Disorders such as Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can contribute to criminal behaviour. Individuals with NPD may commit crimes like fraud or violence due to entitlement and lack of empathy and those with BPD may engage in impulsive, reckless acts during emotional crises.

Mental Disorders

However, not everyone with disorders engages in crime, and societal stigma often exaggerates the link between personality disorders and criminality, overlooking the importance of treatment and support in reducing criminality.

Developed by R.K. Merton in the 1930s, this theory explains how societal structures pressure individuals to engage in deviant behaviour, including crime. Society sets cultural goals (like financial success) and legitimate means (like education) to achieve them. When individuals lack access to these means, they experience strain. In response, they may adapt through conformity (accepting both goals and means) and innovation (accepting goals but using illegitimate means).

Strain theory

The theory emphasizes the role of social structures in influencing criminal behaviour.

Howard Becker explores how societal labels influence individual behaviour, particularly in relation to crime. When individuals are labelled as "criminals" or "deviants," they may internalise this label, leading to further criminal behaviour. The theory distinguishes between primary deviance (initial rule-breaking) and secondary deviance (where individuals embrace the label). Being labelled can result in stigmatisation, limiting opportunities for employment and social relationships, reinforcing a cycle of deviance.The theory also highlights that individuals with power may evade labelling, while marginalized groups are more likely to be labelled and punished, emphasizing the role of societal reactions in crime.

Labelling Theory

J.Q. Wilson and G.L. Kelling (1982), suggest that visible signs of disorder, such as broken windows and graffiti, can lead to increased crime. The theory proposes that neglecting minor offenses creates an environment where criminal behaviour is tolerated, escalating to more serious crimes. It emphasizes the importance of community involvement in maintaining order and fostering collective responsibility.

Broken Windows Theory

This theory has influenced policing strategies, advocating for zero-tolerance policies to address minor offences. It has also raised concerns about over-policing and its disproportionate impact on marginalized communities.