London Metropolitan Police: Research Proposal on COVID-19 and Crime

This research proposal addresses the London Metropolitan Police's call for research into the relationship between COVID-19 and crime in London. It outlines the aims and objectives of a proposed survey to investigate changes in public perceptions of crime, the impact of the pandemic on different types of crime, and public satisfaction with the Metropolitan Police's response. The proposal includes research questions, a literature review discussing the impact of COVID-19 on the justice system, and considerations for building an inclusive and diverse workforce within law enforcement. It also addresses ethical and practical issues related to conducting research during the pandemic, including the impact on law enforcement agencies and investigation procedures. The document includes a sample questionnaire with both quantitative and qualitative questions designed to gather relevant data for the research.

Researching Crime And
Justice

TOPIC..............................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................4
Aims and objectives.....................................................................................................................4
COVID19 and justice within a society........................................................................................5
Strategies for building an inclusive and diverse workforce.........................................................6
Explain how you have dealt with ethical and practical issues.....................................................8
Ethical and practical concerns.....................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFRENCES.................................................................................................................................11

TOPIC
“ As current situation of COVID 19 changes has been made within crime and
justice”. So, interrelation between them is covered in this research.
INTRODUCTION
As in modern world various changes has been taking place within society that has made
crime to emerge in a society or country. This has disturbed peace and order of society by
introducing unproductive activity within society. It has leaded to make a country develop
negative aspects due to crime committed by people. Due to development of COVID 19 various
kinds of process has changed drastically and society has seek law makers bring amendment
within UK. People have shifted to safer manner to catch criminals. COVID has played very
important role effective role in shifting of criminals and has led to be specified about capturing
only main criminal. This makes development of a new trend to provide justice and punish
criminal. Under it a criminal is being punished or sentenced through various modes of
technology. Due to COVID certain process of justice has stopped also. This has increased
innovation to be developed in the field of justice. It has helped judicial system to perform its
work with more transparency. Such kind of thing has a very important role that makes goals and
objective to be achieved. Police force of UK is making certain methods to be enhanced which
provide quick justice. All the process and orders given by government is being followed by
them. This research is based on crime and justice in relation to COVID 19.
MAIN BODY
Aims and objectives
In this crime and justice is been dealt in relation to COVID 19 that has impacted process of
justice drastically. It has brought dynamic changes in ways of providing justice. Also hearing and
proceeding ways has changed. COVID made it very difficult to ensure that criminals are being
punished while serving justice in proper manner. This has lead over making law makers ad law
professional think upon rebuilding of justice system. It resulted into development of alternative
upon providing justice. Also criminal proceeding has become more time consuming and slow.

Decision making upon various kinds of important procedures is changed within a legal system of
UK. It has made lawmakers show strong commitments to making a country come back over the
track in terms of legal justice. All kinds of cases is being deal with more effectiveness to serve
justice to citizens in fastest manner possible. This makes all law makers attain a sense of justice
while keeping in mind the present situation. Lot of discussions has taken place upon various
kinds’ aspects of justice and how the system has to be revived again. All of this has to be done to
enhance and make strong pattern to be developed. Also various issues and dispute occurring
during the process of changes to be made within the process of justice. Also dispute and issues
that has been occurring in an organization is required to be solved by the law makers to make
positive environment within the courts (Jones, 2019).
Aim: “Is to identify the importance of COVID 19 in terms of justice and how changes has
been made in justice system”. The research is based over COVID 19 and Justice
Objectives:
a) For identifying impact of COVID 19 over justice in an country
b) In this justice has to be explored with COVID 19 and police role within it
c) To explore ways for promoting justice and develop a healthy environment in the country
keeping COVD 19 in mind.
d) To understand about challenges that has accrued due to pandemic and how it has changed
ways of providing justice.
Research Questions:
1. Have there been any changes in the public perceptions of crime since lockdown? Do they
think that crime has increased/ decreased?
2. How have different types of crime been affected by the pandemic?
3. Is the public satisfied with the way the Metropolitan Police have policed the pandemic?
Literature Review
COVID19 and justice within a society
As per(Sytsma, and Laming, 2019)COVID-19 and the related lockdown restrictions are
placing the UK criminal justice system under considerable pressure. In the public sector, law
enforcement agencies (LEAs), the courts and the prison system are having to adapt rapidly in
response and, like the rest of the country, to adopt unprecedented measures to continue to
progress their work. In the private sector, businesses need to be alert to developing fraud risks,

both of fraud directly related to COVID-19, and of fraud facilitated by novel working patterns.
Key developments that has taken place within an justice due to COVID19 has been given as
follows:
 Investigations and police powers: LEAs have already adopted new process and
procedures in relation to conducting investigations. The Crown Prosecution Service
(CPS) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) have issued an interim interview
protocol which seeks to avoid unnecessary in-person interviews.
 The Police have been granted additional COVID-19 specific powers to deal with people
who breach the current restrictions; they can instruct people to go home, leave an area or
disperse. However, their new responsibilities will likely stretch Police resources, which
may be diverted from (non-COVID-19 related) fraud and economic crime.
 A number of changes have been made to the oversight of LEAs and intelligence agencies,
including the appointment of Judicial Commissioners, issue of urgent warrants and
retention of biometric data, designed to minimize COVID-19 related disruption (Jackson,
2019).
 Prosecution: The CPS and the NPCC have formally categorized serious fraud cases and
complex investigations as low priority, in a new interim charging protocol.
 Criminal proceedings: New legislation widens the scope for criminal proceedings to be
conducted remotely by video or audio link. However, jury trials are not within scope of
the amendments and new jury trials have been delayed indefinitely until the safety of
court attendees can be ensured. Many pre-existing jury trials have been brought to a halt
due to COVID-19.
 Prisons: Prisoners posing a low risk of harm to the public are being considered for early
release.
 Sanctions/export control: The EU has issued restrictions relating to the export of
personal protective equipment. The US has issued specific guidance on the humanitarian
exemptions in respect of Iran sanctions.

Strategies for building an inclusive and diverse workforce
As law has been enhancing day by day and COVID 19 has played very important role in
developing various kinds of laws. So it has enhanced business laws also to make sure that frauds
is not committed by an organization or business entity. That is the reason that there is wide
spread of agreement within LEA that COVID result in increase in frauds. Already this has been
increasing various kinds of crime related to corporate has increased due to COVID 19. It has
been reported that scammer has been posing as charities has been selling. This has made
government of UK release about the requirement of emergency assistance program. In order to
control the fraud new amendments were done in the LEA and also new working practices were
embedded. As in modern scenario various kinds of crime has been emerging like Cybercrime,
hacking and other forms of technological crime. This is fear and threat to corporate world and
business organizations. It going to lead over making LEAs as well as business to be focused to
deal with complicated and legal issues. Situation of pandemic has resulted into making
complexity to arise within the corporate world. So, risk has been generated within the process of
justice within these crime as work process has been very slow which results into delay of
judgments to be passed in a case. Cases are being heard within the restriction applied by the
government of UK. Various other problems has arisen like important documents cannot be
submitted on time which makes filing of case to be slow. That is why crimes has increase in
every sector. As per the scenario crime has taken place more after COCID 19 has happened. It
has resulted into creating distress within society.
Advantages of having inclusive and diverse workforce
In this changing world COVID 19 has arisen in such a manner that crime has increased
and justice has not been served. This is has happened in such a way that police of various kinds
of states in UK has been struggling over dealing with crimes and are searching for new ways to
deal and punish criminals (Freiberg, 2019). Various kinds of new technologies is required to be
introduce by London Metropolitan Police and for the purpose to control crime. This purpose only
a survey is conducted by the police. For this purpose only a questionnaire has to be prepared by
them. It is going to help in understanding about the spread of crime after COVID 19. This helps
in enhancing techniques to deal with crimes. The questionnaire is based on general and

competent questions also. It has been developing a various kinds of circumstances and this
questionnaire has to deal with various questions to be answered.
Questionnaire
Quantitative questions
Q1) What is your gender?
a) Male
b) Female
Q2) What is your age?
a) 18-34
b) 34- 50
Q3) What is your ethnicity?
a) With British
b) Asian
Q4) What is your sexuality?
a) Gay
b) Heterosexual
Q5) Do you thinks crime has increased after COVID-19?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Does know about it
Q6) Has police been performing there duty with fairness and truthful manner?
a) Yes
b) NO
c) Have no idea
Q7) Police is able to investigate a particular matter of heinous crime in proper manner?
a) Yes
b) No
c) No opinion
Q8) Police is able to promote better connectivity in terms of crime?

a) Strongly Agree
b) Strongly disagree
c) Partly Agree
Q9) Police used technology in right manner to get connected and help individual?
a) Agree
b) Does not agreed
c) Never Observed
Q10) Does police show interest in listening to eyewitnesses?
a) Agree
b) Does not agree
Q11) What has people noticed about behavior of police within the time of lockdown?
a) Yes
b) No
Qualitative questions
Q12) Strategies that is being required by police to solve the problem of increasing crime?
a) Investigation process
b) Court proceedings and judiciary trials.
Q13) Recommendation
Explain how you have dealt with ethical and practical issues
Practical impact on LEAs: Police National Crime Agency staff and has been holding
with national security roles that is classified. Bounds that has been impacted from this in current
restrictions. Employees may travel to work but cannot do work from home. They are required to
maintain social distancing and is kept under forced isolation. Attending over childcare or look
after members of their families. Anecdotally, many LEAs are not well-equipped for staff to work
from home and the transition will, no doubt, cause difficulties, as indeed it has for many
businesses. Some of the aspects has explained about investigation procedures that is been
affected due to the pandemic. Experiences has been changing and suggesting variances that has

taken place between police force and criminal. The protocol was also dismissed and
implementation of various kinds of restrictions resulted in gaining crime rate to be high. Also the
change in scenario resulted into making crime increase within a country. Thus implementation of
investigation process was not proper. Experience to date suggests that there will be some
variances between different police forces as to how this protocol is implemented and, more
generally, as to how social distancing will be achieved in the context of investigatory work. In
this situation also various kinds of department has been using different method and has been
using them to fight with crime in more effective and impactful manner. This resulted into making
police to develop various kinds of new ways and generating method which resulted into
restricting of crime.
Further it has impacted judiciary and various process that is involved in it. Due to this
academic courts were closed for a very long time. This has resulted into increasing burden over
court and has made cases to pile up. When courts reopened all safety measures issued by the
higher authority has to be followed within various kinds of courts this made difficult for the
courts to deal with such kind of restriction. It shifted to online mode of conferencing that made
the process of proceeding to continue its work. In present scenario it become very difficult to
make proceedings handled. The Act has expanded the use of live video/audio links so that
eligible criminal proceedings (such as extradition hearings, applications for restraint and case
management hearings) can continue, subject to certain safeguards. However, some hearings have
been deemed inappropriate to be held remotely, such as those relating to mental health (e.g.
unfitness to plead). The CPS has produced a helpful ‘live-link-matrix’ of which types of hearings
can or cannot be conducted by video or audio links (Becker, 2018).
Ethical and practical concerns
Various kinds of ethical concern has been violated due to this pandemic and various
kinds of situations has been taken place that has resulted crimes to break ethical concern. Like
various kinds of investigation proceeding has closed or cannot be completed which has made
criminal to get out of jail in easy manner. Also police is not able to investigate an individual due
to COVID 19. New restrictions like wearing mask, carrying sanitizer and using handkerchief has
become compulsory. In prisons also this spread has increased that has made shifting of prisons
and resulted into various kinds of difficulties.

CONCLUSION
From the above research it is clear that crime and justice has been impacted due to this
COVID 19. It has affected everything for investigation to proceedings. Also various new ways
has taken place that has resulted in making crime to be committed at rapid scale. The situation of
COVID 19 has made courts shift to online mode to conduct there proceedings. In the end impact
of COVID on both police and court proceedings.

REFRENCES
Books and journals
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