University Policing and Criminal Justice Briefing Paper

This briefing paper examines policing and criminal justice, focusing on the control of crime, particularly vandalism and public disorder, within a neighborhood context. It begins by defining crime and anti-social behavior, then explores vandalism and public disorder. The paper delves into relevant theories, including media theories like Authoritarian Theory and Social Responsibility Theory, and their implications for policing. It outlines various policing policies such as Zero Tolerance, Reactive Policing, Problem-Oriented Policing, and Community/Neighborhood Policing, explaining their application in addressing crime. Furthermore, the report references relevant laws, including the Public Order Act of 1986, and provides a concluding summary of how these theories and policies can be used to effectively manage and reduce vandalism in a community setting. The paper draws on academic sources and links these to criminal activity and police practices.

Running head: POLICING AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
POLICING AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1POLICING AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Introduction
Crime may be regarded as any particular act that is unlawful and which shall be
punishable by the respective authorities. A crime may be committed against any particular
individual or against the society as a whole. A particular crime shall be considered as an issue
that may be anti-social. The Crime and Disorder Act of the year 1998 provides a definition for
the term ‘anti-social behavior’. ‘Anti-social behavior’ may be referred to an act, which has
instigated or is expected to instigate distress, alarm, panic or harassment to any particular
individual or more than one individual who all may not belong to the same household. The
individual committing any particular crime shall be referred to as the perpetrator. This paper
discusses how any particular crime may be contained with the help of various academic theories
and the policing conceptions.
Vandalism
Vandalism shall be considered as any particular action that involves deliberate
destruction, devastation, annihilation or damage to private or public property. The term
‘vandalism’ includes graffiti, defacement and litter that is directed towards and executed in
relation to any particular property. Such act is done without the prior permission, consent or
authorization of the owner. Acts relating to vandalism are frequent in the neighborhood (Bhati
and Pearce 2017).
Public Disorder
A public disorder may referred to the conduct of any particular individual or any
particular association in public place, which may possibly cause or expects to cause nuisance,
alarm, aggravation, harassment or distress to the people present at the place. The offence in

2POLICING AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
relation to public disorder may considered to be grave and serious if the intention is to cause
violence and harm to any person or provoke any person to cause violence and harm (Lewis et. al.
2017).
Relevant Theories
The interaction with the media is comprehended in relation to the policing concept that
may be applied to contain such acts of vandalism in the neighborhood. The policing concept may
be determined after understanding the media theory. The media theory relates to the relationship
between the society and the media. This theory relates to the effect that media has over the
society. The media theory specifies certain theories that are discussed below. They are as
follows:-
 Authoritarian Theory: As per this theory, communication regarding the public and
the media comes under the supervision and control of the governing power and any
particular opinion, manifestation or expression, which might demoralize or destabilize the
recognized political and social order, can be barred and prohibited. Even though the
Authoritarian Theory contradicts the right in relation to the freedom of expression, it may
be appealed under extreme circumstances.
 Social Responsibility Theory: As per this theory, the media is free to express,
however, the media should agree and follow the obligations, responsibilities or duties in
relation to serving the public good. This means that compliance with such obligations or
duties may be ensured, either with the help of professional self-regulation or with the
help of public intervention, or with the help of both (Hoggett and Stott 2015).

3POLICING AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Certain policies shall be followed by the police in order to contain the acts of vandalism that
is increasing day by day in the neighborhood. Such policies are mentioned below:-
 Zero Tolerance: This policy is founded on the ‘Broken Windows Theory’. This theory
was established by James Wilson and George Kelling in the year of 1983. This theory
states that there is a strong connection between disorder and crime. The fear in relation to
crime in any particular neighborhood stimulates certain ‘respectable’ members of the
community to leave the neighborhood. Such incidents undermine the capability of the
community regarding the maintenance of proper regulation and order, giving rise to the
decline of the community. The noticeable signs in relation to decay are considered to be
litter, graffiti, and broken windows and abandoned housing. Such signs indicates the
disinterest of the public.
 Reactive Policing: Reactive policing may be demarcated as the police replying or
answering to explicit requests from the people or assemblages in any particular
community, which includes instant retort to calls and the consequence investigations.
 Problem Orientated Policing: A policing strategy, which encompasses the
identification and investigation, examination and scrutiny of certain crime and problems
related to disorder, so that effective response approaches may be developed. Police
agencies are presumed to methodically study and examine the glitches of a community,
and pursuit effective and operative solutions to the glitches and the problems of the
community, and estimate and calculate the effect of their efforts. It also mandates the
police to approach past old-style and conventional methods and deliberate other potential
methods in order to address the disorder and crime.

4POLICING AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
 Community or Neighborhood Policing: There are three fundamental mechanisms in
relation to the community or neighborhood policing. Firstly, it is developing the
community partnerships. Secondly, it is the engagement in the solving of the problems.
Thirdly, it is the implementation of the community policing structural and administrative
features. This form of policing is considered to be an iconic form of policing where the
police interact with the general populace. The police know the concerns and issues of the
community or any particular neighbourhood with the help and assistance of steady and
systematic everyday contacts. The police take actions in relation to such issues and
problems of the community as per the wishes of the community. The neighbourhood
policing is considered to be a philosophy as well as a structural and administrative policy,
which endorses a cooperative and partnership-based effort between the community and
the police. Such policy is endorsed and encouraged, in order to successfully and
proficiently classify, recognise, prevent and elucidate problems regarding crime, fear and
panic in relation to crime, social and physical malady and disorder, and neighbourhood
decay, so that the quality of life of the general populace may be improved (Brewer et. al.
2016).
Law and Policing
Various laws have been enacted regarding the policing of public order. The statutes
include the Public Order Act of 1986, Criminal Law Act of 1967, Criminal Justice and Public
Order Act of 1994, and Police and Criminal Act of 1984.

5POLICING AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Conclusion
To conclude, it may be said that the police and the backers of the neighborhood may
utilize the aforementioned theories and policies to control the recent acts of vandalism occurring
in the neighborhood.

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References
Bhati, A. and Pearce, P., 2017. Tourist behaviours, vandalism and stakeholder responses. Visitor
management in tourism destinations, p.102.
Brewer, J.D., Wilford, R., Guelke, A., Hume, I. and Moxon-Browne, E., 2016. The police,
public order and the state: policing in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Irish Republic, the
USA, Israel, South Africa and China. Springer.
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, 1994.
Criminal Law Act, 1967.
Hoggett, J. and Stott, C., 2015. Post G20: The challenge of change, implementing evidence-
based public order policing. In Crowds in the 21st Century (pp. 64-74). Routledge.
Lewis, E.A., Breeze, J., Malbon, C. and Carr, D.J., 2017. Personal Armour used by UK armed
forces and UK police forces. In Ballistic Trauma (pp. 47-62). Springer, Cham.
Police and Criminal Act, 1984.
Public Order Act, 1986.