precautionary policing
The authors hypothesized that the police officers, as well as staff negotiations with risk, indicate a paradigmatic shift from the traditional policing to precautionary policing. The concept of precautionary policing remains a hot topic of discussion by social science scholars and international human rights activists.
Furthermore, they hypothesized that risk management constitutes the backbone of good governance both in the public and private sectors. Additionally, they posit that the mitigative measures put in place by governmental and non-governmental agencies are viewed as the cornerstone to the new management control. The authors assert that risk management is contingent on crime management and power within the policing context.
The data was collected through ethnographic fieldwork in a police force control room (FCR). The focus was based on England to establish how law officers and staff construct narratives of risk. The focal point of the study was on the police response to domestic violence. The research was conducted on 26 police officers who were taken through a rigorous ethnography within a total of 55 hours. The respondents in the participation were majorly comprised of the police officers drawn from the police force control room. Investigations were conducted on their response to emergency calls and subsequent actions taken by these officers to mitigate the perceived risk after getting the information.
From the study, it was established that the officers and staff in the FCR interact with several risk management technologies and tools. One of these tools that are used by call handlers to make a precise and rational decision is the THRIVE methodology that focuses on the perceived threat, harm, risk, investigation, vulnerability and engagement. Besides, the officers also demonstrate professionalism while discharging their duties.
Works Cited
Black, Alex & Lumsden, Karen. Precautionary policing and dispositive of risk in a police force control room in domestic abuse incidents: an ethnography of call handlers, dispatchers and response officers, Policing and Society, An International Journal of Research and Policy. 2020, Vol. 30 (1), 65-80, DOI:10.1080/10439463.2019.1568428