Improving detective investigation, crime clearance rate, and reducing the crime rate
Abstract
Community policing is significant in safeguarding lives and properties of citizens. Crime rates can only reduce when crimes are punished conclusively (187), including clearing of backlog cases in courts. Case clearance is the only assurance that criminals are weeded off society. Therefore, the police detective should examine their operations to improve their policing strategies and reduce the crime rate in the community. Adequate police detective work requires the detectives to consider implementing and adopting changes in their policing policies, including hiring more detective, changing their modes of operations, and increasing clearance rates. Useful community policing requires the police detectives to decentralize their factions close to the community. Such a move will increase community trust and confidence in the policing; hence, enabling them to avail crime-related information more freely and frequently. Adopting the non-traditional strategies and tactics is the only sure way to reducing crime rates and increasing clearance rates of pending cases.
Introduction
Criminal investigations have remained core functions of police detectives in the United States police agencies since in the 1950s. Most of the investigative works done by the police detectives in the ancient societies were marred with challenges of validity and accuracy. They applied mainly analog mechanisms to gather criminal information and placed suspects in the crime scenes remotely. Over the years, the advancement in technology and technological application in criminal investigations have improved investigative work. The primary roles of the detectives include investigation of crimes and arresting the suspect as well as assisting in prosecuting suspects and clearing or closing severe crimes. However, numerous studies have revealed that despite the technological advancements, detectives are still ineffective in combating crime and clearing or closing severe criminal cases. The police detectives have remained ineffective in general follow up of their investigations and trials. These inefficiencies, among others, have reduced clearance rates of court cases and increased crime rate. Therefore, this study aims at examining ways the detective can employ to improve their work efficiency, increase clearances, and reduce crime rates.
Detective Investigations, Crime Clearance Rates, and Crime Rates
Current FBI crime data indicates that vast crimes, particularly violent and property crimes, have remained unresolved. Increased rates of serious crimes and reduced rates of clearance are indicators of police detective ineffectiveness. For instance, the 2014 FBI crime data show an increased rate of homicide crimes, and most of these cases have not been cleared. Many research works have pegged the iineffectiveness of the police detectives on understaffing, insufficient training, ineffective crime investigation, and analysis tools, the weak relationship among the policing agencies and deteriorating police-community relations.
The small staff is likely to hinder the effective delivery of the police detectives. Numerous crimes are already committed, and other criminal activities are on the increasing trend. Thus, if only a handful of police detectives are expected to follow up and clear the existing backlog and handle the emerging crimes, the crime clearance rate will still be at lowest. Moreover, the crime rate is likely to increase since crime is not punished considerably. Efficient investigation and clearance of a crime require a squad of one supervisor and at least four investigating officers. The detective squad of this formation can handle at least three crimes annually. The policing detectives are understaffed, and one detective can be assigned over ten criminal cases a year. The current overload on the investigators is likely to reduce their efficiency; hence, bulging the crime rates and lowering the crime clearance rate.
Other surveys have concluded that the insufficient training of the police detectives has reduced their efficiency in work delivery. Keeping with professional practices requires a police detective to patrol for at least three years and work for two years a general police detective. Not all the police detectives are trained on the investigation training curricula. They are not equipped with skills requires since they are not subjected to investigation training wanted. The training enables the investigators to know the type and extent of an investigation. It is through the training that they are equipped with investigative and analytical tools needed to handle specific crime. Practical exercises will equip detectives with the necessary skills and knowledge that will increase their work efficiency and delivery, thereby reducing crime rates and speeding crime clearance.
Increased technological advancement and development have increased crime sophistication. The use of technology has made crime significantly complicated. Criminals are currently using different technological platforms to commit various forms of crimes, including trading on illegal drugs, corporate crime, transnational terrorism, international organized crime, and cybercrime, among others. Technology has increased access to information; thus, facilitating crime. Therefore, there are needs for police detectives to improve their policing policies and investigation techniques. They should also enhance their information access and develop sophisticated forensic data collection and analytical for investigating and analyzing crimes. If they can use the right crime management tools, arrest, and punish as many crimes as possible as well as clear cases faster, the crime rate will reduce. The proactive and efficient application of these sophisticated technological tools in crime management will call for training of criminal justice personnel. It is through continuous training that the necessary crime management knowledge and skills can be learned and applied.
Information sharing is also vital in managing crime. Police detectives need to change their relationship with other security agencies as well as improving the deteriorating police detective-community relations. The useful investigation also requires collaboration and cooperation among different security agencies. The desired collaboration can only be achieved when there is adequate, free, and desirable communication among the policing agencies. The detectives should also forge perfect relations with the community. It’s only through good relations between the police detectives or police and the community that the members of the community can relay crime-related information to them. Some police detectives agencies do not accept and are not still willing to support community policing. Reduction o crime requires thorough investigations through community involvement; therefore, the police detectives need to rethink on how they relate and incorporate the community in their policing work.
In conclusion, the police detectives have to change their ways of operations towards improving their services to society. They must start planning of implementing effective community policing strategies by involving the community members in their service delivery. Successful execution of a criminal case and clearance of the same requires effective investigation and undoubted identification and placement of the suspect in the crime scene. Since police detectives cannot be at the crime scenes at the time of crime execution, they can only conduct elaborate and concussive investigations towards punishing criminals and increasing clearing pending court cases. Adept reforms that the police detectives must consider adopting and implementing towards reducing crime include real community policing, increasing their workforce, continuous training, and building genuine partnerships among the policing agency.