Early Intervention to Reduce Complaints: An Australian Victoria Police Initiative
| Author | Jackie Chapman,Tim Prenzler,Stuart Macintyre |
| Published date | 01 June 2008 |
| Date | 01 June 2008 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1350/ijps.2008.10.2.77 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Early intervention to reduce complaints:
an Australian Victoria Police initiative
Stuart Macintyre†, Tim Prenzler‡ and Jackie Chapman§
†Gambling Commission, Victoria Square House, Victoria Square, Birmingham B2 4BP,
England; email: S.Macintyre@gamblingcommission.gov.uk
‡(Corresponding author) School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University,
Brisbane, Australia; email: t.prenzler@griffith.edu.au
§Ethical Standards Department, Victoria Police, Victoria Police Centre, 637 Flinders Street,
Melbourne, Vic, 3005, Australia; email: jackie.chapman@police.vic.gov.au
Received 4 February 2007; revised and accepted 23 January 2008
Keywords: early warning systems, complaints profiling, police misconduct
prevention, integrity management, risk management
Stuart Macintyre is Assistant Director of the
completing a masters degree in criminal
Risk Mitigation Division, Ethical Standards
intelligence.
Department, Victoria Police, currently on
secondment as Risk Manager, Compliance
and Enforcement, United Kingdom Gambling
ABSTRACT
Commission.
‘Complaints profiling’, ‘early warning’ or ‘early
Tim Prenzler lectures in policing and security in
intervention’ systems are currently seen as vital
the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice,
mechanisms for reducing police misconduct and
Griffith University. His research interests include
improving police–community relations. This
corruption prevention, security industry regula-
paper reports on the introduction of an early
tion, and gender issues in policing. He is also a
intervention system for police in the State of
Chief Investigator in the Australian Research
Victoria, Australia. The findings support the
Council Centre of Excellence in Policing and
contention that such systems have a demonstrable
Security, established in 2008 at Griffith University
utility in reducing complaints. A sample of 44
and the Australian National University.
individuals profiled showed that interventions
Jackie Chapman is the Acting Manager of the
resulted in a 71.07 per cent reduction in com-
Policy, Planning and Evaluation Unit, Ethical
plaints, from an expected 121 down to 35 over a
Standards Department, Victoria Police. She has
two-year period. Additionally, the study showed
been employed as an unsworn member of
that the financial cost-benefit effects were very
Victoria Police since 1994, starting as a police
positive, with reduced complaints resulting in an
administration officer in the Criminal Records
estimated saving of AU$3.2 million over the two
Section. During her time with Victoria Police she
years. A study of a sample of nine locations
has had varying roles including interstate vetting
showed a 58.6 per cent reduction in complaints,
officer and strategic analyst. Jackie has been
from a projected number of 60.6 down to 25 over
awarded the Victoria Police Service Award for
a one-year period, with an estimated saving of
International Journal of Police
sustained ethical and diligent service. She has a
AU$1.4 million. The paper also describes the
Science and Management,
Vol. 10 No. 2, 2008, pp. 238–250.
Bachelor of Business degree, a graduate
types of interventions used and a number of
DOI: 10.1350/ijps.2008.10.2.77
diploma in criminal intelligence and is currently
issues that arise from complaints profiling.
Page 238
Macintyre et al.
BACKGROUND
Officers who passed a threshold for involve-
Policing attracts large numbers of com-
ment in violent incidents were required to
plaints. Many of these are about ‘customer
attend a review panel in the unit. At the
service’ issues, such as alleged tardy re-
panel they discussed the incidents with their
sponses or rudeness, rather than outright
peers, identified patterns and factors in their
behaviour and attitudes that may have con-
corruption such as bribery or fabricated
tributed to conflict and made commitments
evidence. Customer service issues need to
to a changed approach to suspects. Over
be addressed in a responsive manner but
time the system produced marked reduc-
complaints can also provide important
tions in violent encounters between police
information on corruption and more seri-
and citizens.
ous types of misconduct, such as assaults.
Projects like Oakland supported a 1981
However, complaints in themselves are gen-
US Commission on Civil Rights recom-
erally a poor source of substantive informa-
mendation that all police departments
tion about police behaviour, often being in
should develop systems for identifying
the form of uncorroborated allegations.
‘problem officers’ (see USCCR, 2000).
Formal investigations are expensive and
Subsequently, the adverse effects of neglect-
produce low substantiation rates (Prenzler,
ing complaints were dramatically illustrated
2002). In response to this problem of large
in a study of excessive force issues by the
numbers of complaints with limited legal
1991 Christopher Commission (which fol-
standing, many police departments have
lowed the Rodney King beating in Los
been moving towards more productive and
Angeles):
scientific applications of complaints data.
By analysing complaint patterns in con-
Of approximately 1,800 officers against
junction with other sources of information,
whom an allegation of excessive force or
remedial measures can be developed to
improper tactics was made from 1986
address police–citizen conflict and possible
through 1990, over 1,400 officers had
misconduct (Walker, 2005).
only one or two allegations. But 183
One of the earliest accounts of the use of
officers had four or more allegations, 44
complaints profiling is from the ‘Oakland
had six or more, 16 had eight or more,
Police Department Violence Reduction
and one had 16 allegations (Christopher,
1991, p. 36).
Project’ of the late 1960s and early 1970s
(Toch & Grant, 2005). The project was an
Interest in profiling and early intervention
early example of a form of problem-
received a significant boost in 2001 when
oriented policing and action research. It was
the US National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
focused on the problem of physical conflict
published a report, Early Warning Systems:
between police and citizens, but was also
Responding to the Problem Officer (Walker,
concerned with reducing crime and dis-
Alpert, & Kenney, 2001). The report was
order problems by reducing provocation
widely available via the internet on the
and improving public confidence in police.
NIJ’s ‘Research in Brief ’ series. The
The Violence Reduction Unit was re-
national survey found that only 27 per cent
sponsible for generating a new system for
of a large sample of departments had an
reducing conflict through an extensive con-
early warning system in place. However, the
sultation process and experimentation. The
report also demonstrated the enormous
outcome was one of the best documented
potential for early intervention systems to
early warning and intervention systems.
reduce complaints. This was achieved
Page 239
Early intervention to reduce complaints
through three case studies where interven-
stations) (Ede, Homel, & Prenzler, 2002).
tion systems had a ‘dramatic effect’ on
The study also attempted to control for the
reducing poor performance records and
effects of different ‘task environments’—by
complaints. In summary, the following
comparing units of similar size and similar
results were reported (Walker et al., p. 3):
duties—and by comparing complaint pat-
terns in terms of concentration and preval-
In Minneapolis, the average number of
ence. A high concentration of complaints
citizen complaints received by officers
was interpreted as indicative of a problem
subject to early intervention dropped by
with small numbers of individuals attracting
67 per cent one year after the
a large number of complaints. A high pre-
intervention.
valence was considered indicative of a more
In New Orleans, that number
diffuse problem that might be associated
dropped by 62 per cent one year after
with negative aspects of the workplace cul-
intervention.
ture. The analysis found units in all possible
In Miami-Dade, only 4 per cent of
combinations of concentration and preval-
the early warning cohort had zero use-
ence of complaints. Out of 436 units, 38
of-force reports prior to intervention;
had no complaints and 79 had either a high
following intervention, 50 per cent had
concentration or a high prevalence. Five
zero use-of force reports.
units had a combination of a high concen-
tration and high prevalence. A number of
Despite the potential of early intervention
implications were developed from these
systems to reduce complaints, improve con-
findings. For example, cases of high con-
duct and reduce police–citizen conflict, the
centrations of complaints could be
topic has attracted only limited research
addressed with responses tailored to indi-
since the NIJ report. In the US, there have
vidual behavioural patterns. The issue of a
been some enlargements on the...
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