Malmö Centre for Policing and Prevention

This theme focuses on police work in the local community. It examines how the police work with partners to build a better local community by building trust and legitimacy. The focus for these efforts is on everyday crime and feelings of insecurity, but also on (gang) violence. Common interventions target home burglaries, vandalism or drug sales. This includes supporting initiatives such as neighbourhood watch or night walking, problem-oriented policing in collaboration with municipalities and property managers, and place-based policing to prevent crime. The Department of Criminology has followed and researched such initiatives for many years. For joint efforts to be feasible and successful, and for the police to have the best conditions to operate in crime-ridden and insecure areas, it is essential that there is trust in the police and that the police's work is perceived as legitimate. Citizens are then more inclined to assist the police with witness information, report crimes and engage in joint efforts with the police.

Neighbourhood Watch has a proven crime prevention effect. Still, it is only one of several examples of how organising residents can reduce crime by strengthening the collective efficacy to deal with problems in a neighbourhood. A neighbourhood with higher efficacy functions better and also tends to have lower levels of insecurity and disorder. Mellgren, Ivert and Gerell have all researched this type of relationship. The police often collaborate with municipalities and property managers to strengthen collective efficacy and reduce insecurity and crime, not least in vulnerable areas. This work is often based on problem-oriented policing, where a problem is identified, the causes are analysed, measures are implemented and finally the effects of the intervention is assessed. Meetings are regularly held to discuss and establish a common view of local crime problems as a point of departure for such work. Both Gerell and Ivert have been involved in this type of police cooperation, but there is potential to develop working methods further and develop clear knowledge about what type of interventions work best, and under what circumstances they do so.

Another type of measure often used to tackle volume crime is hot spot policing, usually by deploying foot patrol officers to high-crime locations. This is a well-established method for reducing crime in international research, but in Sweden, there is not much research on the subject.

Police work in and outside so-called safety zones and other crime-ridden areas is also studied within this theme. Here, the focus is on both treatment and the meeting between the police and the public, and on the effects of personal checks on crime, security and the legitimacy of the police.

This theme studies how police investigations can become more efficient and legally secure and how new technologies can contribute to this. Previous projects have dealt with how camera surveillance can play a role in criminal investigations, but knowledge is needed in several other areas.

Society has a far-reaching responsibility to prevent and investigate crime. Failure to do so has significant consequences for family members, but also for the security of society and thus the health and well-being of the population. In addition, detecting and preventing new crime, especially among young people, is made more difficult when a perpetrator cannot be linked to an offence.

A research project on police investigations of serious violent offences is underway at the unit for police work, focusing on what in an investigation causes a case to remain unsolved. Although this is an important area, there is a large lack of research to improve the police's investigative work and research needs to be developed.

Gerell teaches a course for new homicide investigators, where the importance of technical evidence is emphasised. The government has also announced that major investments will be made in new technology, such as automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), increased facial recognition in criminal investigations and a major expansion of camera surveillance. New technology has the potential to greatly change and streamline criminal investigation work. Here, research can play a major role in developing knowledge that ensures that the technology is used in a good way. In addition, there is also an increased use of sound sensors to identify offences. In addition to extensive research on camera surveillance, Gerell has also researched sound sensors to identify shootings in Wilmington, USA, but when this technology is on its way to Sweden, new knowledge will be needed.