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Intensifying the local police approach to online crime: Exploring preliminary findings from action research
Thu, September 12, 4:00 to 5:15pm, Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest, Floor: 1st floor, Amphitheater 5 „Constantin Stătescu”Abstract
The workload of the Dutch police has changed dramatically in recent years. Fifty per cent of victimization in the Netherlands is now caused by online crime. In recent years, the Dutch police has taken significant steps to keep up with these developments, in particular by appointing specialist teams. For now, the local, digital police task seems to be a task for the ‘hobbyist’ or ‘enthusiast’, while the scale of online crime would legitimize prioritizing this form of crime at the local level as well. This is the next step in adapting the Dutch police organization to the increasingly digital environment and the starting point of our two-year study. The main question of this study is: How can local police units prepare their staff in a proven effective way to intensify the local approach to online crime? In this contribution, we present the results of the first phase of this study in which we interviewed N = 35 police officers from two local police units about their take in the local police task regarding online crime. During the interviews, we delved into the specific responsibilities of police officers in addressing online crime at the local level, emphasizing the primary focus and essential knowledge and skills required for an effective local approach. What stands out is that there remains a significant need to underscore the importance of fundamental knowledge and skills regarding online crime as well as basic understanding of digital tools and processes. Furthermore, we elaborate on how the researchers use action research to design an intervention together with police officers to improve and innovate professional practice.