This study evaluated the effectiveness of a direct test of higher-order and lower-order writing abilities needed for police report writing. This test was specifically designed to address report writing deficiencies experienced by police in the training academy. Descriptive statistics were examined, and relationships between this test and writing ability dimensions included on a separate, indirect, multiple choice test were investigated. Direct and indirect scores were correlated with training academy performance. Because both tests assessed higher-order and lower-order writing abilities, comparisons were made to determine which type of test was most appropriate for assessing the different types of writing skills. Results indicated that the direct test was a valid predictor of academy performance. Direct methods of measurement were found to be better than indirect methods for assessing higher-order writing skills. For lower-order writing skills, the indirect method appeared to be a better measure than the direct method.

Household violence that involves children can be complicated situations to understand and describe for police responding to calls. Police reports are important in prosecuting cases by informing and reminding criminal justice personnel of what occurred in incidents, and inconsistencies between reports and accounts by involved persons can result in credibility loss and case dismissal (Gregory et al. 2011). Little research has been conducted on the construction of police reports, particularly in domestic violence cases involving children. This study uses three years of domestic violence police reports from a sheriff office*s database in Florida to distinguish information recorded for three types of domestic violence cases: adults only, children involved, and children present. Using a social constructionist criminologist perspective, recorded information in regards to victims, offenders, and violence mentions differ by the level of children*s involvement in cases. Discrepancies in report quality and details are important to social policy, as officers* perceptions of the involved individuals and resources, such as medical attention and injury photography, are guided by social narratives and stereotypes that can be improved through awareness and training.

Esta dissertação estuda os estereótipos sobre o negro na sociedade brasileira e, investiga, em especial, o investimento ideológico marcado no léxico para produção e reprodução de discriminação racial. Acreditamos que o conceito de estereótipo seja chave para entendermos as complexas relações raciais no Brasil e o controle social exercido sobre o negro na sociedade brasileira por meio do discurso. O escopo teórico para desenvolvimento desta pesquisa é baseado na teoria da Análise Crítica do Discurso, especialmente, nas contribuições teóricometodológicas de van Dijk (2008) e Norman Fairclough (1989). Recorremos aos estudos de Fernandes (2007), Bhabha (2005), Bauman (2001), entre outros, para explorarmos esta temática e estabelecermos relações entre discurso, escolhas lexicais e estereótipos. Para tanto, foram selecionados Boletins de Ocorrência Policial da Decradi/SP (Delegacia de Crimes Raciais e Delitos de Intolerância de São Paulo) e Depate/DF (Departamento de Atividades Especiais da Polícia Civil do Distrito Federal) sobre preconceito e discriminação racial em São Paulo, SP, e no Distrito Federal, DF, no período de 2000 a 2009. Este corpus permitiu reconhecer questões referentes ao preconceito, a partir de pistas lingüístico-discursivas utilizadas nos discursos dos acusados de racismo. / This dissertation studies the stereotypes on the Negro in the Brazilian society and researches, with special emphasis, the ideological investment registered in the lexicon for the production and reproduction of racial discrimination. We consider the concept of stereotype as a key element for understanding the complex racial relations in Brazil and the social control by the speech over the Negro in the Brazilian society. The theoretical guideline for the realization of this research is based on the theory of Critical Analysis of the Speech, specially the theoretic and methodological contributions of Van Dijk (2008) and Norman Fairclough (1989). We turn to the studies of Fernandes (2007), Bhabha (2005), Bauman (2001), among others in order to explore this thematic and to establish relations among speech, lexical choices and stereotypes. For such purposes, we selected Police Reports of Decradi/SP (Police Office against Racial Crimes and Intolerance Faults of Sao Paulo) and Depate/DF (Department of Special Activities of the Civilian Police of the Federal District) over prejudice and racial discrimination in Sao Paulo/SP, and in the Federal District/DF, in the period of 2000 until 2009. This corpus allowed the recognition of issues related to prejudice provided by the linguistic and discursive clues used in the speech by those accused of racism.

The subject of this study is perspective in police reports. The overall aim is to introduce new tools for analysing perspective in written narratives. The material consists of reports based on different accounts of the same conflict from a number of people (the suspect, the injured part and witnesses), that is, different versions of the same sequence of events. The study begins with a theoretical discussion of perspective in literary texts and of some characteristics of the police reports examined. Two tools are developed to analyse linguistic means for identifying perspective. The first analytical tool can be placed within the framework of cognitive semantics. Analysis here concerns seeing space differently and having different limits in one’s way of experiencing the sequence of events. This conceptualisation of the focaliser (the person whose perspective is reported) is realised in the text through certain spatial expressions associated with the concept of centre. To analyse the centres chosen, the image schema centre–periphery is used in examining instances of the adverbs fram and bort and their derivations. The second analytical tool can be placed within the theoretical framework of dramaturgy. Analysis here concerns perceiving the dramatic development of events differently, that is, dramatic patterns in the different versions of the conflict and which character is given the most active role in it. The differences can be seen in the focaliser’s choice of events and how aggression is consciously or unconsciously described in terms of how different characters cause the conflict to escalate. The hypothesis being tested is whether the suspect’s perspective is discernible in the report of the suspect’s account. The hypothesis is confirmed. The study shows that the tools introduced work successfully in the analysis of perspective. Both analyses yield results, which in both cases can be validated.

D. Tech. Policing / The first legislation on accident reporting in South Africa was promulgated in 1913 in an ordinance of Transvaal, one of the four provinces of South Africa at the time. Since then several amendments have been made to legislation on accident reporting, but accident reporting has continued to be time consuming and unnecessarily complicated. It seems that technology is not yet utilised to its full potential. Therefore this study investigates ways in which an online application (app) for accident reporting could be designed and implemented. The development and implementation of a simpler and modern app for online accident reporting could successfully address the problem of unavailable statistics for minor damage-only accidents. By amending the National Road Traffic Act, 1996 (Act 93 of 1996) to accommodate more cost-effective online accident reporting through eAccident, the time spent on compiling the current accident reports could be minimised and costly human resources could be utilised more effectively in core police functions such as law enforcement.

Thesis (MTech. degree in Traffic Safety Management)--Tshwane University of Technology, 2008. / This research explored ways in which the process of road traffic accident reporting in the Johannesburg metropole could be enhanced. The specific objectives were to systematically examine the process of road traffic accident reporting and to focus on an analysis of (1) the time it takes the relevant authorities to complete the various activities involved in reporting road traffic accidents; (2) the quality of completed road traffic accident reports; and (3) the general experiences of drivers involved in road traffic accidents regarding the system of road traffic accident reporting and information retrieval in the Johannesburg metropole; to draft guidelines for strengthening the process of road traffic accident reporting in the research area, based on the mentioned analysis; and to provide pointers for future research. The study adopted a systems perspective on road traffic accident reporting and took cognisance of the wider road traffic safety management and transportation context in South Africa. The findings underlined that (1) the time taken to report road traffic accidents in the Johannesburg metropole tended to be unacceptably long; and that (2) accident reports tended to be inaccurate and/or incomplete. Based on the findings and the conceptual premises of the study, the researcher developed an accident-reporting management model.

Esta dissertação estuda os estereótipos sobre o negro na sociedade brasileira e, investiga, em especial, o investimento ideológico marcado no léxico para produção e reprodução de discriminação racial. Acreditamos que o conceito de estereótipo seja chave para entendermos as complexas relações raciais no Brasil e o controle social exercido sobre o negro na sociedade brasileira por meio do discurso. O escopo teórico para desenvolvimento desta pesquisa é baseado na teoria da Análise Crítica do Discurso, especialmente, nas contribuições teóricometodológicas de van Dijk (2008) e Norman Fairclough (1989). Recorremos aos estudos de Fernandes (2007), Bhabha (2005), Bauman (2001), entre outros, para explorarmos esta temática e estabelecermos relações entre discurso, escolhas lexicais e estereótipos. Para tanto, foram selecionados Boletins de Ocorrência Policial da Decradi/SP (Delegacia de Crimes Raciais e Delitos de Intolerância de São Paulo) e Depate/DF (Departamento de Atividades Especiais da Polícia Civil do Distrito Federal) sobre preconceito e discriminação racial em São Paulo, SP, e no Distrito Federal, DF, no período de 2000 a 2009. Este corpus permitiu reconhecer questões referentes ao preconceito, a partir de pistas lingüístico-discursivas utilizadas nos discursos dos acusados de racismo. / This dissertation studies the stereotypes on the Negro in the Brazilian society and researches, with special emphasis, the ideological investment registered in the lexicon for the production and reproduction of racial discrimination. We consider the concept of stereotype as a key element for understanding the complex racial relations in Brazil and the social control by the speech over the Negro in the Brazilian society. The theoretical guideline for the realization of this research is based on the theory of Critical Analysis of the Speech, specially the theoretic and methodological contributions of Van Dijk (2008) and Norman Fairclough (1989). We turn to the studies of Fernandes (2007), Bhabha (2005), Bauman (2001), among others in order to explore this thematic and to establish relations among speech, lexical choices and stereotypes. For such purposes, we selected Police Reports of Decradi/SP (Police Office against Racial Crimes and Intolerance Faults of Sao Paulo) and Depate/DF (Department of Special Activities of the Civilian Police of the Federal District) over prejudice and racial discrimination in Sao Paulo/SP, and in the Federal District/DF, in the period of 2000 until 2009. This corpus allowed the recognition of issues related to prejudice provided by the linguistic and discursive clues used in the speech by those accused of racism.

This study presents a brief analysis of criminal occurrences plus incidents in the city of Santa Maria RS, during the year of 2010, attended by the Military Brigade (Brigada Militar). This is a survey of the empirical-analytic features with a quantitative approach and of descriptive base. Violence is a complex, multidisciplinary phenomena, which has no single cause, but rather a multitude of factors. The literature suggests that the analysis of social, economic and demographic patterns are crucial for understanding the criminal dynamics. For the analysis it was used the Georeferencing of Activity of the Military Brigade (GeoAtBM), a software of geographical information associated with a spatial database, developed through a cooperation agreement between the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) and the Military Brigade (BM) of the State of Rio Grande do Sul. The system enables a vast array of analysis, using maps, graphs, tables, and reports, allowing for correlations about crime. The results obtained through this innovative tool, GeoAtBM contribute to the managers of Public Safety conduct operational planning and decision-making in resource management, with emphasis on prevention of crimes. It emphasizes the importance of an integrated database for the scenario analysis and indicators of public safety in order to avoid inconsistency in the statistical results due to the existence of several databases, lack of standardization and constant corrections in the information recorded. / O presente estudo apresenta uma análise sucinta das ocorrências criminais mais incidentes na cidade de Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, durante o ano de 2010, atendidas pela Brigada Militar. Trata-se de uma pesquisa com características empírico-analíticas, com abordagem quantitativa e de base descritiva. A violência é um fenômeno complexo e multidisciplinar, que não é gerada por uma causa única, mas por uma multiplicidade de fatores. A literatura aponta que a análise de padrões sociais, econômicos e demográficos são primordiais para o entendimento da dinâmica criminal. Para a análise, utilizou-se o Georreferenciamento da Atividade da Brigada Militar (GeoAtBM), um software de informações geográficas associado a um banco de dados espacial, desenvolvido através de um Termo de Cooperação entre a Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM) e a Brigada Militar (BM) do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. O sistema possibilita uma vasta gama de análise, através de mapeamentos, gráficos, tabelas e relatórios, permitindo estabelecer correlações entre os elementos da criminalidade. Os resultados obtidos através desta ferramenta inovadora contribuem para que os gestores de Segurança Pública realizem o planejamento operacional e a tomada de decisão na administração de recursos, com ênfase na prevenção dos delitos. Pontua-se a importância de um banco de dados integrados para a análise de cenários e indicadores de segurança pública, a fim de evitar inconsistência nos resultados estatísticos devido à existência de diversos bancos de dados, à falta de padronização e às retificações constantes das informações registradas.

Hate crime is an umbrella concept where the motive is to violate an individual or group based on their ethnicity, skin color, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. This study examined police reports from the year 2018, marked as hate crimes. The sample consisted of 8 cases of violent crimes containing, a completed interrogation, an identifiable hate motive and where the offense was made by either a majority offender on minority victim or a minority offender on minority victim. The study aimed to examine whether the police use stereotypes to enable quick and easy identification of an underlying motive. Athematic analysis was used to examine if stereotypes were being utilized and if any differences occurred between the handling of cases of majority-on-minority versus minority-on-minority. Two theoretical frameworks were used to understand the mechanism behind the use of stereotypes, and which victims who are assigned most sympathy from society and can thereby be defined as ideal victims of hate crime. The results indicated that the hate motive was expressed more explicitly in cases where the offender belonged to a majority group. These cases also contained more stereotypical traits, which could make it easier for law enforcement to recognize the hate motive. In the dominant part of the examined cases, both stereotypical and non-stereotypical traits were visible, indicating that law enforcement partly forgoes these stereotypes when identifying the hate motive. More training would be beneficial to stress the importance of a more detailed description of the hate motive in the report's criminal text - and how it determines the success of the investigation. / Hatbrott är ett paraplybegrepp och innebär brott där motivet är att kränka en individ eller grupp på grund av deras etniska ursprung, hudfärg, trosbekännelse, sexuella läggning eller könsöverskridande identitet eller uttryck. Studien undersökte brottsrapporter från polisens register år 2018 som blivit markerade som hatbrott. Urvalet bestod av 8 misshandelsfall som innehöll förhör, ett identifierbart hatmotiv och där förbrytelsen var utförd av antingen en majoritetsförövare på ett minoritetsoffer eller en minoritetsförövare på ett minoritetsoffer. Syftet med studien var att undersöka om polisen använder stereotyper för att snabbt och lätt komma fram till rätt underliggande motiv. En tematisk analys användes för att undersöka om stereotyper användes, samt om det förekom skillnader mellan hanteringen av fall från majoritet-på-minoritetsgruppen och minoritet-på-minoritets gruppen. Två teoretiska ramverk användes för att förstå mekanismen bakom användningen av stereotyper samt vilka offer som kan anses definieras som ideala hatbrottsoffer. Resultaten indikerade att hatmotivet blev presenterat mer explicit i de rapporter där förövaren tillhörde en majoritetsgrupp. Dessa fall innehöll även fler stereotypiska drag, vilket kan innebära att polisen har lättare för att känna igen hatmotiven. I majoriteten av de undersökta fallen framkom det att de flesta innehöll både stereotypiska och icke stereotypiska drag, vilket visar att polisen faktiskt frångår stereotyperna till viss del i processen att identifiera motivet. Därtill skulle mer utbildning vara mer fördelaktigt för att betona vikten av en mer detaljerad beskrivning av hatmotivet i brottsrapportens fritext - och hur detta avgör undersökningsprocessens framgång.

Writing proficiency in the English language is one of the critical workplace competencies required in the police workplace. The aim of this study was to investigate and determine the perceptions and experiences of South African police constables’ workplace English writing needs in selected police clusters in the Gauteng province, South Africa and recommend suitable strategies to address those needs. Therefore this thesis reports on workplace English writing needs from a professional perspective to determine how they impact on the workplace English writing competencies of police constables and also as a basis for the development of a language-integrated learning curriculum in SAPS police training academies. Data was collected through a questionnaire and interviews with selected sample of the respondents. This data was collected on: their perceptions of their workplace English writing competencies, the areas within English writing which they consider to be a challenge, their perceptions about the extent to which the SAPS training programme addresses police officers’ workplace English writing needs and their suggestions regarding the type of SAPS training programme which can enhance their workplace English writing competencies. This study was prompted by concerns from various research studies and media which reported that police officers have inadequate English writing competencies. Among other things, the study found that the absence of an English writing course in the Basic Police Development Learning Programme contributes significantly to the inadequate workplace English writing competency of police constables in South Africa. The lack of awareness of the importance of other writing sub-skills such as punctuation, word classification and correct capitalisation, contributes to police constables incompetence. This research underscores the importance of police constables’ workplace English writing research on a large scale. Such research can be used for improved pedagogy in police training academies in South Africa. Finally, the findings from this study can also be used as a basis for the development of language-integrated learning curricula in the South African police training academies and also to foster awareness about different factors impacting on the workplace English writing competencies of police constables in South Africa. / English Studies / D. Litt et Phil. (English)