SOCIETY
Policing was fundamentally altered by the outbreak of COVID-19 around the world . Overnight , police officers were called on to enforce unfamiliar public health restrictions and in many countries – like the UK , Australia , New Zealand and Canada – they were given unprecedented powers , for erstwhile free societies , to restrict people ’ s movements .
Most Australian states , for example , declared a state of emergency with new laws imposing severe restrictions on civil liberties , including the power to enter any premises to detain people considered to be breaching lockdown laws . The city of Melbourne , population five million , was enclosed inside a strictly policed ‘ ring of steel ’ for almost six months , with the government leaving in place a trigger to reimpose these restrictions if it deems them necessary in the future . Canadian provinces similarly introduced police powers to set up checkpoints and enforce stay-at-home orders , as did many other countries .
On the flip side , in countries where people movement was restricted by lockdowns and curfews , including in the UK , authorities noted radically altered crime patterns .
With the introduction of lockdowns , there were almost immediate falls in burglaries and assaults offset by steep rises in domestic violence , cybercrimes and fraud .
When the pandemic broke , the Hampshire Constabulary in the south of England responded to these unique circumstances by accessing a long-standing research and innovation partnership with the University of Portsmouth to better understand the impacts and consequences of pandemic policing .
The police – university research , innovation and teaching partnership is coordinated by Dr Paul Smith and includes the work
ISSUE 04 / 2022 53